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FOODLINE

foodline

Cori Kauk, a former Bremerton resident and Olympic College grad, has returned to the city to lead the service provider.

New Foodline director focused on expansion with new space, programs, community relations

THE PINE-PROCESSIONARY

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 XV Tarzan and the Ant Men Chapter XV Through several chambers and corridors they were conducted toward the center of the dome on the same level as the chamber in which they had left the king and the walmak until finally they were thrust into a small chamber and a heavy door slammed and barred behind them. There was no candle in the chamber. A faint light, however, relieved the darkness so that the interior of the room was discernible. The chamber contained two benches and a table—that was all. The light which faintly illuminated it entered through a narrow embrasure which was heavily barred, but it was evidently daylight. "We are alone," whispered Komodoflorensal, "and at last we can converse; but we must be cautious," he added. "'Trust not too far the loyalty of even the stones of your chamber!'" he quoted. "Where are we?" asked Tarzan. "You are more familiar with Minunian dwellings than I." "We are upon the highest level of the Royal Dome of Elkomoelhago," replied the prince. "With no such informality does a king visit the other domes of his city. You may rest assured that this is Elkomoelhago's. We are in one of the innermost chambers, next the central shaft that pierces the dome from its lowest level to its roof. For this reason we do not need a candle to support life—we will obtain sufficient air through this embrasure. And now, tell me what happened within the room with Elkomoelhago and Zoanthrohago." [Pg 231] "I discovered how they reduced my stature," replied Tarzan, "and, furthermore, that at almost any time I may regain my full size—an occurrence that may eventuate from three to thirty-nine moons after the date of my reduction. Even Zoanthrohago cannot determine when this thing will happen." "Let us hope that it does not occur while you are in this small chamber," exclaimed Komodoflorensal. "I would have a devil of a time getting out," agreed Tarzan. "You would never get out," his friend assured him. "While you might, before your reduction, have crawled through some of the larger corridors upon the first level, or even upon many of the lower levels, you could not squeeze into the smaller corridors of the upper levels, which are reduced in size as the necessity for direct supports for the roof increase as we approach the apex of the dome." "Then it behooves me to get out of here as quickly as possible," said Tarzan. [Pg 232] Komodoflorensal shook his head. "Hope is a beautiful thing, my friend," he said, "but if you were a Minunian you would know that under such circumstances as we find ourselves it is a waste of mental energy. Look at these bars," and he walked to the window and shook the heavy irons that spanned the embrasure. "Think you that you could negotiate these?" "I haven't examined them," replied the ape-man, "but I shall never give up hope of escaping; that your people do is doubtless the principal reason that they remain forever in bondage. You are too much a fatalist, Komodoflorensal." As he spoke Tarzan crossed the room and standing at the prince's side took hold of the bars at the window. "They do not seem over-heavy," he remarked, and at the same time exerted pressure upon them. They bent! Tarzan was interested now and Komodoflorensal, as well. The ape-man threw all his strength and weight into the succeeding effort with the result that two bars, bent almost double, were torn from their setting. Komodoflorensal gazed at him in astonishment. "Zoanthrohago reduced your size, but left you with your former physical prowess," he cried. "In no other way can it be accounted for," replied Tarzan, who now, one by one, was removing the remaining bars from the window embrasure. He straightened one of the shorter ones and handed it to Komodoflorensal. "This will make a good weapon," he said, "if we are forced to fight for our liberty," and then he straightened another for himself. [Pg 233] The Trohandalmakusian gazed at him in wonder. "And you intend," he demanded, "to defy a city of four hundred and eighty thousand people, armed only with a bit of iron rod?" "And my wits," added Tarzan. "You will need them," said the prince. "And I shall use them," Tarzan assured him. "When shall you start?" asked Komodoflorensal, chaffingly. "Tonight, tomorrow, next moon—who knows?" replied the ape-man. "Conditions must be ripe. All the time I shall be watching and planning. In that sense I started to escape the instant I regained consciousness and knew that I was a prisoner." Komodoflorensal shook his head. "You have no faith in me?" demanded Tarzan. "That is precisely what I have—faith," replied Komodoflorensal. "My judgment tells me that you cannot succeed and yet I shall cast my lot with you, hoping for success, yes, believing in success. If that is not faith I do not know what it might be called." The ape-man smiled. He seldom, if ever, laughed aloud. "Let us commence," he said. "First we will arrange these rods so that they will have the appearance, from the doorway, of not having been disturbed, for I take it we shall have an occasional visitor. Some one will bring us food, at least, and whoever comes must suspect nothing." [Pg 234] Together they arranged the rods so that they might be quickly removed and as quickly replaced. By that time it was getting quite dark within the chamber. Shortly after they had finished with the rods their door opened and two warriors, lighting their way with candles, appeared escorting a slave who bore food in bucketlike receptacles and water in bottles made of glazed pottery. As they were going away again, after depositing the food and drink just inside the doorway, taking their candles with them, Komodoflorensal addressed them. "We are without candles, warrior," he said to the nearer. "Will you not leave us one of yours?" "You need no candle in this chamber," replied the man. "One night in darkness will do you good, and tomorrow you return to the quarry. Zoanthrohago is done with you. In the quarry you will have plenty of candles," and he passed out of the chamber, closing the door behind him. The two slaves heard the heavy bolt shot into place upon the opposite side of the door. It was very dark now. With difficulty they found the receptacles containing the food and water. [Pg 235] "Well?" inquired Komodoflorensal, dipping into one of the food jars. "Do you think it is going to be so easy now, when tomorrow you will be back in the quarry perhaps five hundred huals below ground?" "But I shall not be," replied Tarzan, "and neither shall you." "Why not?" asked the prince. "Because, since they expect to remove us to the quarries tomorrow, it follows that we must escape tonight," explained Tarzan. Komodoflorensal only laughed. When Tarzan had eaten his fill he arose and walked to the window, where he removed the bars and, taking the one that he had selected for himself, crawled through the passage that led to the opposite end of the embrasure, for even so close to the apex of the dome the wall was quite thick, perhaps ten huals. The hual, which is about three inches in length by our standards, constitutes the Minunian basic unit of measure, corresponding most closely to our foot. At this high level the embrasure was much smaller than those opening at lower levels, practically all of which were of sufficient size to permit a warrior to walk erect within them; but here Tarzan was forced to crawl upon all fours. At the far end he found himself looking out into a black void above which the stars were shining and about the sides of which were dotted vague reflections of inner lights, marking the lighted chambers within the dome. Above him it was but a short distance to the apex of the dome, below was a sheer drop of four hundred huals. [Pg 236] Tarzan, having seen all that could be seen from the mouth of the embrasure, returned to the chamber. "How far is it, Komodoflorensal," he asked, "from the floor of this embrasure to the roof of the dome?" "Twelve huals, perhaps," replied the Trohanadalmakusian. Tarzan took the longest of the bars from the embrasure and measured it as best he could. "Too far," he said. "What is too far?" demanded Komodoflorensal. "The roof," explained Tarzan. "What difference does it make where the roof is—you did not expect to escape by way of the roof of the dome, did you?" "Most certainly—had it been accessible," replied the ape-man; "but now we shall have to go by way of the shaft, which will mean crossing entirely through the dome from the interior shaft to the outer periphery. The other route would have entailed less danger of detection." Komodoflorensal laughed aloud. "You seem to think that to escape a Minunian city it is only necessary to walk out and away. It cannot be done. What of the sentries? What of the outer patrols? You would be discovered before you were halfway down the outside of the dome, provided that you could get that far without falling to your death." [Pg 237] "Then perhaps the shaft would be safer," said Tarzan. "There would be less likelihood of discovery before we reached the bottom, for from what I could see it is as dark as pitch in the shaft." "Clamber down the inside of the shaft!" exclaimed Komodoflorensal. "You are mad! You could not clamber from this level to the next without falling, and it must be a full four hundred huals to the bottom." "Wait!" Tarzan admonished him. Komodoflorensal could hear his companion moving around in the dark chamber. He heard the scraping of metal on stone and presently he heard a pounding, not loud, yet heavy. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Wait!" said Tarzan. And Komodoflorensal waited, wondering. It was Tarzan who spoke next. "Could you find the chamber in which Talaskar is confined in the quarry?" he asked. "Why?" demanded the prince. "We are going after her," explained Tarzan. "We promised that we would not leave without her." "I can find it," said Komodoflorensal, rather sullenly Tarzan thought. [Pg 238] For some time the ape-man worked on in silence, except for the muffled pounding and the scraping of iron on stone, or of iron on iron. "Do you know every one in Trohanadalmakus?" Tarzan asked, suddenly. "Why, no," replied Komodoflorensal. "There are a million souls, including all the slaves. I could not know them all." "Did you know by sight all those that dwelt in the royal dome?" continued the ape-man. "No, not even those who lived in the royal dome," replied the Trohanadalmakusian; "though doubtless I knew practically all of the nobles, and the warrior class by sight if not by name." "Did any one?" asked Tarzan. "I doubt it," was the reply. "Good!" exclaimed Tarzan. Again there was a silence, broken again by the Englishman. "Can a warrior go anywhere without question in any dome of his own city?" he inquired. "Anywhere, under ordinary circumstances, except into the king's dome, in daytime." "One could not go about at night, then?" asked Tarzan. "No," replied his companion. "By day, might a warrior go and come in the quarries as he pleased?" "If he appeared to be employed he would not be questioned, ordinarily." [Pg 239] Tarzan worked a little longer in silence. "Come!" he said presently; "we are ready to go." "I shall go with you," said Komodoflorensal, "because I like you and because I think it would be better to be dead than a slave. At least we shall have some pleasure out of what remains to us of life, even though it be not a long life." "I think we shall have some pleasure, my friend," replied Zuanthrol. "We may not escape; but, like you, I should rather die now than remain a slave for life. I have chosen tonight for our first step toward freedom, because I realize that once returned to the quarry our chances for a successful break for liberty will be reduced to almost nothing, and tonight is our only night above ground." "How do you propose that we escape from this chamber?" "By way of the central shaft," replied Tarzan; "but first tell me, may a white-tunicked slave enter the quarries freely by day?" Komodoflorensal wondered what bearing all these seemingly immaterial questions had upon the problem of their escape; but he answered patiently: "No, white tunics are never seen in the quarries." "Have you the iron bar I straightened for you?" [Pg 240] "Yes." "Then follow me through the embrasure. Bring the other rods that I shall leave in the opening. I will carry the bulk of them. Come!" Komodoflorensal heard Tarzan crawling into the embrasure, the iron rods that he carried breaking the silence of the little chamber. Then he followed. In the mouth of the embrasure he found the rods that Tarzan had left for him to carry. There were four rods, the ends of each bent into hooks. It had been upon this work that Tarzan had been engaged in the darkness—Komodoflorensal wondered to what purpose. Presently his further advance was halted by Tarzan's body. "Just a moment," said the ape-man. "I am making a hole in the window ledge. When that is done we shall be ready." A moment later he turned his head back toward his companion. "Pass along the rods," he said. After Komodoflorensal had handed the hooked rods to Tarzan he heard the latter working with them, very quietly, for several minutes, and then he heard him moving his body about in the narrow confines of the embrasure and presently when the ape-man spoke again the Trohanadalmakusian realized that he had turned around and that his head was close to that of his companion. "I shall go first, Komodoflorensal," he said. "Come to the edge of the embrasure and when you hear me whistle once, follow me." [Pg 241] "Where?" asked the prince. "Down the shaft to the first embrasure that will give us foot-hold, and let us pray that there is one directly below this within the next eighteen huals. I have hooked the rods together, the upper end hooked into the hole I made in the ledge, the lower end dangling down a distance of eighteen huals." "Good-bye, my friend," said Komodoflorensal. Tarzan smiled and slipped over the edge of the embrasure. In one hand he carried the rod that he had retained as a weapon, with the other he clung to the window ledge. Below him for eighteen huals dangled the slender ladder of iron hooks, and below this, four hundred huals of pitchy darkness hid the stone flagging of the inner courtyard. Perhaps it roofed the great central throne room of the king, as was true in the royal dome of Adendrohahkis; perhaps it was but an open court. The truth was immaterial if the frail support slipped from the shallow hole in the ledge above, or if one of the hooks straightened under the weight of the ape-man. Now he grasped the upper section of his ladder with the hand that held his improvised weapon, removed the hand from the ledge and grasped the rod again, still lower down. In this way he lowered his body a few inches at a time. He moved very slowly for two reasons, the more important of which was that he feared that any sudden strains upon his series of hooks might straighten one of them and precipitate him into the abyss below; the other was the necessity for silence. It was very dark even this close to the summit of the dome, but that was rather an advantage than otherwise, for it hid his presence from any chance observer who might glance through one of the embrasures in the opposite wall of the shaft. As he descended he felt in both directions for an embrasure, but he was almost at the end of his ladder before he felt himself swing slightly into one. When he had lowered himself still farther and could look into the opening he saw that it was dark, an indication that it did not lead into an inhabited chamber, a fact for which he was thankful. He hoped, too, that the inner end of the embrasure was not barred, nor the door beyond bolted upon the outside. [Pg 242] He whistled once, very low, for Komodoflorensal, and an instant later he felt the movement of the iron ladder that told him his companion had commenced the descent. The embrasure in which he stood was higher than the one they had just quitted, permitting him to stand erect. There he waited for the Trohanadalmakusian who was soon standing upon the ledge beside him. "Whew!" exclaimed the prince, in a whisper. "I should hate to have had to do that in the daytime when I could have seen all the way to the bottom. What next? We have come farther already than ever I dreamed would be possible. Now I am commencing to believe that escape may lie within the realm of possibilities." [Pg 243] "We haven't started yet," Tarzan assured him; "but we are going to now. Come!" Grasping their rude weapons the two walked stealthily the length of the embrasure. There were no bars to impede their progress and they stepped to the floor of the chamber beyond. Very carefully, feeling each step before he planted a foot and with his weapon extended before him, Tarzan groped his way about the chamber, which he found was fairly well filled with casks and bottles, the latter in wooden and wicker cases. Komodoflorensal was directly behind him. "We are in one of the rooms where the nobles charged with enforcing the laws against wine have hidden confiscated liquor," whispered the Trohanadalmakusian. "I have heard much talk concerning the matter since I was made prisoner—the warriors and the slaves, too, seem to talk of nothing else but this and the high taxes. The chances are that the door is heavily barred—they guard these forbidden beverages as never they guarded their gold or jewels." "I have found the passageway leading to the door," whispered Tarzan, "and I can see a light beneath it." [Pg 244] They crept stealthily the length of the passage. Each grasped his weapon more firmly as Tarzan gently tried the latch. It gave! Slowly the ape-man pushed the door ajar. Through the tiny aperture thus opened he could see a portion of the room. Its floor was strewn with gorgeous carpets, thick and soft. That portion of the wall that was revealed to him was hung with heavy fabrics woven in many colors and strange patterns—splendid, barbaric. Directly in the line of his vision the body of a man lay sprawled, face down, upon the floor—a pool of red stained a white rug beneath his head. Tarzan opened the door a little farther, revealing the bodies of three other men. Two lay upon the floor, the third upon a low divan. The scene, gorgeous in its coloring, tragic in its suggestion of mystery and violent death, held the eyes of the ape-man yet a moment longer before he opened the door still wider and leaped quickly to the center of the room, his weapon raised and ready, giving no possible skulking foe behind the door the opportunity to fell him that would have offered had he edged into the room slowly. A quick glance about the apartment showed the bodies of six men that had not been visible from the partially opened door. These were lying in a pile in one corner of the room. 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 .

Through several chambers and corridors

* * Achievement unlocked: With more than ‘4 billion’ in total votes -- almost half the population of earth voted for startups! JUST KIDDING! Some companies had a to accumulating their votes. unique approach In 2021, decided to host to highlight the backbone of the future - tech startups! for the first time in forever (make sure you sing it in Anna’s voice), HackerNoon.com Startups of The Year More than 44,000 startups were nominated all across the globe, spanning over 4,553 cities. That’s.Just.Spiffy! To see who is a winner in each respective city, visit and pick a city. The name at the top of the list is the winner. (Compromised awards are under review.) startups.hackernoon.com The will announce the winners per region in their respective cities. Startups Winners Announcement Series We’d like to take a moment here and thank every single person who cast a vote and every single company, both nominated and not nominated yet this year. Furthermore, we thank you for existing and opening more opportunities for the wonders of the future to come. Even if you don’t win anything today, you’ve won something much more valuable - our hearts <3 Okay, sorry for the long introduction. Below are all the Startups Winners: Startups of the Year (SOTY) in Africa Johannesburg, South Africa With more than 900 votes cast, #SOTY calls.... MiBRAND Thank you for connecting businesses and consumers, great job! Lagos, Nigeria With 836 votes in the bag, let’s give it up for... Goodtalent Thanks for helping tech companies build great engineering teams. Cape Town, South Africa Want to learn more about finance and use that knowledge to make better financial decisions? Look no further. Introducing winner of Startups of The Year, Cape Town: Revix With 527 votes cast, it seems like a lot of people have more money in their pockets thanks to . Revix Mahé, Seychelles With around 515 votes cast, #SOTY summons... DAOLaunch Thank you for bridging the gap between investors and startups. Lusaka And the winner for #SOTY in Lusaka is... ComGrow Thanks to them, people here are getting closer to the reality of the digitization of village banking. Nairobi, Kenya With 252 votes cast, UTU came out top as the Startup of The Year. Thanks for building the trust infrastructure of the internet to help businesses and consumers engage and transact in a more reliable way. Yaoundé Accounting for more than 73% of total votes, CamPay won this award fair and square. Thank you for making sending and receiving payments easier between online merchants. Abuja, Nigeria A proud winner in the prestigious capital of Nigeria, Elesaro deserves all the plaudits it gets. is a suite crowdfunding protocol built on BSC, Reward, Equity, Lending & NFT Marketplace. Congratulations! Elesaro Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Jamii Africa is the name that will always be engraved on the #SOTY trophy. As a mobile micro-health insurance, Jamii Africa has done a great job for the health sector in Tanzania. Kigali, Rwanda Another #SOTY medal in the bag for none other than …wait for it… BAG Innovation BAG Innovation applies Gamification to offer real-time access to experience-based learning for University students in East Africa. Everybody loves playing games, but using games to learn in school is on another level. Gauteng, South Africa And the award goes to... Planet42 Thanks for democratising mobility by enabling people ignored by banks to get access to a personal vehicle through a car subscription service. Once again, congratulations! Port Harcourt, Nigeria Cryptocurrency is the present and the future, as we’ve all come to know. FLITBASE makes these digital assets more accessible to everyone. #SOTY is proud to add you to our Hall of Fame. Cairo, Egypt With 18 votes won out of the 91 cast, it seems there was fierce competition. Congratulations to... SubsBase for winning Startups of The Year. SubsBase allows businesses to manage their subscribers, automate recurring billings, set pricing plans, and monitor subscription KPIs. Tunis, Tunisia Come one, come all! Witness the greatness of yet another wonderful startup in the #SOTY. Thank you... VYND for providing a fully integrated digital platform to help venue owners better serve their customers and grow their businesses. Stellenbosch, South Africa BankTech connects clients to a payment network where it provides a convenient interface to meet various payments needs. You’ve won #SOTY proudly! Pretoria #SOTY acknowledges... Grays Pharmaceuticals Thank you for all you do. Lekki, Nigeria Middletrust provides reliable escrow services in Africa. Congratulations on winning a #SOTY medal. Addis Ababa Thank you... Hello Solar for consistently accelerating sustainable energy solutions, especially for remote communities. With half of the votes cast, you beat the odds. Accra, Ghana UT Bank Ghana provides various commercial banking services to individuals and companies in Ghana. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of financial services to humankind. #SOTY is proud of all you do. Gîza, Egypt Big congratulations to... HOVO for winning this award. Your on-demand mobile app for ordering trucks is truly appreciated! Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Congratulations for coming out on top of #SOTY, SillonBlue Technologies As an ICT Consulting and SaaS company, SillonBlue Technologies focuses on software and mobile app development, and data collection. Yaba, Nigeria With more than half of the votes cast, this nominee conquered undisputedly. Let’s give it up for... Kuda a no-fee full-service digital bank making banking affordable for all Africans on the planet. Morocco City Almes provides infrastructure and logistics services. Congratulations on earning a #SOTY medal. Dakar ShopMeAway provides families and businesses with new ways to shop around the world with reduced shipping costs. You deserve the plaudits you’ve received! Casablanca Sheaply provides crowd shipping and crowd shopping solutions. This reduces cost and improves efficiency on shipping and shopping. Congratulations on winning a #SOTY medal. Nguru, Nigeria Accounting for 88% of the votes, TradeBuza wins #SOTY almost flawlessly. TradeBuza is a tech-enabled commodities sourcing platform for commodities aggregators and out-grower schemes. Ikeja, Nigeria PropertyPro Nigeria is now pronounced Startup of the Year in Ikeja. Let’s admit, who doesn’t appreciate a platform built to search for real estate properties? Ibadan, Nigeria No Bank, No Problem! (That’s probably not their motto, by the way) Shield Finders is a fintech and financial service provider to the unbanked. Congratulation on winning most of the votes! 6 October City, Egypt Wuilt is a website builder where you can create your own Arabic website in under 5 minutes. Thank you for making this technology accessible to people. One #SOTY medal for you! Algiers The only nominee who outvoted all others, please give it up for... Yassir Thank you for providing convenient transport services using your app. Enugu In an area that usually suffers from inconsistent electricity, Greenage comes to the rescue with their green cape and spandex suit. Greenage Technologies is a Nigerian startup solving electricity problems in Nigeria using solar energy technology. Congrats, Greenage. Abeokuta, Nigeria A government organization creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and the unemployed - no one deserves the title Startup of The Year better than Ogun Innovate Congratulations! Ariana And the award goes to... E-Stores Factory a web platform that helps rent and manage e-shops for enterprises seeking to sell online. Thank you for making the (not a typo) more friendly! e-cosystem Benin City Health really is wealth. MOBicure provides mobile technology solutions for Africa's biggest health problems. Thank you for all you do. From #SOTY with love <3 Centurion GameZBoost offers white label gaming platforms, including online desktop solutions, fully responsive mobile and social platforms. Thank you for making the world a more fun place! Gaborone Augmenta Cyber Security provides services in cyber security, safe data storage, SCADA security, SAP Security, etc. Congratulations on winning 10/10 of the votes. You rock! Garki There can never be enough medical platforms in the world. Congratulations to... Wella Health an operator of a healthcare technology company intended to provide treatments and medicines for malaria. Thank you for all you do! Lilongwe Yellow is a digital platform enabling informal merchants in Africa. #SOTY welcomes you to its hall of fame. Make yourself at home ;) Luanda Access to finance is important for any company or sector to succeed. And no other company deserves the title Startup of The Year more than Deya the first Angolan and PALOP crowdfunding platform that aims to increase access to financing for social impact causes and entrepreneurs. . 10/10 will recommend Mombasa Life can be hard, and so a little humor helps ease these hardships. Congratulations to this political satire puppet show, The XYZ Show for winning #SOTY. Thanks for putting smiles on our faces. Port Louis Town Bet you’ve never heard of a Smartcup. Thanks to Intellicup that exists now, and therefore earns this startup a #SOTY badge.  Intellicup is a unique high-speed beverage dispensing solution with integrated smart technology. While this cup won’t be able to wake you up in the morning, you have to agree that it’s still pretty impressive. Rabat Atlan Space is a startup building AI to autonomously pilot any fixed-wing drone, to monitor and take measures over very large areas. You deserve the #SOTY medal. Réunion Imagine having the power to do ultrasound scans on your handheld device. OSCULT by Oscadi is a handheld ultrasound imaging device interfaced with the Apple iPad. Congratulations on making it into the #SOTY! Somerset West Winning the award fair and square is Sticitt a cashless payment platform that is also aimed at teaching learners at school the basics of finance. The future of the world would be in good hands when our children know how to adequately manage finances. Thank you for saving the world in advance. Thika Flowers make the world a beautiful place to live in. Wilmar Flowers exports summer flowers grown by small and medium-sized farmers from Kenya. Kudos for making the world beautiful, #SOTY is honored to have you in our Hall of Fame. Kampala, Uganda Yo-Waste Limited is an African startup that provides waste, recycling and “smart city” solutions to businesses and governments. Your #SOTY gold medal shines as much as you do <3 Harare, Zimbabwe The world is becoming more and more digital every day. Thanks to companies like Golix that provide services of digital currencies for people in Africa, the digitization of the world is becoming more robust. Freetown Easy Solar is a distribution company making energy, durable goods and financial services affordable and accessible through pay-as-you-go tech. Thumbs up! Kicukiro FOODLINE specializes in non-genetically-modified grocery farming and production lines. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! #SOTY Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Startups Nuru is a renewable and environmental company that specializes in the fields of storage micro-grids and solar energy. After racking up all the votes, #SOTY honors you. Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Digitech provides a fully integrated and cloud-based InsurTech platform to incumbent insurance companies. You are awesome! Durban Security can never really be enough. We’d like to honor Blue Security the title Startup of The Year, for specializing in the installation and monitoring of intruder detection systems, and in providing armed response services. Ikoyi And the Startup of The year goes to... Winich Farms an Agritech Startup leveraging tech to connect rural farmers to Finance & Market, thus, increasing productivity and cutting post-harvest loss. You rock! Lomé The last recipient of #SOTY in Africa calls for... Gozem a transport technology platform for Francophone West and Central Africa. Thank you for providing a platform for transportation. We are honored to have you! *Winners missing from this list will be added accordingly. More Information If you’re a winner, please answer ! If you’re a reader, participant, just a curious individual, consider answering one of our interviews . this interview here Read the FAQs about or . Startups here here To see all of the winners you may visit , pick any city and view the name that appears at the top. this site If you’re interested in partnering with us, we invite you to look through some of these or reach out to our business department. unique sponsorship options Perhaps creating your very own tickles your fancy or maybe you have a whole new idea for how we can partner! writing contest Thank you to all of our sponsors! We truly appreciate your contribution to the tech world and thus the future! The Startups Awards are sponsored by: , , , , , , , , , , Blockster Brex FreeCodeCamp LaunchDarkly Coil Udacity Udemy Vercel Asia Pacific Transgender Network Bybit Everscale Network This post was written and edited by Kien Dao and Joshua Omale. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to report a discrepancy please email ellen@hackernoon.com.

What are the Top Startups in Africa?

Can you fool Artificial Intelligence? No? Think again. Three years ago, Apple launched IphoneX with cutting-edge facial recognition technology. This advanced AI technique (Face ID) replaced the old fingerprint recognition technology (Touch ID). The latest technology claimed to be more secure and robust. However, shortly after the launch of Face ID, researchers from Vietnam breached it by designing a 3D face mask. Such crafted attacks against ML-based AI systems come under the umbrella of a fascinating research field: adversarial machine learning. This attack against Face ID led to new debates in the field of cybersecurity: How secure are AI systems against adversarial attacks, and whether such attacks are practical in real-world scenarios or not. In this article, we will explore the answers to these questions. We will further explore adversarial machine learning beyond cybersecurity — its application in AI software testing. But first, let’s understand what is adversarial machine learning. What is Adversarial Machine Learning? You are familiar with optical illusions. They play with our minds into seeing things that are not there. In adversarial machine learning, attackers design optical illusions for machine learning algorithms. For example, say an AI system classifies apples and oranges. Now, look at the picture below. You can see that both are images of the same apple. However, the image of the apple on the right is crafted a little differently. An attacker has added a tiny perturbation in this image, making the ML algorithm misclassify it to orange. The human eye cannot see any difference between the left and right apple. However, the AI system is fooled to see it as an orange. Apple vs Adversarial Apple The above illustration is inspired by the panda example given in this by the guru of adversarial machine learning: Ian Goodfellow. This example seems pretty straightforward to understand right? There can be even simpler ways to sabotage AI systems. paper There are also highly sophisticated attacks designed to evade machine learning and artificial intelligence systems. In research, such attacks have proven to sabotage a variety of safety-critical systems, including and . Let’s have a look at them: self-driving cars medical imaging systems Fooling AI: Evasion Attacks Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash In evasion attacks, attackers design adversarial examples that fool the AI model. For example, attackers can target or paint on road signs. self-driving cars by using stickers The sign appears the same to the naked eye; however, a self-driving car may interpret it differently. This may cause deadly accidents. The example of the Face ID breach given at the start of this article is also a type of evasion attack. There can be a variety of evasion attacks — from simple image manipulation to sophisticate white-box attacks. Poisoning AI: Data Poisoning Attacks Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash In poisoning attacks, the threat actor can add incorrect examples in the training data, making a faulty, mutant model. The examples apparently seem harmless, and such attacks are usually launched on self-learning or reinforcement learning systems. For example, back in 2016, an interactive, self-learning ! chatbot Tay was poisoned (trained) by the users into a racist Nazi Rethinking AI Security and Software Testing Image Source: InvoZone Adversarial machine learning is also being used by software engineers to test the robustness of AI systems. The researchers are combining to generate and evaluate the test data. software testing techniques with adversarial machine learning Humans fight with the idea that whether seeing is believing or believing is seeing. In the case of ML-based AI, learning is seeing and learning is believing. It is quite tricky how most of the complex AI systems learn. The key to secure and robust AI systems is thorough testing. Also published here .

Adversarial Machine Learning and Its Role in Fooling AI

Lessons and take aways from building a web app from start to finish As a developer, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the fervor of l new technologies, tooling, and best practices and forget that at the end of the day software is an ends to a mean of build services and applications that benefit people. earning In this article, I’m going to talk about my wholistic approach to building apps by discussing decisions and lessons I learned while making , a restaurant review app that you can check out . I want to share what I learned from , because I believe the lessons learned from building and deploying a web app from beginning to end have served me tremendous wisdom. design Foodsie here Foodsie Lessons I’ve learned along the way building Foodsie.io: Commit to a plan and stick to it Failure is an option here. If you are not failing, you are not innovating enough — Elon Musk When I started working on Foodsie, before writing a single line of code I had drawn probably at least 5 pages worth of sketches and had written many lists and blocks of text about features, user flows, and r&d. This proved invaluable, because it let me iterate on my ideas quickly and get feedback without having to implement a single thing in code. original ideation sketches It’s a lot cheaper to iterate with pen and paper than it is to iterate with code. Just by writing ideas out and drawing user stories, I was able to flesh out my vision of what Foodsie could be and tailor it to an audience —from the beginning I knew Foodsie would be some sort of restaurant review aggregator. After prototyping on pen and paper, I realized Foodsie would work really well as a platform on which restaurant reviewers (aka ) could write and share restaurant reviews. Foodsies When thoroughly thought out, mock ups translate to code seamlessly. Before getting to building, I found it important to form a brand and identity for my product. One of the things I really take pride in about Foodsie.io is that it looks consistent and cohesive. An app’s identity matters because it reflects the developers confidence in the product and the health of the rest of the app. Foodsie.io’s color scheme (using coolors.io) on the left and app’s index.css on the right Pick a color scheme, a design principle (material / flat / bootstrap), and ideally one to two fonts. These can change over time, but it’s important that if they do change, they change consistently. The goal of all this is to ensure you have some sort of plan that you’re following so you have something to reference if you ever feel lost. This goes a long way, and was a pillar in the success of Foodsie.io. Be opinionated and decisive with your architecture A startup messed up at its foundation cannot be fixed — Peter Thiel In projects I’ve failed, I realize that one my common pitfalls was indecisiveness with architectural decisions. With how fast the software development ecosystem evolves, it’s incredibly easy to start off using a certain set of technologies, only to read a medium article or two and realize that you actually want to try out a different set of technologies. There’s nothing wrong with using a better technology if it brings benefits to the project and your workflow. In fact, a big part of the building process is stepping out of your comfort zone and trying out new things. It’s a problem, however, is if doing so impedes with your progress and motivation to work on the project. One strategy that has helped me not fall into the trap of , was taking the time before beginning to code to thoroughly research and refine my stack. For Foodsie, the technologies I decided on were React, Redux, and CSS Modules. I already knew I wanted to use React and Redux because I absolutely love React + Redux, but I wasn’t sure what styling technology I wanted to use. Before deciding this part of my stack I actually bootstrapped an app with stylish, css-blocks, and CSS Modules before deciding that CSS Modules was the technology that I would go with. tech envy A good architecture will empower you to build quickly and modularly 💯 If you want to check out my tech stack and my project layout, Foodsie is completely open source. You can check out and fork the project . from here on Github Building something you’ll be proud of inside and out What ever good things we build end up building us — Jim Rohn In every application that does anything interesting, there’s always going to be technical decisions that have to be made. The decisions that have to be made are generally a tradeoff decision between getting the job done fast and getting the job done right. In professional settings the right decision isn’t necessarily obvious due to timelines and strict project constraints. But in solo projects it’s almost always a better idea to take the time and figure out the best solution. The reason why is because a project will be most successful if you enjoy building it, and technical debt will strip away the enjoyment of building. If you don’t enjoy the building process and times begin to get rough, it’s going to be hard to build up the motivation to continue working on your project. In creating Foodsie, I’ve made it a ritual to refactor my code in the mornings and build out features in the evenings. This has helped me tremendously in keeping tech debt to minimum because it meant I could implement a technical solution naively in the afternoons, think about the problem over night, then spend the mornings cleaning my slate by finding the best solution. One method I’ve found successful for doing high-level design refactors is to use CSS to add a cyan border to every div: .This helps visually verify that your layout is clean and that there aren’t any hacks or shortcuts being made in the app’s styling. div { border: 1px solid cyan; } border: 1px solid cyan is a great way to identify visually any hacks or short-cuts being made with CSS Another thing I occasionally do is I navigate the DOM tree using chrome dev-tools and manually check for any div-soup. It’s important to ensure your DOM tree is as semantic and as light weight as possible. Doing so benefits users who use screen readers to navigate your webpage, and reduces page load times across the board. On top of that, a light weight DOM tree will also reduce encounters of bugs and side effects relating to html and styling. Ultimately, you want to ensure that your app is thoroughly beautiful inside and out. Having a poor codebase is an easy way to get frustrated and burn out of your project. A clean codebase will serve your project well and make you better developer in the long run. A clean UI reflects a clean codebase and a well executed product Have the mindset of learning in mind I’ve created over 64 projects on Github. Of those, I would say I only saw through at most 6 to the deployment phase. Sometimes you hammer away endlessly on a side project only for some other shiny idea to come along and steal your interest. You might feel guilt for the ever growing pile of unfinished projects you leave in your wake. All I want to say is that this is how great developers are born. Every time you take on a new project you’re trying out new technologies, gaining intuition on new patterns, and pushing your limits. Your building associations and intuitions continuously. And those intuitions carry over to your next project and your next next project. Failure is inconsequential — it even deserves respect. Regardless of whether you complete a project or not, you’re become a better developer by trying. So please, don’t be afraid of starting a project and never be afraid to try, because the worse that can happen is that you learn. Thank you so much for reading! If you want to reach out, I’m on and on . You can also shout me out on any social media: @FermiDirak. Linkedin Github Cheers!

Learning by Doing: The designing and building of Foodsie.io

The Alibaba Tech Team has developed a robot that uses visual recognition technology to serve at the staff canteen Liu Yongkai(刘永凯) is a Senior Algorithm Engineer at Alibaba. Here is his story: My name is Liu Yongkai. I love two things: food and programming. One of my favorite dishes is (lamb spine hotpot) It’s a soupy dish cooked with the meat from the spine of a lamb. Once I was in the hospital for an examination when they showed me the scan of my spine. Instead of checking the scan to see what kind of shape my spine was in, I started daydreaming about lamb spine hotpot. yang xiezi . In September 2017, my love for food and programming inspired me to design a cashier robot with a group of friends. I wanted to find a way to make service at the Alibaba canteen faster. Thanks to friends and programming skills, I was able to do just that. Now, our robot could end up changing how 60,000 Alibaba employees pay for their daily meals. Inspiration strikes in the lunch queue The day I came up with the cashier robot idea, I had a big appetite, and my plate was fully loaded. The cashier was new to her job and it took her nearly 5 minutes to add up the cost of my meal. Standing there with my stomach rumbling, I started thinking about how we could make payment faster. That was when the idea flashed across my mind: Why don’t we use visual recognition technology to calculate our meal prices? At the time I was part of the Alibaba security team, which specializes in visual recognition technology. In simple terms, this technology shows robots massive amounts of pictures to teach them to recognize objects. The robots also learn to react to the pictures in certain ways according to instructions. Visual recognition technology was first used at Alibaba for a different purpose: deleting pornography. When questionable photos appeared on a network, the robot could quickly identify and delete the pornographic images. Unmanned supermarkets also use visual recognition technology. Without cashiers, robots can scan shopping baskets and tell which items are being purchased. With the technology already in place, I thought, all we needed to do was change the code, and a machine could be taught to identify steamed lamb, braised duck, roasted chicken, and pork stomach. If the machine also knew the price of each dish, meal prices could be calculated just by scanning plates, and we could all sit down to eat much faster. How the Cashier Robot was born I love two things: food and programming. Here was a food problem that could be solved with programming. I was so excited that even a year’s supply of lamb spine hotpot couldn’t have made me much happier. My enthusiasm bubbled over and I had soon recruited a small team to work with. The equipment we used was makeshift. I disassembled my home desk lamp, took its stand and attached a webcam. The webcam was connected to a cellphone equipped with a visual recognition program. We used a computer cooling pad as the base for the whole setup. We had a person responsible for testing, for going to the canteen to collect food, for photographing food, writing code, and teaching the robot to identify what twice-cooked pork was, what shredded pork in salted fish sauce was … We also had a person responsible for the algorithm that allows the robot to calculate meal prices faster. Our colleagues in the admin department brought back countless dishes from the canteen to help the robot learn. A month into the project, each of us had gained more than ten pounds. That’s not surprising when you consider we shared an average of 20 dishes per meal. Dishes are recognized during online processing A product manager also helped us develop another feature. With the aid of IoT technology, the food ingredients from the dishes we scan daily are stored in the cloud. Our daily nutrient intake is calculated in the cloud. At night, if we open DingTalk and look at the robot’s report, we will know whether to snack on a protein-filled yogurt, or to hit the gym. This idea made our whole team excited. Each dish we eat could be become useful data and could even become part of the big data that affects everyone’s health in the future. It was hard to imagine a more meaningful and interesting project. A curious foodie can change the world In the first Alibaba IoT geek contest, our cashier robot project won a gold medal, and our project is expected to go live soon at the Xixi Park canteen. (Even though I helped create it, telling the robot you know me won’t get you any discounts.) Yongkai presenting the cashier robot project at the 1st Alibaba Geek Competition Being a foodie doesn’t mean all you can do is eat. By combining my love for food with curiosity and imagination, I came up with an idea that could affect the canteen experience for thousands of Alibaba employees. If Isaac Newton had just eaten the apples that fell from trees, without ever asking why they fell, he would have never discovered gravity. It all just goes to show, just by asking the right questions, a curious foodie has the power to change the world. Alibaba Tech First-hand and in-depth information about Alibaba’s latest technology → Search on “Alibaba Tech” Facebook

Foodie Programmer’s “Cashier Robot” is a Recipe for Success

I’ve been spending more time working with Blazor, which means many more learning opportunities for me. That also means more learning opportunities for me to share with YOU! In this particular case, I was battling with trying to hook some event handlers on some MudBlazor list items… But it turns out that the Blazor render mode was the part breaking my dependency injection on the page, which was the culprit of my event hookups never working. In this article, I’ll walk you through the scenario I was facing and how I started debugging. You’ll see that I realized I was focused on the wrong concept, and once I realized some details about the configured Blazor render mode, things started to make more sense. I hope that this article (and video) help you — and I am confident they’ll help me the next time I run into this. Before I Knew It Was Blazor Render Mode… I was heads-down working on some Blazor UI for an application I’m building, and it’s the motivation behind whipping up . The problem was pretty simple: I just wanted to wire up some to some buttons that I had on my list items. another quick article on MudBlazor list items event handlers Here’s what the code looked like: @page "/items"

@using DevLeader.Services
@using DevLeader.Services.Items

@inject IItemsService ItemsService

<PageTitle>Dev Leader Is Awesome!</PageTitle>

<h1>Dev Leader Is Awesome!</h1>


@if (_itemsCollection == null)
{
    <p><em>Loading...</em></p>
}
else if (_itemsCollection.Count == 0)
{
    <p><em>No items found.</em></p>
}
else
{
    <MudList>
    @foreach (var item in _itemsCollection)
        {
            <MudListItem>
                <MudCard>
                    <MudCardHeader>
                        @item.Title
                    </MudCardHeader>
                    <MudCardContent>
                        <MudButtonGroup xs="12" sm="6">
                            <MudButton Variant="Variant.Filled"
                                       Color="Color.Primary"
                                       OnClick="e => ApproveButton_OnClickAsync(item)">
                                Approve
                            </MudButton>
                            <MudButton Variant="Variant.Filled"
                                       Color="Color.Secondary"
                                       OnClick="async e => await RejectButton_OnClickAsync(item)">
                                Reject
                            </MudButton>
                        </MudButtonGroup>
                    </MudCardContent>

                </MudCard>
            </MudListItem>
        }
    </MudList>
}

@code {
    private IReadOnlyList<Item>? _itemsCollection;

    protected override async Task OnInitializedAsync()
    {
        await Task.Yield();

        var endDateTimeUtc = DateTime.UtcNow.AddDays(1);
        var startDateTimeUtc = DateTime.UtcNow.AddDays(-7);

        _itemsCollection = await ItemsService
            .GetItemsAsync(
                startDateTimeUtc: startDateTimeUtc,
                endDateTimeUtc: endDateTimeUtc,
                cancellationToken: CancellationToken.None)
            .ConfigureAwait(false);
    }

    private async Task ApproveButton_OnClickAsync(Item feedItem)
    {
        await Task.Yield();
    }

    private async Task RejectButton_OnClickAsync(Item feedItem)
    {
        await Task.Yield();
    }
} You can see that I was even fooling around with trying to see different implementations of the — because they just were NOT triggering no matter what I did. But that turned out to be a red herring because the event handlers not triggering were a symptom of the problem. async event handlers For the rest of this article, I’ll explain more about that problem (hint: it’s how dependency injection and render mode play together). I also made this video about Blazor render modes and how I was debugging this dependency injection issue here: https://youtu.be/bo7Ahp2r7kI?embedable=true Dodging the Red Herring Even though I had set out to go wire up event handlers and prove that they worked, the fact that they seemed busted was a red herring. The async event handlers not firing was not because I was doing MudBlazor setup incorrectly, it’s because there was another problem altogether. And here’s what was hiding in my console output: Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.WebAssembly.Rendering.WebAssemblyRenderer[100]Unhandled exception rendering component: Cannot provide a value for property 'ServiceImplementation' on type 'MyProject.Pages.MyPage'. There is no registered service of type 'MyProject.IService'.System.InvalidOperationException: Cannot provide a value for property 'MyService' on type 'MyProject.Pages.MyPage'. There is no registered service of type 'MyProject.IService'. I figured if I have an exception being thrown on the page, perhaps I shouldn’t put my energy into the async event handlers anymore on the MudBlazor list items… Odds are, I had a bigger problem to sort out, and that bigger problem was just causing the rest of the page to not load correctly. : the odds were correct. Spoiler alert But here’s what was VERY weird about this situation: The page was showing results in the MudList component as there was an individual MudListItem populated. The only way this can happen, if you check the code shown earlier in the article, is if my dependency is called. This means, 100% for certain, that the dependency WAS accessible on the page and we DID call and use it successfully. … Which means now all of a sudden in some cases, we can’t seem to get the dependency. From all of my experience using Autofac and other dependency injection frameworks, this was baffling. Generally speaking, if we can resolve a dependency once, we should be able to resolve it again. One could argue maybe subsequent resolutions have different behaviors, but at least the DI framework could identify that there was something registered. So… what makes this situation different than when things are working? To the Internet, I went… which is also why this article and the video I created exist. Blazor Render Mode Broke My App! Full disclaimer: this is not the fault of Blazor or Blazor render modes being bad… Nothing like that. This is 100% an issue that I created due to my misunderstanding, or lack of understanding, of how render modes work in Blazor. My application is configured to use InteractiveAuto render mode. This is what was configured in the template when I created my application in Visual Studio: @code {
    [CascadingParameter]
    private HttpContext HttpContext { get; set; } = default!;

     private IComponentRenderMode? RenderModeForPage => HttpContext.Request.Path.StartsWithSegments("/Account")
         ? null
         : InteractiveAuto;
} This means that Blazor will determine when it can do client-side rendering for performance/latency reasons — in some situations dramatically improving the loading experience for users. The problem? It means that my dependency injection is going to try and take place on the client side! Not going to work for me. At least, not with a solution I know of yet… But I’m sure we’ll get there. The internet suggested that I could toggle the Blazor render mode per page, which seemed to be a very sensible move. In fact, this was a great solution that I would have liked to do, however… Adding the @ directive on the individual pages never worked. The behavior to change the render mode NEVER updated for me. Again, this will be a follow-up article and video when I figure out what the heck was going on. The fix for me, at least what will work for now for me, is as follows: @code {
    [CascadingParameter]
    private HttpContext HttpContext { get; set; } = default!;

    // private IComponentRenderMode? RenderModeForPage => HttpContext.Request.Path.StartsWithSegments("/Account")
    //     ? null
    //     : InteractiveAuto;

    private IComponentRenderMode? RenderModeForPage => InteractiveServer;
} I don’t need to rely on any client-side rendering right now. This will at least unblock me to continue to develop my Blazor application. As things evolve, I’ll be sure to come back and revisit this Blazor render mode setting to make a better decision. Wrapping Up Blazor Render Mode and Dependency Injection Blazor render mode is broken! Okay, I’m kidding, so hopefully that wasn’t your takeaway from this article. There are a few key points I wanted to highlight, including that my current solution here may not at all be a viable option for you. And that’s why I will be creating follow-ups as I sort through this myself. My takeaways: If your code on page isn’t executing when you think it should be, double check for console errors. Something might be preventing the page to load as you expect. Blazor server-side rendering vs Blazor client-side rendering will in fact treat dependency injection separately. Give this some thought. This is an example of some potential “technical debt” that I will need to pay down later… but I would rather keep building than remain stuck for now. If you found this useful and you’re looking for more learning opportunities, consider and check out my ! subscribing to my free weekly software engineering newsletter free videos on YouTube

Blazor Render Mode – How To Avoid Dependency Injection Woes

As part of my job search, I'm being introduced to a new language: Python. As the proud owner of a primate brain on the one hand, I'm well aware of the power that , in the context of learning, can have on me. gamification As a technophile on the other, I couldn't miss the emergence of artificial intelligence tools, notably the conversational AI phenomenon that is ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI. How can ChatGPT help me discover Python while making the experience as fun as possible? FROM ChatGPT - the Generalist TO ChatRPG - the Python Expert Although powerful, ChatGPT is even more so when subjected to . So, I've defined how I want ChatGPT to take charge of training me in Python, following a certain formalism to give it as much as possible: role-playing context The role of the AI: ChatGPT will be a Python expert with a strong propensity for teaching. What I expect from the AI: ChatGPT will have to introduce me to the most common syntax and methods of the Python language. The method: in order to achieve this, I want ChatGPT to propose a series of exercises, I'll tell it I have a certain amount of knowledge (JS), and I'll ask it to provide me with external documentation so that I can explore the notions that I am learning further (and, moreover, it will allow me to check that ChatGPT isn't fooling me). The way: finally, I introduce the notion of gamification of my learning, specifying my minimum expectations on this subject: (RPG, Mage, notion of XP). Become a Powerful Mage Initially, ChatGPT provided me with a series of "exercises"; even though it's called that, it's nothing more than code extracts enabling me to grasp the basics of Python syntax. As agreed, he provided me with documentation, gave me experience so that I could level up, and listed the skills acquired during this first phase. Having reached Level 7, I asked ChatGPT to provide me with a more substantial challenge than simply copying code into my IDE. Notice how OpenAI doubts my kindness when I ask ChatGPT to kick some ugly monsters in the teeth. After having been congratulated on my perspicacity facing this first boss, which I easily swept aside, and then provided with a new code-copying "exercise", I had to face my . first real challenges OMG, The Data Dragon! Unimpressed by the enemy, and helped by good , I naturally . documentation slaughtered the hot breathed creature This is where learning via conversational AI makes sense. ChatGPT is capable of providing an while between the two proposals. We'll see a little later that it's capable of being even more complete when it comes to analyzing the code I propose. alternative solution explaining the difference The other advantage is the ease with which you can "shape" the conversation. This way, I was able to obtain an Artifact, and that's . dopamine directly in the veins Yeah I claimed, so what?!? A bit of lore, it's always nice. The Pythonic Monster! After a new series of exercises/lessons, a few questions about instruction 'with', a little challenge on how to throw exceptions, some article reading, and a lot of leveling-up; I asked to take on a . ChatGPT offered me a multi-stage challenge (a succession of small algorithmic problems), with the promise of a chest full of well-deserved loot : new monster Once again, ChatGPT provides a and is complete enough to demonstrate the advantages of its solution over mine. quality correction What's more, I got a really cool amulet! Make ChatRPG Even More RPGed With an MCQ At this stage of my discovery of Python with ChatGPT, I thought it would be a good idea to check that I'd acquired the concepts I'd seen previously. So I asked the AI to generate an MCQ for me, which I included in an encounter with an NPC (non-player character), with the promise of being rewarded with a if I succeeded. familiar So, after answering the questions of a (probably Gandalf undercover), I was able to choose a companion for the rest of my adventure. strange but clever peasant Aware that I sometimes find it difficult to and my code, I've chosen to fight my next battles alongside the Shadowstalker. The beast has a whole arsenal of techniques that will enable me to be more efficient in the future. factor optimize ChatGPT lets me apply a different reading to my code I've identified beforehand! So, I can ask for specific feedback without having to define what kind of feedback I need. according to the needs Here, for example, is the first of the techniques applied to a problem I was given on a quest further along my initiatory journey: the aim of the problem was to generate all the prime numbers up to the number entered by the user. It's got style! Conclusion Considering what I already knew about ChatGPT, the AI has lived up to my expectations regarding its ability to support the discovery of a new programming language. I was, however, very enthusiastic about its ability to bring a gamification layer to the process. Here, in no particular order, is a list of the pros and cons I encountered during my experience: Pros: Quick and easy to set up. Adaptable over time. Satisfactory progress overview. Lore is ok. Ability to correct behavior that doesn't meet your expectations. Possibility of re-launching the latest ChatGPT contribution if it doesn't suit you. "Wow, it can do that ?!" effect. Cons: Commits a few errors and inaccuracies: for example, the first version of the MCQ included a question to which no answer could be given. Requires reminders from time to time: "Don't forget to provide me with documentation", "give out rewards for success", "you must include my progress in the general Lore of our conversation", etc. A few tips if you want to try out this way of learning: Don't use this method on a subject you don't know too much about! If ChatGPT makes a mistake or lies to you, you won't know. Give it as clear and precise information as possible. Don't give it too many instructions at once. At the end of my experiment, I tried to automate the way it generates learning and challenge phases, in a prompt of around thirty lines and with sometimes complex instructions. The result? I broke everything! Nothing beats the expertise of a human being! Pedagogy is a virtue that's reserved for us, the machine is currently unable to appreciate precisely what a student needs to get the most out of what he/she's learning. If you want to be trained in the best possible conditions, call a professional. Bonus I asked ChatGPT to provide me with prompts to generate images using . Stable Diffusion ChatGPT : He's not wrong. What about ? Vast subject. copyright management for artists present in datasets used to train models Thanks!

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This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Terence Blésin, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL); (2) Wil Kao, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL); (3) Anat Siddharth, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL); (4) Alaina Attanasio, OxideMEMS lab, Purdue University; (5) Hao Tian, OxideMEMS lab, Purdue University; (6) Sunil A. Bhave, OxideMEMS lab, Purdue University; (7) Tobias J. Kippenberg, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL). Table of Links Introduction Results A. Physics and design B. Device characterization C. Bidirectional microwave-optical transduction D. Pulsed transduction Discussion Acknowledgments Appendix A: Theory Appendix B: Fabrication process flow Appendix C: Optical characterization Appendix D: Characterization of acoustic resonances Appendix E: Characterization of bidirectional transduction Appendix F: Optimization of optical extraction efficiency Appendix D: Characterization of acoustic resonances The microwave reflection measurements (also known as S11) shown here were measured at room temperature using custom probes (GGB industries nickel-alloy 40A-GS-135-PC-N Picoprobe) and a vector network analyzer (Rhode&Schwarz ZNB-20). The spectrum shown in Fig. 2d is corrected using a calibration substrate (GGB industries CS-8) to remove the phase delay and attenuation introduced by coaxial cables and probes. However, this calibration procedure was only used to get the S-parameter, and was not applied during the total conversion efficiency measurements shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. In a previous version of the transducers and in Ref. [11] where the Band-Aid process (Appendix B) is not employed, the piezoelectric actuator extends beyond the suspended cladding and covers the electrical feedline, causing two detrimental effects for transduction. First, the resulting stray capacitance leads to excess microwave insertion loss. Given the small size of the suspended area (∼ 1000 µm2 ) compared to that of the feedline (≳ 10 000 µm2 ), this effect is readily seen in Supplementary Fig. 3, where the spectrum without the Band-Aid process exhibits reduced background reflection. Second, the part of the actuator on top of the unreleased cladding leads to resonant excitation of HBAR modes extending over the entire Si substrate. These modes have a smaller free spectral range (FSR) of around 19 MHz and a lower microwave extraction efficiency. The theory presented in Appendix A does not correspond to the case of such a multimode system as it assumes being in the sideband-resolved regime, implying the high density of substrate modes is inappropriate for low-noise frequency conversion. The feedline Band-Aid, discussed in Appendix B and shown in Supplementary Fig. 3, enables the removal of the piezoelectric layer above the substrate, leaving only HBAR modes well confined in the oxide cladding. We fit the measured complex reflection to obtain the mechanical quality factor Qm = 284 and microwave extraction efficiency κex,m/κm = 0.11 for the transduction mode [15]. In addition, we simulate microwave reflection of the designed stack geometry using finite-element method (FEM). Fitting the simulated spectrum leads to Qm = 205 and κex,m/κm = 0.61. The discrepancy is attributed to difference in clamping losses and piezoelectric coefficients between the fabricated and simulated devices. We extract the effective mass of the transduction HBAR mode from FEM simulations as

Bidirectional Microwave-optical Transduction Based on Integration: Appendix D: Characterization

This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Terence Blésin, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL); (2) Wil Kao, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL); (3) Anat Siddharth, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL); (4) Alaina Attanasio, OxideMEMS lab, Purdue University; (5) Hao Tian, OxideMEMS lab, Purdue University; (6) Sunil A. Bhave, OxideMEMS lab, Purdue University; (7) Tobias J. Kippenberg, Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) & Center of Quantum Science and Engineering (EPFL). Table of Links Introduction Results A. Physics and design B. Device characterization C. Bidirectional microwave-optical transduction D. Pulsed transduction Discussion Acknowledgments Appendix A: Theory Appendix B: Fabrication process flow Appendix C: Optical characterization Appendix D: Characterization of acoustic resonances Appendix E: Characterization of bidirectional transduction Appendix F: Optimization of optical extraction efficiency Appendix B: Fabrication process flow The piezoelectric actuators are monolithically integrated on Si3N4 waveguides, fabricated using the photonic Damascene process [7, 8]. The 850-nm-thick Si3N4 film is deposited using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition into the Damascene preform, with 2.8 µm thermal oxide below the waveguides. After annealing to drive hydrogen impurities out of the Si3N4 layer, 2.1-µm-thick TEOS oxide and 1.0-µm-thick low-temperature oxide top claddings are deposited and subsequently annealed. The metallic and piezoelectric films—95 nm of Mo, 1.0 µm of AlN and another 95 nm of Mo—are sputtered through foundry services provided by Plasma-Therm [9]. They are then patterned using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) to form the actuators, ground planes and integrated heaters. We employ the same BandAid process as in Ref. [10] to localize the electrodes atop the suspended cladding. In particular, when connecting the Al feedline to the top electrode by a lift-off process, the bottom electrode is etched back using XeF2 to avoid shortcircuiting the electrodes. The process to suspend the cladding in the vicinity of the actuator is combined with the chip singulation steps of the Damascene process. First, a hole is opened in the middle of the donut-shaped actuator. The chip facets are simultaneously defined where trenches in the SiO2 are etched by C4F8 DRIE between neighboring chips. A second photolithography is performed to protect the facets while leaving the etched holes exposed for further processing, resulting in narrower trenches between chips. The Si substrate is then isotropically etched with SF6 until the SiO2 cladding below the actuator is suspended [11]. Following cladding suspension, the Si substrate is etched anisotropically until the desired chip thickness of 250 µm is reached. A final isotropic Si etch removes the parts of the substrate protruding from the SiO2 facet, providing proper access to the bus waveguide nanotapers with lensed fibers, or even using the butt-coupling scheme. To facilitate this last step, we employ ion-beam etching at a 20◦ tilt angle to remove the passivation layer formed on the hole sidewalls during the Si DRIE. The chips are ultimately released by grinding the back side of the wafer. This convoluted process ensures that all the actuators on the wafer are fully suspended, while the chip facets do not become exceedingly fragile from the undercut.

Bidirectional Microwave-optical Transduction Based on Integration: Appendix B: Fabrication

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Are you tired of spending countless hours and resources on developing mobile apps from scratch? Look no further, as a revolutionary solution is here to turn your dreams into reality. Introducing no-code platforms that effortlessly transform your Figma designs into functional mobile apps. With the increasing demand for mobile applications, businesses are constantly seeking cost-effective and efficient ways to bring their ideas to life. Traditional app development can be time-consuming and requires technical expertise. However, no-code platforms eliminate these barriers by allowing designers to seamlessly convert their Figma designs into fully functional mobile apps without writing a single line of code. Imagine being able to bring your app ideas to life without the need for complex coding languages. No-code platforms enable you to design, prototype, and deploy your app in a matter of minutes, drastically reducing development time and costs. Whether you are a developer looking to speed up your workflow or an entrepreneur with a vision, no-code platforms are the game-changers you've been waiting for. Stay tuned as we dive into the world of no-code platforms and discover how you can transform your Figma designs into functional mobile apps effortlessly. Say goodbye to coding roadblocks and hello to a faster, more cost-effective way to make your app dreams a reality. Benefits of Using No-Code Platforms for App Development No-code platforms have revolutionized the app development process, offering numerous benefits to both developers and entrepreneurs. Let's explore some of the key advantages of using no-code platforms for app development. First and foremost, no-code platforms eliminate the need for manual coding, making it accessible to individuals with little to no coding experience. 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No-code platforms provide an affordable alternative by allowing businesses to create their apps in-house, without the need for additional resources or expensive development teams. This cost-saving aspect makes no-code platforms a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. In summary, the benefits of using no-code platforms for app development are numerous. From accessibility and reduced development time to cost-effectiveness, no-code platforms offer a powerful solution for turning app ideas into reality. Overview of Figma and Its Role in Designing Mobile Apps When it comes to designing mobile apps, Figma has emerged as a popular tool among designers and developers. Figma is a cloud-based design tool that allows for collaborative design, prototyping, and development. Its intuitive interface and powerful features have made it a go-to choice for many app designers. Figma offers a wide range of design capabilities, including the ability to create interactive prototypes and design system components. Its real-time collaboration feature enables multiple team members to work on a design simultaneously, making it ideal for remote teams or designers working in different time zones. One of the key advantages of using Figma for app design is its seamless integration with no-code platforms. Figma designs can be easily exported and imported into no-code platforms, allowing designers to transform their static designs into fully functional apps. This integration eliminates the need for manual coding and streamlines the app development process. In addition, Figma's design handoff feature enables designers to share their designs with developers, ensuring a smooth transition from design to development. This collaboration between designers and developers is crucial for creating a seamless user experience and ensuring that the final app aligns with the original design vision. Understanding the Process of Turning Figma Designs Into Functional Apps Using No-Code Platforms The process of turning Figma designs into functional apps using no-code platforms is relatively straightforward and requires no coding experience. Let's walk through the steps involved in transforming your Figma designs into fully functional mobile apps. Export your Figma designs: Start by exporting your Figma designs in a format compatible with the chosen no-code platform. Most no-code platforms support importing designs in popular formats like SVG or PNG. Ensure that your designs are properly organized, and include all necessary design assets. Import designs into the no-code platform: Once you have exported your Figma designs, import them into the selected no-code platform. This process may vary depending on the platform but typically involves uploading the design files and selecting the desired screens or components to import. Map design elements to interactive components: After importing your designs, it's time to map the design elements to interactive components. No-code platforms provide a range of pre-built components that can be customized to match your design. This step involves linking buttons, input fields, and other interactive elements to their corresponding screens or actions. Define app logic and functionality: Once the design elements are mapped to interactive components, it's time to define the app's logic and functionality. No-code platforms offer visual interfaces or drag-and-drop editors that allow you to configure app behavior without writing code. You can define user flows, add animations, and incorporate complex logic to create a fully functional app. Test and iterate: After configuring the app logic and functionality, it's crucial to test the app to ensure everything works as expected. No-code platforms typically offer built-in preview or testing capabilities that allow you to simulate the app's behavior on different devices and screen sizes. Use this opportunity to identify any issues or areas for improvement, and iterate on your design if necessary. Publish and deploy your app: Once you are satisfied with your app's design and functionality, it's time to publish and deploy your app. Most no-code platforms provide options to generate app binaries or deploy apps directly to app stores. Follow the platform-specific instructions to create app builds or publish your app to the desired app store. By following these steps, you can transform your Figma designs into fully functional mobile apps using no-code platforms. This streamlined process allows for rapid app development and iteration, empowering designers and entrepreneurs to bring their app ideas to life in a fraction of the time. No-Code Platforms for App Development To transform Figma designs into working mobile applications without coding, various No-code platforms are available. Here are some of them: : Bravo Studio This platform allows you to convert Figma designs into functional mobile applications. It offers a streamlined development process, helping turn your designs into interactive prototypes with native features. Once your prototypes are ready, you can seamlessly publish them as fully functional apps​​. : Buzzy Buzzy is described as a No Code Native App & Website Builder, allowing the creation of fully working native apps, responsive websites, MVPs, or prototypes straight from Figma without any coding required. It supports real data, user-generated content, and live forms​. : Crowdbotics This platform facilitates the conversion of Figma files into real code. By importing your Figma designs into Crowdbotics, your designs are transformed into real React Native screens, enabling the development of mobile applications​. Moxly: Moxly provides a simplified pathway for turning your Figma designs into working mobile applications, aligning with the no-code/low-code development trend which significantly lowers the barriers to mobile app development. These platforms provide intuitive interfaces and processes to help convert your Figma designs into mobile applications without the need for coding skills, making the transition from design to app more straightforward. Tips for Optimizing and Customizing Your App on a No-Code Platform While no-code platforms offer a convenient way to transform your Figma designs into functional apps, there are still opportunities to optimize and customize your app to align with your specific requirements. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your no-code app development journey. Understand platform limitations: Familiarize yourself with the limitations and constraints of the chosen no-code platform. Each platform has its own set of features, capabilities, and restrictions. By understanding these limitations, you can plan your app design and functionality accordingly. Customize app components: Most no-code platforms offer customization options for app components. Take advantage of these options to personalize your app's look and feel. Customize colors, fonts, and layouts to create a unique app experience. Leverage third-party integrations: Explore the third-party integrations offered by the no-code platform. These integrations can enhance your app's functionality and allow for seamless integration with external services or APIs. Optimize app performance: Pay attention to app performance and optimize where necessary. No-code platforms generate app code behind the scenes, and inefficient design or logic can impact app performance. Test your app on different devices and screen sizes to ensure a smooth user experience. Gather user feedback: Once your app is live, gather feedback from users and iterate on your design and functionality. Use analytics tools provided by the no-code platform to track user engagement and make data-driven decisions for app improvement. By following these tips, you can optimize and customize your app on a no-code platform, ensuring that your app meets your specific requirements and delivers a seamless user experience. Case Studies of Successful Mobile Apps Built Using No-Code Platforms and Figma Designs To truly understand the power of no-code platforms in transforming Figma designs into functional mobile apps, let's explore some real-world case studies of successful apps built using these technologies. - An app that connects food lovers with local restaurants Case Study 1: "Foodie Finder" Foodie Finder is a popular mobile app that allows users to discover and explore local restaurants. The app was built using a combination of Figma for design and Adalo for app development. Designers created stunning visual designs in Figma, and developers seamlessly translated these designs into a fully functional app using Adalo's no-code platform. The app's intuitive interface, seamless navigation, and real-time restaurant updates have made it a go-to choice for food enthusiasts. - A fitness tracking app for personalized workouts Case Study 2: "FitBuddy" FitBuddy is a fitness-tracking app that helps users achieve their fitness goals through personalized workouts. The app was created using Figma designs and Bubble's no-code platform. Designers crafted engaging workout interfaces in Figma, while Bubble's visual programming environment enabled developers to incorporate complex workout tracking and analytics features. FitBuddy's seamless integration with fitness wearables and personalized workout recommendations have made it a favorite among fitness enthusiasts. These case studies highlight the potential of combining Figma designs with no-code platforms to create successful and functional mobile apps. By leveraging the power of these technologies, you can bring your app ideas to life and make a meaningful impact in the app market. Conclusion and Future Possibilities of No-Code App Development With Figma No-code app development is not just a fleeting trend, but a substantial shift in the way digital products are created. Platforms like Figma, paired with no-code tools, are at the forefront of this evolution, enabling designers and non-technical individuals to transform ideas into functioning mobile apps swiftly. Here are some concluding remarks and future possibilities surrounding no-code app development with Figma: Democratization of App Development:
No-code platforms, when integrated with design tools like Figma, democratize app development. They lower the entry barrier, enabling a broader spectrum of individuals to contribute to app creation without needing to learn code. Faster Time-to-Market: With the ability to quickly transform Figma designs into working apps, businesses can significantly reduce the time to market for their products. This speed can be a competitive advantage in rapidly evolving markets. Cost Efficiency:
No-code development can also be more cost-effective as it requires less specialized knowledge and resources. The savings can be substantial, especially for startups and small businesses. Enhanced Collaboration:
These platforms foster better collaboration between designers, developers, and other stakeholders. The seamless transition from design to functioning app can streamline the feedback loop and improve the overall development process. Continuous Innovation:
The ease and accessibility of no-code platforms can spur innovation. As more people are able to develop apps, the influx of fresh ideas and diverse perspectives can drive the digital landscape forward. No-code development, backed by the powerful design capabilities of Figma, is poised to continue its upward trajectory, reshaping the digital creation landscape and opening up exciting new possibilities for individuals and businesses alike.

From Figma to Mobile: Unveiling No-Code Platforms for Seamless App Creation

MAKING FRIENDSHIP.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Of our Methods of Recognizing one another here Of our Methods of Recognizing one another You, who are blessed with shade as well as light, you, who are gifted with two eyes, endowed with a knowledge of perspective, and charmed with the enjoyment of various colours, you, who can actually SEE an angle, and contemplate the complete circumference of a circle in the happy region of the Three Dimensions—how shall I make clear to you the extreme difficulty which we in Flatland experience in recognizing one another's configuration? Recall what I told you above. All beings in Flatland, animate or inanimate, no matter what their form, present TO OUR VIEW the same, or nearly the same, appearance, viz. that of a straight Line. How then can one be distinguished from another, where all appear the same? The answer is threefold. The first means of recognition is the sense of hearing; which with us is far more highly developed than with you, and which enables us not only to distinguish by the voice our personal friends, but even to discriminate between different classes, at least so far as concerns the three lowest orders, the Equilateral, the Square, and the Pentagon—for of the Isosceles I take no account. But as we ascend in the social scale, the process of discriminating and being discriminated by hearing increases in difficulty, partly because voices are assimilated, partly because the faculty of voice-discrimination is a plebeian virtue not much developed among the Aristocracy. And wherever there is any danger of imposture we cannot trust to this method. Amongst our lowest orders, the vocal organs are developed to a degree more than correspondent with those of hearing, so that an Isosceles can easily feign the voice of a Polygon, and, with some training, that of a Circle himself. A second method is therefore more commonly resorted to. FEELING is, among our Women and lower classes—about our upper classes I shall speak presently—the principal test of recognition, at all events between strangers, and when the question is, not as to the individual, but as to the class. What therefore "introduction" is among the higher classes in Spaceland, that the process of "feeling" is with us. "Permit me to ask you to feel and be felt by my friend Mr. So-and-so"—is still, among the more old-fashioned of our country gentlemen in districts remote from towns, the customary formula for a Flatland introduction. But in the towns, and among men of business, the words "be felt by" are omitted and the sentence is abbreviated to, "Let me ask you to feel Mr. So-and-so"; although it is assumed, of course, that the "feeling" is to be reciprocal. Among our still more modern and dashing young gentlemen—who are extremely averse to superfluous effort and supremely indifferent to the purity of their native language—the formula is still further curtailed by the use of "to feel" in a technical sense, meaning, "to recommend-for-the-purposes-of-feeling-and-being-felt"; and at this moment the "slang" of polite or fast society in the upper classes sanctions such a barbarism as "Mr. Smith, permit me to feel Mr. Jones." Let not my Reader however suppose that "feeling" is with us the tedious process that it would be with you, or that we find it necessary to feel right round all the sides of every individual before we determine the class to which he belongs. Long practice and training, begun in the schools and continued in the experience of daily life, enable us to discriminate at once by the sense of touch, between the angles of an equal-sided Triangle, Square, and Pentagon; and I need not say that the brainless vertex of an acute-angled Isosceles is obvious to the dullest touch. It is therefore not necessary, as a rule, to do more than feel a single angle of an individual; and this, once ascertained, tells us the class of the person whom we are addressing, unless indeed he belongs to the higher sections of the nobility. There the difficulty is much greater. Even a Master of Arts in our University of Wentbridge has been known to confuse a ten-sided with a twelve-sided Polygon; and there is hardly a Doctor of Science in or out of that famous University who could pretend to decide promptly and unhesitatingly between a twenty-sided and a twenty-four sided member of the Aristocracy. Those of my readers who recall the extracts I gave above from the Legislative code concerning Women, will readily perceive that the process of introduction by contact requires some care and discretion. Otherwise the angles might inflict on the unwary Feeler irreparable injury. It is essential for the safety of the Feeler that the Felt should stand perfectly still. A start, a fidgety shifting of the position, yes, even a violent sneeze, has been known before now to prove fatal to the incautious, and to nip in the bud many a promising friendship. Especially is this true among the lower classes of the Triangles. With them, the eye is situated so far from their vertex that they can scarcely take cognizance of what goes on at that extremity of their frame. They are, moreover, of a rough coarse nature, not sensitive to the delicate touch of the highly organized Polygon. What wonder then if an involuntary toss of the head has ere now deprived the State of a valuable life! I have heard that my excellent Grandfather—one of the least irregular of his unhappy Isosceles class, who indeed obtained, shortly before his decease, four out of seven votes from the Sanitary and Social Board for passing him into the class of the Equal-sided—often deplored, with a tear in his venerable eye, a miscarriage of this kind, which had occured to his great-great-great-Grandfather, a respectable Working Man with an angle or brain of 59 degrees 30 minutes. According to his account, my unfortunate Ancestor, being afflicted with rheumatism, and in the act of being felt by a Polygon, by one sudden start accidentally transfixed the Great Man through the diagonal; and thereby, partly in consequence of his long imprisonment and degradation, and partly because of the moral shock which pervaded the whole of my Ancestor's relations, threw back our family a degree and a half in their ascent towards better things. The result was that in the next generation the family brain was registered at only 58 degrees, and not till the lapse of five generations was the lost ground recovered, the full 60 degrees attained, and the Ascent from the Isosceles finally achieved. And all this series of calamities from one little accident in the process of Feeling. At this point I think I hear some of my better educated readers exclaim, "How could you in Flatland know anything about angles and degrees, or minutes? We can SEE an angle, because we, in the region of Space, can see two straight lines inclined to one another; but you, who can see nothing but one straight line at a time, or at all events only a number of bits of straight lines all in one straight line—how can you ever discern any angle, and much less register angles of different sizes?" I answer that though we cannot SEE angles, we can INFER them, and this with great precision. Our sense of touch, stimulated by necessity, and developed by long training, enables us to distinguish angles far more accurately than your sense of sight, when unaided by a rule or measure of angles. Nor must I omit to explain that we have great natural helps. It is with us a Law of Nature that the brain of the Isosceles class shall begin at half a degree, or thirty minutes, and shall increase (if it increases at all) by half a degree in every generation; until the goal of 60 degrees is reached, when the condition of serfdom is quitted, and the freeman enters the class of Regulars. Consequently, Nature herself supplies us with an ascending scale or Alphabet of angles for half a degree up to 60 degrees, Specimens of which are placed in every Elementary School throughout the land. Owing to occasional retrogressions, to still more frequent moral and intellectual stagnation, and to the extraordinary fecundity of the Criminal and Vagabond Classes, there is always a vast superfluity of individuals of the half degree and single degree class, and a fair abundance of Specimens up to 10 degrees. These are absolutely destitute of civic rights; and a great number of them, not having even intelligence enough for the purposes of warfare, are devoted by the States to the service of education. Fettered immovably so as to remove all possibility of danger, they are placed in the class rooms of our Infant Schools, and there they are utilized by the Board of Education for the purpose of imparting to the offspring of the Middle Classes that tact and intelligence of which these wretched creatures themselves are utterly devoid. In some States the Specimens are occasionally fed and suffered to exist for several years; but in the more temperate and better regulated regions, it is found in the long run more advantageous for the educational interests of the young, to dispense with food, and to renew the Specimens every month—which is about the average duration of the foodless existence of the Criminal class. In the cheaper schools, what is gained by the longer existence of the Specimen is lost, partly in the expenditure for food, and partly in the diminished accuracy of the angles, which are impaired after a few weeks of constant "feeling". Nor must we forget to add, in enumerating the advantages of the more expensive system, that it tends, though slightly yet perceptibly, to the diminution of the redundant Isosceles population—an object which every statesman in Flatland constantly keeps in view. On the whole therefore—although I am not ignorant that, in many popularly elected School Boards, there is a reaction in favour of "the cheap system" as it is called—I am myself disposed to think that this is one of the many cases in which expense is the truest economy. But I must not allow questions of School Board politics to divert me from my subject. Enough has been said, I trust, to shew that Recognition by Feeling is not so tedious or indecisive a process as might have been supposed; and it is obviously more trustworthy than Recognition by hearing. Still there remains, as has been pointed out above, the objection that this method is not without danger. For this reason many in the Middle and Lower classes, and all without exception in the Polygonal and Circular orders, prefer a third method, the description of which shall be reserved for the next section. 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. Edwin Abbott Abbott (1995). Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/201/pg201-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

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