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Inray tarjoaa kehittynyttä röntgenteknologiaa hyödyntäviä mittausjärjestelmiä sahoille, biojalostamoille ja sellutehtaille.

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List new liquidity pools in the Power Pool protocol and assign liquidity mining rewards to them;Add and delete mortgage types in the protocol; Add new lending logic to the protocol; Upgrade and maintain the source code of smart contracts strong>. Vote for ...

Td Ameritrade Bitcoin - Kucoin Log In

The 14 Finnish companies participating in the Team Finland visit are: Arbonaut, Ariterm Oy, BMH Technology Oy, Clean Steel International Oy, Enertal Oy, FCG Finnish Consulting Group Ltd, Fixteri Group Oy, Indufor Oy, Inray Oy Ltd, Mikkelin Kehitysyhtiö ...

Prime Minister Sipilä to Portugal and Spain

An Adventure Amidst the Industrial Revolution

"Unleash your inner artist and let the Universe be your GPS to creativity - it's the ultimate destination for transcendence." - Priya Kumari Congratulations Captain Priya! 🎉 🎉🎉 She has won the following award/awards: Here are the links to the Noonies 2022 glories that she bagged: https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-kubernetes https://www.noonies.tech/2022/emerging-tech/2022-cheeky-genius-of-the-year https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-devops https://www.noonies.tech/2022/emerging-tech/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-retail?ref=hackernoon #Noonies2022 Winner For Kubernetes, DevOps, Cheeky Genius of the Year, Retail: Priya Kumari’s Story (Self-Narrated) Prelude On 2nd December 2022, I woke up to some amazing news, I had won first place in Hackernoon’s prodigious Noonies 2022 awards in 4 categories (Kubernetes, DevOps, Cheeky Genius of the Year, and Retail) and was declared the runner-up in 3 other categories ( ). The feeling was amazing, and it took some time to sink in. I was exhilarated and enthralled with happiness. I am grateful because these recognitions from a community I love so much are precious beyond words. Cloud Computing, Microservices, and Amazon This story doesn't start here, though. It dates back to some point in time in 2021 when audaciously I had submitted my first article on the platform with little hope that it could even get published. But it did, and I got something very precious that day, the indomitable spirit and hope of a child. Hope, in my opinion, is a saturated concept that keeps on eloping as we age and gain experience, and for me, restoration of my hope was a superpower. With the first article, 'Live' on the platform, I got the audacity to tap into my power and eventually wrote more articles. Surprisingly, towards the last quarter of 2022, I was nominated for the following 13 Noonies categories: 1. HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- AMAZON - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/emerging-tech/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-amazon 2. HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- CICD - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-cicd 3. HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- CLOUD-COMPUTING - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-cloud-computing 4. HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- CODING-SKILLS- https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-coding-skills 5. HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- DEVOPS - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-devops 6. HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- KUBERNETES - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-kubernetes 7.  HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- MICROSERVICES - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-microservices 8. HackerNoon Contributor of the Year- AWS - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-aws 9. Cheeky Genius of the Year - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/emerging-tech/2022-cheeky-genius-of-the-year 10. Hackernoon Contributor of the Year - Regulation - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/emerging-tech/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-regulation?ref=hackernoon 11. Hackernoon Contributor of the Year - Data Science - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/programming/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-data-science?ref=hackernoon 12. Hackernoon Contributor of the Year - Retail - https://www.noonies.tech/2022/emerging-tech/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-retail?ref=hackernoon 13. Hackernoon Contributor of the Year - Business - ** https://www.noonies.tech/2022/emerging-tech/2022-hackernoon-contributor-of-the-year-business?ref=hackernoon I didn't see it coming, but I was thrilled, so much so that I didn't want anything at the time when I came to know about my first nomination. Not because it was a transactional triumph but because it was my stepping stone to tapping into my ultimate power - hope and that I could do wonderous things as a writer - an artistic revelation and transcendence. This is a story of how I tapped into my creativity and found fulfillment by assimilating spiritual ascendance to my creativity and pretty much every realm of life, and it could be your inspiration too. Discover how connecting with the Universe through spiritual ascendance can serve as an artist's homing beacon to creativity and fulfillment in this inspiring tale of reclaiming one's superpower and achieving dreams amidst daily life chaos and struggles. Join me on a roller coaster ride of lessons learned and hope as we explore the ultimate transcendence in art and life. Stay tuned. A Tapestry of Altruism & Gratitude: The Power of Community and the Universe in My Artistic Journey Welcome to my triumphant journey of self-discovery and manifesting the power of art. I am extremely grateful to the best tech community, Hackernoon, for believing in me, for everything, and for giving me a platform to share my story. I am also grateful to everyone with whom I share my success story within and outside the Hackernoon community. People who nominated me, those who believed I could write, my family and friends for their unconditional love, support, and faith in me, those who voted for me, those who gave me their goodwill, and those who were always there. I am always grateful to the Universe as well for making my artistic journey so beautiful. I owe my success to all the lovely people and communities in my life and the Universe. Trust me; I have done nothing. My success is because of the people around me, higher dimension and inter-dimensional forces, the Almighty, and a wonderful and awesome community. I just have lots of hope, curiosity, and good intentions. The Plot Twist: Discovering the True Purpose of Art Along My Journey of Self-Discovery and Manifesting  Unconventional Triumph As the famous George Bernard Shaw quote goes, 'The reasonable man tries to adjust to the world. The unreasonable man tries to make the world adapt to him. Therefore, all the progress in the world happens to the unreasonable man.' This quote perfectly encapsulates the plot twist in my story - the realization that art is done for its own sake and the pursuit of financial gain is just a byproduct of translating one's emotional energy into a tangible form. This year, I embarked on a journey of inquisition, expression, and expansion, and through the power of art, I was able to achieve the impossible. I invested in myself and became more self-aware through spirituality and meditation, taking one moment at a time, and that's how I turned my passion into a profession and achieved success and how you, too, can do the same. As an artist, it is important to tap into your spirituality and connect with a higher power, as it can be a powerful source of inspiration and guidance. This can help you to tap into a deeper sense of purpose, inner wisdom, and guidance. This connection can act as a homing beacon, propelling you to soar above the chaos of the world and connect with the Universe to manifest ultimate creative transcendence and overcome obstacles that may block your path, helping you to weather the storms of life with a sense of inner calm and peace. The Imploding Power of the Mind, Body, and Soul: Realizing the Magnanimous Potential of Self Awareness Through the Magic of Morning Pages, Artist Dates, and Nature Walks Morning pages are an essential tool for self-reflection and self-discovery. They allow you to reflect on your innermost thoughts and feelings and gain a deeper understanding of yourself. Artist dates are an opportunity to step away from the daily routine and explore new things that inspire you. Nature walks can help you to connect with the natural world and find a sense of balance and harmony in your life. The Creative Quest: A Poetic Exclamation of My Artistic Revelations Indeed, taking the time to reflect on your inner self, explore your spirituality, and engage in activities that inspire you, can help you to reclaim your creativity and live a more fulfilling, authentic life. It is important to find the strength to overcome fear, self-doubt, and other blocks that may prevent you from fully expressing yourself as an artist. My creative spirit is largely rooted in my faith and conscious surrender to the Universe for manifesting acme of spiritual transcendence, and I would like to express it poetically as follows: The Artist's Way: A Poetic Manifestation  to Inner Wisdom and Fulfillment The Artist's Way is like a treasure map, Leading you to the gold of your creativity. A spiritual compass to navigate, Through the chaos of life's uncertainty. Morning pages are like a mirror, Reflecting on your innermost thoughts, Artist dates are like a playground, Where you let your imagination run wild and be caught. Nature walks are like a symphony, For your senses to come alive, Connecting with a higher power, It is like a shining beacon to light your path & soar high. Obstacles that block your path, Are like a storm to weather, But with The Artist's Way as your guide, You'll find the strength to go further. Unlock the doors to your soul, let creativity flow like a river, Find inspiration in the smallest things, and let your spirit soar and quiver. Morning pages, artist dates, nature walks, tools to guide your way, Reclaim your power, overcome fear, and live authentically every day. Conclusion In conclusion, this story is a testament to the imploding hope and the potential we all possess to tap into our own unique superpower. Through my journey of connecting with the Universe and using spiritual ascendance as my homing beacon to creativity, I was able to reclaim my own creativity and find fulfillment. I hope this story serves as inspiration for readers to explore their own paths to transcendence and to never give up on their dreams. I am eternally grateful for the recognition from the Hackernoon community and for the opportunity to share my story. Thank you for joining me on this journey. As Hackernoon Community says, “Lie well and prosper;” I wish to raise a toast to new glorious beginnings for all of us, and I look forward to reading more such human stories on this platform. Sending all the readers love and light always; feel free to leave a comment if you liked this post. Also, kindly stop by to read the below interview Q&A. What does it mean for you to win this title? I hope this question is answered by my write-up above. I would just expand a bit on that. Winning these titles is like a cherry on top of a sundae, it's the icing on the cake, the cherry blossoms on a cherry tree, it's like a dream come true. It's a validation that my hard work and dedication has paid off, it's like a shining star in the night sky, it's a bright light in the dark tunnel. It's an honor to be recognized by the community I love so much, it's like a warm hug on a cold day, a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. It's a reminder to keep striving for excellence and to never stop pursuing my passions, it's like a compass guiding me on my journey, it's a beacon of hope for what's to come. How do you or your company intend to embrace the responsibility of this title in 2023? Embracing the responsibility of these titles for me is akin to holding a hot potato, it's a delicate balance of not dropping the ball, yet keeping it rolling. I plan to wear it like a badge of honor, a shiny medal on my chest, and use it as a driving force to continue pushing boundaries and taking risks, like a fearless tightrope walker. I'll use it as an opportunity to give back to the community, like planting a seed and watching it grow into a beautiful flower. I'll hold myself accountable to set an example, like a lighthouse guiding ships through the stormy seas, and strive to continue to inspire others to do the same. It's a weighty responsibility, but I'm excited to take it on and see where it leads me in 2023. What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2023 (whether it be through company initiatives or your personal journey)? In 2023, I'm looking forward to achieving new goals and expanding my knowledge and skills. I am excited to take on new challenges and opportunities and also want to give back to the community. I hope to continue to inspire others and make the most of this new year. I want to keep climbing new heights and reach new milestones like a mountain climber conquering a peak. I also want to continue to expand my knowledge and skills, like a sponge absorbing water, a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Which trend(s) are you most excited about in 2023? Share your reason. According to me the top 10 technology trends for 2023 are as under: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Internet of Things (IoT) 5G Edge Computing Quantum Computing Cybersecurity ESG, CSR, Green & Sustainable Financing Digital Twin Blockchain Extended Reality (XR) Each trend has its own unique set of benefits and potential for innovation. For example, the integration of AI and ML will bring about new opportunities for automation and personalization, while 5G will pave the way for faster and more reliable connectivity. And, the use of Blockchain will bring new level of trust and transparency to the digital world. It's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get, but one thing is for sure, it's going to be sweet and exciting. 2022 had been crazy, especially in Tech - what with layoff, web3 fraud, and AI! Which trend are you most concerned about? What solutions can you think of? Be as brief or as detailed as you like. One trend that I am most concerned about is the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the potential for unintended consequences. While AI has the potential to bring about significant benefits in areas such as automation and decision-making, it also raises ethical concerns around issues such as privacy, bias, and job displacement. To address these concerns, some potential solutions include: Developing and implementing ethical guidelines for AI development and use. Investing in research and development to improve AI's ability to explain its decisions and detect and mitigate bias. Providing retraining and support for workers whose jobs may be affected by AI. Establishing regulatory frameworks to oversee the development and use of AI. Additionally, it's important for organizations to be transparent and open about their use of AI and its capabilities, so that customers and stakeholders can make informed decisions. Collaboration between industry, government, and academia is also important to address these concerns and find common solutions. Share your biggest success so far and/or your biggest failure so far. We would love your feedback on HackerNoon as a tech publication! How has your experience been with us? One of my biggest professional successes in 2022 was the publication of ebooks, many series of articles, and other forms of pieces of content. The positive feedback from readers and peers was encouraging. My biggest failures often come as self-sabotaging thoughts, writer's blocks, strange numbness, and feelings of inadequacy. However, I am able to overcome them soon with guidance from the Universe and spirituality as a way to connect with something greater than myself and find inspiration. This can take many forms, such as meditation, prayer, or nature walks. By connecting with the Universe and tapping into a sense of transcendence, the writer in me finds that her creativity is reignited, and she is able to produce her best work. Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us? "Creativity is like a butterfly, it needs space and time to spread its wings, and the universe is like a garden. It provides the perfect environment for it to flourish. Connect with the universe, and you'll find the ultimate transcendence in your art." This quote is meant to inspire readers to explore the connection between their creativity and spirituality. It suggests that creativity, like a butterfly, needs the right environment to flourish and that connecting with the universe can provide that environment. By imploding into a sense of transcendence, writers may find that their creativity is reignited and they are able to produce their best work. It's important to remind readers that creativity is not just about producing something new but also about finding new ways of looking at things and that spirituality and creativity can coexist synergistically. The 2022 Noonies are sponsored by: , and .Tech Domains by Radix . BingX You will be receiving a .Tech Domain for life as well as an official HackerNoon NFT!

An Artist’s Homing Beacon to Creativity: Connecting with the Universe is The Ultimate Transcendence

 The Lake of Light

Moby-Dick; or The Whale, by Herman Melville is part of HackerNoon’s Book Blog Post series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here: [ ]. Chapter 44: The Chart LINK TO TABLE OF LINK CHAPTER 44. The Chart. Had you followed Captain Ahab down into his cabin after the squall that took place on the night succeeding that wild ratification of his purpose with his crew, you would have seen him go to a locker in the transom, and bringing out a large wrinkled roll of yellowish sea charts, spread them before him on his screwed-down table. Then seating himself before it, you would have seen him intently study the various lines and shadings which there met his eye; and with slow but steady pencil trace additional courses over spaces that before were blank. At intervals, he would refer to piles of old log-books beside him, wherein were set down the seasons and places in which, on various former voyages of various ships, sperm whales had been captured or seen. While thus employed, the heavy pewter lamp suspended in chains over his head, continually rocked with the motion of the ship, and for ever threw shifting gleams and shadows of lines upon his wrinkled brow, till it almost seemed that while he himself was marking out lines and courses on the wrinkled charts, some invisible pencil was also tracing lines and courses upon the deeply marked chart of his forehead. But it was not this night in particular that, in the solitude of his cabin, Ahab thus pondered over his charts. Almost every night they were brought out; almost every night some pencil marks were effaced, and others were substituted. For with the charts of all four oceans before him, Ahab was threading a maze of currents and eddies, with a view to the more certain accomplishment of that monomaniac thought of his soul. Now, to any one not fully acquainted with the ways of the leviathans, it might seem an absurdly hopeless task thus to seek out one solitary creature in the unhooped oceans of this planet. But not so did it seem to Ahab, who knew the sets of all tides and currents; and thereby calculating the driftings of the sperm whale’s food; and, also, calling to mind the regular, ascertained seasons for hunting him in particular latitudes; could arrive at reasonable surmises, almost approaching to certainties, concerning the timeliest day to be upon this or that ground in search of his prey. So assured, indeed, is the fact concerning the periodicalness of the sperm whale’s resorting to given waters, that many hunters believe that, could he be closely observed and studied throughout the world; were the logs for one voyage of the entire whale fleet carefully collated, then the migrations of the sperm whale would be found to correspond in invariability to those of the herring-shoals or the flights of swallows. On this hint, attempts have been made to construct elaborate migratory charts of the sperm whale.* Besides, when making a passage from one feeding-ground to another, the sperm whales, guided by some infallible instinct—say, rather, secret intelligence from the Deity—mostly swim in veins, as they are called; continuing their way along a given ocean-line with such undeviating exactitude, that no ship ever sailed her course, by any chart, with one tithe of such marvellous precision. Though, in these cases, the direction taken by any one whale be straight as a surveyor’s parallel, and though the line of advance be strictly confined to its own unavoidable, straight wake, yet the arbitrary vein in which at these times he is said to swim, generally embraces some few miles in width (more or less, as the vein is presumed to expand or contract); but never exceeds the visual sweep from the whale-ship’s mast-heads, when circumspectly gliding along this magic zone. The sum is, that at particular seasons within that breadth and along that path, migrating whales may with great confidence be looked for. And hence not only at substantiated times, upon well known separate feeding-grounds, could Ahab hope to encounter his prey; but in crossing the widest expanses of water between those grounds he could, by his art, so place and time himself on his way, as even then not to be wholly without prospect of a meeting. There was a circumstance which at first sight seemed to entangle his delirious but still methodical scheme. But not so in the reality, perhaps. Though the gregarious sperm whales have their regular seasons for particular grounds, yet in general you cannot conclude that the herds which haunted such and such a latitude or longitude this year, say, will turn out to be identically the same with those that were found there the preceding season; though there are peculiar and unquestionable instances where the contrary of this has proved true. In general, the same remark, only within a less wide limit, applies to the solitaries and hermits among the matured, aged sperm whales. So that though Moby Dick had in a former year been seen, for example, on what is called the Seychelle ground in the Indian ocean, or Volcano Bay on the Japanese Coast; yet it did not follow, that were the Pequod to visit either of those spots at any subsequent corresponding season, she would infallibly encounter him there. So, too, with some other feeding grounds, where he had at times revealed himself. But all these seemed only his casual stopping-places and ocean-inns, so to speak, not his places of prolonged abode. And where Ahab’s chances of accomplishing his object have hitherto been spoken of, allusion has only been made to whatever way-side, antecedent, extra prospects were his, ere a particular set time or place were attained, when all possibilities would become probabilities, and, as Ahab fondly thought, every possibility the next thing to a certainty. That particular set time and place were conjoined in the one technical phrase—the Season-on-the-Line. For there and then, for several consecutive years, Moby Dick had been periodically descried, lingering in those waters for awhile, as the sun, in its annual round, loiters for a predicted interval in any one sign of the Zodiac. There it was, too, that most of the deadly encounters with the white whale had taken place; there the waves were storied with his deeds; there also was that tragic spot where the monomaniac old man had found the awful motive to his vengeance. But in the cautious comprehensiveness and unloitering vigilance with which Ahab threw his brooding soul into this unfaltering hunt, he would not permit himself to rest all his hopes upon the one crowning fact above mentioned, however flattering it might be to those hopes; nor in the sleeplessness of his vow could he so tranquillize his unquiet heart as to postpone all intervening quest. Now, the Pequod had sailed from Nantucket at the very beginning of the Season-on-the-Line. No possible endeavor then could enable her commander to make the great passage southwards, double Cape Horn, and then running down sixty degrees of latitude arrive in the equatorial Pacific in time to cruise there. Therefore, he must wait for the next ensuing season. Yet the premature hour of the Pequod’s sailing had, perhaps, been correctly selected by Ahab, with a view to this very complexion of things. Because, an interval of three hundred and sixty-five days and nights was before him; an interval which, instead of impatiently enduring ashore, he would spend in a miscellaneous hunt; if by chance the White Whale, spending his vacation in seas far remote from his periodical feeding-grounds, should turn up his wrinkled brow off the Persian Gulf, or in the Bengal Bay, or China Seas, or in any other waters haunted by his race. So that Monsoons, Pampas, Nor’-Westers, Harmattans, Trades; any wind but the Levanter and Simoon, might blow Moby Dick into the devious zig-zag world-circle of the Pequod’s circumnavigating wake. But granting all this; yet, regarded discreetly and coolly, seems it not but a mad idea, this; that in the broad boundless ocean, one solitary whale, even if encountered, should be thought capable of individual recognition from his hunter, even as a white-bearded Mufti in the thronged thoroughfares of Constantinople? Yes. For the peculiar snow-white brow of Moby Dick, and his snow-white hump, could not but be unmistakable. And have I not tallied the whale, Ahab would mutter to himself, as after poring over his charts till long after midnight he would throw himself back in reveries—tallied him, and shall he escape? His broad fins are bored, and scalloped out like a lost sheep’s ear! And here, his mad mind would run on in a breathless race; till a weariness and faintness of pondering came over him; and in the open air of the deck he would seek to recover his strength. Ah, God! what trances of torments does that man endure who is consumed with one unachieved revengeful desire. He sleeps with clenched hands; and wakes with his own bloody nails in his palms. Often, when forced from his hammock by exhausting and intolerably vivid dreams of the night, which, resuming his own intense thoughts through the day, carried them on amid a clashing of phrensies, and whirled them round and round and round in his blazing brain, till the very throbbing of his life-spot became insufferable anguish; and when, as was sometimes the case, these spiritual throes in him heaved his being up from its base, and a chasm seemed opening in him, from which forked flames and lightnings shot up, and accursed fiends beckoned him to leap down among them; when this hell in himself yawned beneath him, a wild cry would be heard through the ship; and with glaring eyes Ahab would burst from his state room, as though escaping from a bed that was on fire. Yet these, perhaps, instead of being the unsuppressable symptoms of some latent weakness, or fright at his own resolve, were but the plainest tokens of its intensity. For, at such times, crazy Ahab, the scheming, unappeasedly steadfast hunter of the white whale; this Ahab that had gone to his hammock, was not the agent that so caused him to burst from it in horror again. The latter was the eternal, living principle or soul in him; and in sleep, being for the time dissociated from the characterizing mind, which at other times employed it for its outer vehicle or agent, it spontaneously sought escape from the scorching contiguity of the frantic thing, of which, for the time, it was no longer an integral. But as the mind does not exist unless leagued with the soul, therefore it must have been that, in Ahab’s case, yielding up all his thoughts and fancies to his one supreme purpose; that purpose, by its own sheer inveteracy of will, forced itself against gods and devils into a kind of self-assumed, independent being of its own. Nay, could grimly live and burn, while the common vitality to which it was conjoined, fled horror-stricken from the unbidden and unfathered birth. Therefore, the tormented spirit that glared out of bodily eyes, when what seemed Ahab rushed from his room, was for the time but a vacated thing, a formless somnambulistic being, a ray of living light, to be sure, but without an object to colour, and therefore a blankness in itself. God help thee, old man, thy thoughts have created a creature in thee; and he whose intense thinking thus makes him a Prometheus; a vulture feeds upon that heart for ever; that vulture the very creature he creates. 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. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved April 2022 from Melville, Herman, 2001. Moby-Dick: or The Whale. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.htm#link2HCH0044 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

Moby-Dick; or The Whale: Chapter 44 - The Chart

Astounding Stories of Super-Science June 1931: VOL. VI, NO. 3 - The Earthman's Burden

The Dark Side of Antri

El lado oscuro de Antri

Le côté obscur d'Antri

Antri . का डार्क साइड

アントリのダークサイド

O Lado Negro de Antri

Mặt tối của Antri

安特里的黑暗面

What AI Game Developers Do and How to Become One

Qué hacen los desarrolladores de juegos de IA y cómo convertirse en uno

Ce que font les développeurs de jeux AI et comment le devenir

AI गेम डेवलपर क्या करते हैं और कैसे बनें?

AI ゲーム開発者が行うことと、AI ゲーム開発者になる方法

O que os desenvolvedores de jogos de IA fazem e como se tornar um

Nhà phát triển trò chơi AI làm gì và làm thế nào để trở thành một

AI 游戏开发者做什么以及如何成为其中的一员

AWS Lambda: What Kind of Serverless Applications Can I Make? (Podcast Transcript)

Last year, I did a talk, as part of orienting a team of automotive executives in modern way of iterative working, challenging the prevailing belief that perfect pre-planning backed by big money will always be a clear winner. I used a bunch of highly hyped tech failures to drive the point home. The talk inspired great discussions, and led to sea change in how we ended up working together afterwards. I hope you will find it equally stimulating. As the in times of high economic uncertainty, I have found myself thinking again about what makes a successful product, and what makes them fail. Looking at some of these big money failures, is my way of remembering that each product is unique, and availability of resources is often inconsequential ( — beyond a certain threshold). founder of a young startup LTR: MS Zune, Snap Spectacles, Amazon Fire Phone, Windows Phone — all failed. Our Exhibits What do Microsoft Zune, Snap Spectacles, Microsoft Windows Phone, and Amazon’s Fire phone have in common? Big money, great teams, fresh perspectives, huge launches, and spectacular failure. All of these products had a huge Total Addressable Market (TAM), and were clearly Feasible, but failed to differentiate themselves in any meaningful way. The market subsequently allowed them to slide into obscurity. Before we jump into discussing the why and how such big projects failed, despite their privileged backgrounds, let’s put these endeavours into perspective. Microsoft Zune , the music player that also ran, launched in 2006, roughly five years after the iPod, and eventually discontinued in 2011. Apparently, the Zune adventure in last quarter of 2006. This has a short take on some of Zune’s shortcomings. Zune cost MS $289 million article Sad but true: It's been an unnecessarily slow, cruel death for Zune. Microsoft's music service-which lets Zune hardware users stream…www.wired.com Amazon Fire Phone In Q3 2014, just three months after the launch, to wipe out , adding that it still had $83 million in inventory at the end of that period. Amazon took a $170 million charge the lost value of its unsold Fire phones The cheers didn't last long: There are times when being the first person with a new gadget will elicit cheers and envy -- like outside New York's…www.cnet.com Windows Phone (7+) If the Fire phone failure didn’t surprise you, there’s always a bigger one. , backed by the world’s biggest OS maker (Microsoft) AND the world’s leading mobile phone maker (Nokia), first launched in 2010, was officially declared a failure in 2015. In 2015, Microsoft wrote down $7.6 billion for their Devices and Services division (having bought it from Nokia in 2013) — cutting about 8k jobs in the process at the same time. While the Nokia built Lumia devices got great reviews, the whole thing just never caught on. The Windows Phone When giants fall: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella didn't waste any time dropping the company's previous focus on "devices and services" after…www.theverge.com Snap Spectacles Snap released its much hyped . With over a 150 million DAU at the time, you might imagine that was going to be a flawless success. Sadly, almost a year later, Snap announced that it had managed to sell ~150k units only — and officially wiped out $40 million on unsold inventory. Spectacles in Q4 2016 Spectacular losses: Snapchat spent $39.9 million in the last quarter in charges related to unsold Spectacles and retailer cancellations…www.businessinsider.de What gives? While we can talk about the nuances and details of any undertaking, there are a few criteria that can help make sense of what might determine success or failure for a business. If a venture can score high on the following five, you can safely assume that it will be fairly successful. The big five criteria for venture success: Feasibility Market Size Value Proposition USP Customer Desirability Before we go further, let’s be clear that these five do not operate on the same scales. , as an example, can be almost binary within its context e.g. The answer to, “can you build it” is quite easily determined, with a a few expert interviews if needed. Feasibility So feasibility, seems to be a binary, and that’s all you need to care about when talking about its role in venture success. The next small contributor to success is your . Here, we’re mainly concerned with (1) do you have a clear value proposition, and (2) how clear is it for your regular audience. Value Proposition Let’s take and as examples. Google Analytics epek.app “Google Analytics gives you the free tools you need to analyze data for your business in one place, so you can make smarter decisions.” — Google Analytics “Plan fast, collaborate happily! Create Product Roadmaps in minutes” -epek.app In both cases, there seem to be clear value propositions, which may still sounds unclear or not obvious to regular folks, but speak directly to their target audiences e.g. , probably makes no sense to a neighborhood kiosk, or small-town real-estate agent, but it is clear as day to most internet businesses. “analyze data for your business in one place, so you can make smarter decisions” is another factor which is relatively easy to determine, given the available market data, existing competitors, similar or neighboring problem areas e.g. you can figure out the car insurance market size in USA, based on the car sales numbers. Here again, the concern mainly is that there has be enough of a market that the business has a shot at success. If you decide to sell life insurance only to people who have been to the top of mount Everest, you might find yourself in an incredibly niche market. Market Size Now let’s talk about the last two of the big five: Customer Desirability, and USP. USP In the case of our exhibit products, the Zune, Windows Phone, Fire Phone, and Snap Spectacles, it doesn’t take much to see that the USPs were largely missing. The two phones didn’t offer much in terms of unique selling points, other than that they were from different manufacturers. , which did the basic job of communicating via voice and text quite alright, but excelled at browser interaction, introduced a vastly superior experience when it came to email, 3rd party apps, music playback, and brought a distinctly modern approach to user interaction. Compare that to the original iPhone The USP was clearly missing when it came to Zune, and the Snap Spectacles. Both had unique features, but no Unique Selling Points. Revolution in your pocket: Apple expert Jason Snell reflects on 10 years of using the iPhone, and how it forever altered the way people work and…www.techrepublic.com Customer Desirability “How much do the customers desire your product?”, is clearly visible in hindsight, but there are two questions that could answer this question looking forward. Does the product alleviate a clear pain in a way that is obviously better than the competition? Or, does it introduce something that fulfills a gap in the users’ life in ways that they might not perceive were possible. the original iPod took the second approach by introducing a whole new way of experiencing music on the go.These products, while feasible and operating in a large enough market, failed on the other criteria If you look at the four aforementioned products, you can see that, just like the original iPhone or the iPod, they do not solve a clear pain for the users, but unlike the Apple devices, they didn’t even come close to introducing “new” delight into the user’s lives. I believe that none of this was unforeseeable, had the execs driving these projects asked a few more questions. As it turned out, these were the Vitamin pills that only few people took out of curiosity, and promptly went back to the iPhones, the Androids, iPods, GoPros, and the Ray-Bans. I hope this article helps you put some of your business evaluation criteria into perspective, and gives you food for thought on how might you make your business relevant, sustainable, and resulting in delighting your customers. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject, and any other examples you can come up with products that despite having big money behind them failed to win in the real world.

Learnings from the Big Market Tech Failures of Zune, Fire Phone, Windows Phone and Snap Spectacles 

on economic cycles and the coming paradigm shift is very well written. His usual capability of putting into simple terms complex concepts (if you are interested in understanding how the economic machine works ), coupled with his knowledge of economic and monetary history are very rare even among the most accomplished and successful macro investors. Ray Dalio's recent post have a look at his video here Even rarer — unfortunately — among policymakers, central bankers, and politicians. Personally, when Dalio speaks, I always listen carefully and — more often than not — I agree. But not this time, at least not entirely. Even Dalio's flawless macro-analysis misses something. And it is something big, something very important. Possibly the biggest paradigm shift since the early ´90s and the internet. Dalio's View of the Current Economic Cycle and the Coming Paradigm Shift You can read Dalio's full post or , but I will try to summarize his conclusions to facilitate our discussion. In short, the last decade (since the 2007–2008 crisis) has been characterized by “easy money/credit” i.e. central banks quantitative easing policies and zero interest rates have inflated asset prices which have greatly benefited investors owning assets such as bonds, stocks, and real estate. here here Growth was slow, and inflation remained low. Equities rallied consistently, driven by continued falling discount rates (e.g., from central bank stimulus), high profit margins (in part from automation keeping wage growth down), and, more recently, from tax cuts Now, this is the . Dalio proceeds then to highlight what the incoming paradigm shift will be: status quo and sooner or later they will have no ammunition left to support the economy (or rather the financial markets, if you do not believe the “trickle-down” BS economics) Central banks “easy money/credit” policies are unsustainable Right now, approximately 13 trillion dollars’ worth of investors’ money is held in zero or below-zero interest-rate-earning debt. That means that these investments are worthless for producing income and cannot be met if not with (i) higher taxes or (ii) bigger deficits which will be monetized. If I may add something, the situation is even worse in the EU, in the sense that here the option will be — differently from the US — either do not honor the liabilities (i.e cut pension entitlements as they did in Greece) or increase taxes, since monetizing debt seems not an option with the current political standoff between the northern block and the rest of EU countries and the position of the BCE. That is one of the reasons why I add, the EU is inevitably going to face the collapse of the Euro. But that is another story. US Liabilities (like Medicare and Social Security) are becoming due So given this scenario Dalio asks: Which investments will perform well in a reflationary environment accompanied by large liabilities coming due and with significant internal conflict between capitalists and socialists, as well as external conflicts. It is also a good time to ask what will be the next-best currency or storehold of wealth to have when most reserve currency central bankers want to devalue their currencies in a fiat currency system. And his answer is GOLD. Now his post stops there and in a follow-up post he will explain why gold is a good portfolio diversifier in this case. What Dalio Misses So what is wrong with Dalio's analysis? Nothing really. It is flawless. Except for one thing: he looks only backward, to monetary history and not even one bit forward into the future. To be fair with him, at the moment of my writing, he has not yet published the second part of his post in which the role of gold will be analyzed and maybe, just maybe, he will also consider the role that cryptocurrencies, born out of disrupting software technologies, can have in the future in a modern investment portfolio. Crypto Assets Are Still Not Understood Well Enough To be clear this is not about taking up “ideological” positions, this is not about being crypto or a gold “fundamentalist”; it is about making a rational evaluation of what can be the role of cryptocurrencies — in addition to that of gold — in the difficult times to come. Since gold's role remains indisputable (at least in the short term and I will explain below why this may change in the future) and it will be the subject of Dalio's follow up post, let me make here the case for crypto. First of all a : the fact that most of the famous investors, mainstream economic commentators and economists speak generally in negative terms of the crypto sector does not necessarily mean that they have an “agenda” to fulfill or an interest to defend — tough some certainly do — but it is more likely a sign of a lack of competence and very superficial knowledge of the crypto sector. I cannot really blame them. caveat Complexities The first problem is that there is a very high barrier to entry in this sector which makes it very difficult to grasp, especially at the very beginning. It is a challenging sector where new complex technologies meet finance, monetary theory, economy, and the law. If you approach it strictly from your professional background — which is normal — you only see that little part of which you have direct knowledge; but if you do not make an effort to understand all the other interdisciplinary implications you will necessarily have a restricted, incomplete and inaccurate view of the sector. Fortunately (or unfortunately) only a few people can invest the necessary amount of time to acquire such interdisciplinary expertise and get — at least the basics — to enjoy a 360° view of what the crypto sector really is and can offer. The second problem is that here very complex technologies play a pivotal role. And technological innovation is very subtle. At the very beginning it is understood by very few only within restricted circles of tech proficient people before it becomes of mass adoption and, until then, it is very difficult to predict what kind of changes such innovations can bring into people's lives and businesses. It is not by chance that even very well known tech people — the likes of Robert Metcalfe, Steve Chen or even Steve Ballmer — famously failed to predict how the technology they knew very well would evolve. — Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3Com. 1995: “I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse.” — Steve Chen, CTO, and co-founder of YouTube expressing concerns about his company’s long term viability. 2005: “There’s just not that many videos I want to watch.” — Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. 2007: “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.” Imagine then how proficiently the likes of Buffett, Mnuchin or Roubini — just to name a few of the most “admired” contrarians — can be trusted to discuss such topics. Another problem is that, if the technology is really disrupting ), it is fought tooth and nail until it is either defeated or it defeats its opponents. and affects established powerful lobbies and interest groups (like crypto is The Next True Radical Paradigm Shift: Crypto To understand where the crypto sector is going it is necessary to grasp its historical evolution. The Bitcoin blockchain protocol invention enabled for the first time in history the trustless and decentralized creation and transferability of a global monetary value which is cryptographically secured and thermodynamically guaranteed — . Then the Ethereum protocol went a step forward by enabling programmers to write codes onto the blockchain to control and transfer values and the so-called were born. educate yourself here smart-contracts Assets can be now digitalized into tokens and trustlessly transferred peer to peer. A system of incentives can be created to encourage fair play within a community and remunerate participants with economic values which are trustlessly pre-programmed and assigned, is born. crypto-economics Decentralized crypto exchanges — where traders can exchange tokens and cryptocurrencies directly peer to peer without the need of a broker — are coming. ICOs peaked and then Security Token offers started. This is what's happened so far. See, it is like an avalanche. And because protocols, apps and technological layers are built upon each other this innovation avalanche is unstoppable. What more this will bring? One of the most interesting posts I have recently read on the subject was authored by Kyle Samani of Multicoin Capital, . The Crypto Mega Theses He points out to 3 areas where . crypto will bring more disruptive innovation: decentralized finance networks, Web3 decentralized networks, and digital gold as a store of value Decentralized Finance Again more technological complexities which render a fair evaluation of the sector hard to make for anyone and especially for those who are not the full time involved on those topics. Take decentralized finance for instance. Protocols are being built on top of other applications. They do not provide a service to customers, they are not visible from the outside. Only programmers understand what is going on and how they perform functions and enable new applications to function. Multicoin Capital's article does a great job for the struggling non-tech professional like myself to explain that, so I will not repeat, but the important point they make is that the magnitude of this breakthrough cannot be overstated. For the first time, financial markets can be global, permissionless, and for many kinds of derivative contracts, free of counterparty risk. This was impossible until recently. This is happening now. They expect this mega trend to compound over the next decade. As a sign — only in the last 18 months — the amount of capital locked in decentralized finance smart contracts has grown from $0 to over . $400M Web3 Networks What about Web3 then? We all know the problems of centralized Web2 networks and the abuses of consumers' data by such companies (Facebook ). But the future will be Web3 networks i.e. decentralized networks where the data is owned by its legitimate owner, the consumer. Such networks are built on top of public decentralized blockchains and will use necessarily crypto-tokens for a frictionless functioning. docet Note that this change will not be driven by consumers but by entrepreneurs who will choose to build their networks in this new way for a simple matter of trust. They have learned the hard way that they cannot trust centralized networks, therefore they will go independently the alternative route. Consumers will always passively opt for what brings them more utility and when decentralized networks will be better developed they will start to switch from centralized to decentralized networks. It will take some time but it will happen. This will create a new wave of business value creation which will generally benefit the sector and the market capitalization of the largest cryptocurrencies. Digital Gold Finally let me elaborate on Kyle Samani's thesis for , as he calls it. digital gold . If one agrees with Dalio that physical gold should have an important part in an investor portfolio, especially in the coming times, I would argue that bitcoin — as a sort of digital gold for the lack of a better word — should also have a part in that portfolio. The two can coexist, for — even if with many similarities — they are different and can also help hedging one another weaknesses I have put together the following tables to facilitate a rational comparison of both physical gold and bitcoin (click + on the zoom of your browser to read clearly the tables). — Click below for the hyperlinks since they are disabled on the tables: — — Table 1 comparison Gold-Bitcoin See here Gold Lease Rate explained even gives a yield on gold paid in gold also bitcoin generates interest rate when borrowed — Click below for the hyperlinks since they are disabled on the tables: — Table 2 comparison Gold-Bitcoin Goldmoney The Bitcoin network’s total hash rate reached a peak of 79 tera hashes per second (TH/s) on July 20, 2019 — Click below for the hyperlinks since they are disabled on the tables: — — — ************************************************************* Table 3 comparison Gold-Bitcoin has already proposed solutions here The annual mine production the above ground cumulated stock is estimated at approx 176.000 In this sense its scarcity can be questioned From the above comparison, it is clear that gold and bitcoin have indeed many similarities. Where gold is superior is in its proven historical track record of acting as an inflation hedge and an SOV. Bitcoin is clearly little proved in comparison. Now, however, gold will face new hard tests against an entirely new set of conditions and parameters. Why? Simply because Bitcoin (the protocol) has introduced new criteria against which gold's historical role as an SOV should now be measured. Let me clarify. Since the Bitcoin genesis, there has been a massive and radical paradigm shift in how the issues of trust, money, store of value and transfers of economic values will be dealt with in the future. There has never been before such a radical shift enabled by a new and disrupting technology. . This is the whole point If I may try to make a comparison, it is like the impact that the internet — as a vehicle for exchanging information — had on traditional media, newspapers, and magazines. Their role today is undoubtedly not the same it was back in the '90s and who could have predicted such dramatic changes back then? . Similarly gold — as an SOV — has never before been impacted so heavily by the invention of an artificial alternative SOV which scarcity is algorithmically induced and which has so many revolutionary features such as being censorship-resistant, resilient, portable, transferable, cryptographically secure and without counterparty risk. All those features make bitcoin a very strong competitor to gold's role as an SOV, if not superior in some instances And since this is the first time that this happens, the mandatory question to answer is: what if investors slowly become aware of that and start migrating towards a crypto-based digital version of gold? What will be the need for the huge hoarding of gold ? Is there a place, in a smart investor's portfolio, for some bitcoins next to the traditional physical gold bars? If so then, which portion of one's portfolio should be allocated to the crypto sector? 1%, 3% maybe 5%? Conclusions Any intelligent investor should find the answer to the above questions. And because the most rational and likely answer is that bitcoin will impact in a number of ways the future of gold as an SOV, then investment strategies need to be modified accordingly and crypto investments must become a part of the portfolio of any rational smart investor. Certainly not yet to replace it, but rather to be a hedge against gold's weaknesses. And vice-versa. Furthermore, if you subscribe — like I do — to Kyle Samani's investment thesis which provides a very rational ground in favor of the growth of decentralized finance networks and decentralized web3 networks as well as to digital gold as a future SOV, then the investment case for crypto is even more compelling. Finally, if institutional investors, family offices, HNWI, and UHNWI start allocating even only 1% of their portfolios to the crypto sector what will be the impact on the price of bitcoin? This is exactly the trend that I have described . in this recent article At this very moment, all the above technology-driven changes are taking place and this is producing a dramatic, massive and radical paradigm shift that will impact our future lives and the way we do transact economic values. Smart and highly skilled investors like Ray Dalio should not miss that, cannot miss that. I'd love to read a post of him commenting on the above topics. The following past articles can be useful to understand more about bitcoin and how it relates to issues such as gold, money, currency, and store of value. PS: - May 2018 Will Bitcoin vindicate Hayek? - May 2018 Why we should not listen to Warren Buffett - March 2018 Bitcoin a scary chameleon - December 2017 What if…bitcoin is not a bubble *************************************************************** : The website and the information contained herein is for general guidance only and it does not constitute legal advice. As such, it should not be used as a substitute for consultation with lawyers on specific issues. All information in this paper is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or warranty of any kind, express or implied. Legal Disclaimer : The website and the information contained herein is not intended to be a source of advice or credit analysis with respect to the material presented, and the information and/or documents contained in this website do not constitute investment advice. Investment Disclaimer © — 2019 www.bianconiandrea.com Originally published at https://medium.com on July 25, 2019.

Oops! Ray Dalio Missed The Biggest Paradigm Shift of All Time - Crypto

Reflections on Principles, by Ray Dalio Ray Dalio, the founder and former CEO of Bridgewater Capital, is perhaps the biggest of my all-time heroes. I have been following his philosophy for living and working since he first released the Principles used at Bridgewater online, and with his recently published book on the subject, I was able to gain invaluable insight into the background for how those Principles came to be. I believe strongly in the ethos of Radical Transparency and The Radical Search for Truth, which is the foundational principle of , my holding company. At In Formation, we have a formal process for proposing, ratifying, amending, and disaffirming the principles by which we make every decision in our business, and we spend a lot of time doing that, because we feel that by establishing a firm foundation of principles for operation, we are investing in the construction of machines that can be run without us (which should be the ultimate goal of any entrepreneur). In Formation That formal process is outside of the scope of this story, but I’d like to speak more generally about my background with Bridgewater, what I’ve learned from Ray Dalio’s book, how we think about principles in general at In Formation, and what we’re trying to build to formalize the process even further. My Interview With Bridgewater I first came into knowing about Ray Dalio when we began hiring at In Formation to build out Anastasia VR. We were recruiting in Wellington, but I wanted to learn the best way to conduct interviews, so I started replying to the from recruiters, and came back to the states for a couple weeks to take as many interviews as I could. daily deluge of cold emails At my peak, I was scheduling 2–3 interviews per day, but Bridgewater’s interview for their elite Research Tech Division was a full-day event. It was perhaps the single best interviewing experience I’ve ever had the pleasure to go through. Most of my go-to interview questions, both technical and non-technical, were inspired by questions asked during this interview. Throughout this brief time, and with some followup afterwards, including a breakfast with some team members, I came to learn the about the ethos of their company, and I was enamored. Unlike all of my other interviews, I actually felt like I might be missing out on an opportunity by ultimately rejecting their offer. They challenged me in a way that is not common for interviews. When I said something dubious, they called it out. When I told a story of how I had used sarcasm in an attempt to handle a facilities dispute at a previous job, they informed me with radical precision how they felt what I had done was not effective, and how something like that should be handled at Bridgewater. When I made statements outside my zone of believability, they informed me. Despite the fact that the total number of hours I spent in contact with members of the Bridgewater team was probably less than 12, I learned more in that time about how to manage a team than I had in my entire life up to that point. It was profound. Forming My Own Set of Life Principles In an attempt to start establishing my own set of principles, I began with Ray’s. I read through his published Life Principles, and read them with a fine-toothed comb. I printed them out on physical paper, double-spaced, and annotated them with notes on every single sentence. As Ray would have recommended, I did not take them at face-value. I disagreed with numerous of his principles. In particular, I found his understanding of evolution, which is the focus of some of his principles, to be rather pedestrian and naive. That said, the framework made sense, and there was a lot of great insight in there, even if his justification wasn’t always spot-on. So I adopted a subset of the principles, perhaps 1/3 of them overall, and started a Google Doc of my own principles. This project would go on to drive much of my decision making to this very day. As Ray points out in his book, there are far more situations than there are types of situations, and whenever we encounter a situation, we may already have a prototypical situation from our history that we can learn from. So I started recording the situations I encountered. Some situations were totally novel, things I had never encountered in the past, but most were just “another one of those,” as Ray puts it. As I continued to record situations, I began to be able to organize them into prototypes, or common situations I was encountering again and again. With prototypes, I began to be able to see the patterns in the principles that I applied to those situations, and I began to be able to see patterns in how those principles led to different types of outcomes. I was building . my own set of unique principles Further, I realized that the patterns I was applying to how I was looking at situations in my life, and how I was developing this set of principles, and began forming those into their own meta-principles. I was onto something. What I Learned from Ray Dalio’s Book It was an unexpected treat when Ray Dalio’s book was published. I preordered it on Amazon as soon as I could, and read the entire thing cover-to-cover in a few nights. Seeing the ways in which Ray encountered failure and learned from his mistakes to develop his principles mirrored a lot of what I had already been doing in the formation of my own principles, and so I felt reassured that I was on the right track. Ray has a particular background. He came up from nothing to be one of the world’s 100 richest people. I also came up from nothing, and though I am proud of what I have accomplished so far, I am a far-cry from what he has built. I aspire to just a small fraction of what he’s been able to do. His focus is on a space wildly different than my own. The space of economics and finance are broadly encompassing the force of capitalism across all verticals. He leverages technology to make his decisions, but I wouldn’t describe him as a technologist . per se However, as technology continues to penetrate into , technology is becoming one of those overarching guiding forces. It will be the technologists of tomorrow that rule the world, rather than the bankers, and we will be the ones holding the keys. a greater number of facets of a greater number of lives The humility that Ray expresses is something we can all learn from. It’s not the that some people express to build themselves up as a paragon of wisdom, his track record does that on its own. It’s a true humility that goes beyond expression to others, but digs deep down into his own self. It is a humility in his own mind that drives him to continuously iterate and improve on the ways he handles life. false humility His principles came from a number of a specific mistakes, and while the book covered a few of the larger ones in detail, it’s certain there were hundreds more along the way. Each one gave him an opportunity to learn and grow, and develop new rules as pieces of his own person machine, and the machine of his business, to run smoothly. More importantly than anything else, perhaps, was the idea that the Principles be a living document. While it may be snapshotted at any given time, it must always be developing and subject to criticism and revision. It’s easy to look at Ray’s principles as something which was given down from heaven, but it was not so. It was developed over time, and became what it was through constant development. This gave me reassurance that, despite the relative small size and early development of my own principles, they are heading in the right direction. It might take one year, or it might take ten to get the level of stabilization and maturation of Ray’s Principles, but even then, it won’t be “complete.” As reality changes, as our understanding of reality changes, we must constantly be ready to accept the new truth, and handle it with humility and acceptance. Ray taught me this. Enter: PrincipleHub, GitHub for Real Life At In Formation, we are internally developing a tool we call PrincipleHub, which we may or may not one day turn into a product. The basic idea behind PrincipleHub is that we need to be recording the situations we encounter in running our lives and our businesses, and learn from them. It is essentially the formalization of what we have traditionally been doing in Google Docs. Since we’ve established a set of rules internally for how we organize and make changes to these documents, we already have a blueprint for how it should work. We also have a pretty substantial database to seed this with. We are attempting to build programs for living life and operating businesses, in much the same way that Github collects programs for running computers. We hope to one day open-source or otherwise release this software, but first, we need to run it internally and with a small group of open-minded individuals, so that we can learn what works and doesn’t, the meta-principles of PrincipleHub. Bridgewater has a number of systems in place for doing this as well, and ours approach the problem from a slightly different, more focused direction, with the intent of building something that has a broad applicability. Sound off in the comments if you have any interest in joining a pilot program!

Living a Principled Life

MDL-based Model Learning: How It Works

Scientific American, Vol. XXXIX. No. 6. [New Series.], August 10, 1878, by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . NEW CUTTING AND BORING ATTACHMENT FOR LATHES. here NEW CUTTING AND BORING ATTACHMENT FOR LATHES. Our engraving represents a useful little machine which is intended for attachment to lathes. Although it is exceedingly simple it is capable of performing a great variety of work. The machine is used in two ways, either by attachment to a rigid support, as shown in , or by suspending it by a belt, so that it is capable of universal motion, as shown in . Fig. 1 Fig. 2 The supporting frame, A, has three boxes for the spindle, B, and on the shaft at one side of the middle box there are planing knives, C, on the opposite side there is a balance wheel, and a pulley for receiving the driving belt. The spindle, B, extends beyond the ends of the frame, A, and has at each end a socket for receiving interchangeable cutting and boring tools. One end of the spindle is externally threaded to receive a face plate, to which may be attached a disk of wood for receiving sandpaper for smoothing and polishing wood or metal. The frame, A, is held to its work by means of handles, A', and the spindle is driven by a round belt that passes over a suspended pulley, E, and also over the pulley on the lathe mandrel. The entire attachment is balanced by a weight, F, attached to a cord that passes over a fixed pulley, F', to the pulley, E, to which it is secured by a swivel hook that permits of turning the belt in any direction. The belt is guided by small pulleys, H, so that the device may be turned without running the belt from the pulley on the spindle. Guides, G, are attached to the frame, A, for guiding the material being operated upon by the planing knives. The frame, A, may be supported by attachment to an arm, I, at the lower end of the screw-acted follower, J, which slides in a rigid support, K. The arm, I, has a notched disk which is engaged by a spring detent which holds the frame at any desired inclination. Among the kinds of work that may be done on this machine may be mentioned shaping and edging, fluting and beading table legs, balusters, etc.; dovetailing, boring, carving, paneling, shaping or friezing mouldings, scroll or fret work, inlaying and engraving, blind stile mortising and blind slat planing. By changing the inclination of the spindle different varieties of mouldings may be produced by the same cutter. The machine may be used as an emery grinder, and it may also be used for drilling and shaping metals. For further information address Mathew Rice, Augusta, Ga. Decrease of the New York Rainfall. In his report for 1876, Director Draper, of the New York Meteorological Observatory in Central Park, showed that a careful examination of the records in his office proved that there had been, in late years, a change in the rainfall of New York and its vicinity, affecting seriously its water supply. The decrease had been steady since 1869, previous to which there had been an increase. In his report for 1877, Mr. Draper discusses the question whether the change continues, or is likely to continue, in the same direction, and comes to the conclusion that the rainfall of New York will, most probably, continue to decrease by fluctuations for several years to come; also, that the variations are very nearly the same in the two portions of the year, the division date being July 1. 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. Various (2013). Scientific American, Vol. XXXIX. No. 6. [New Series.], August 10, 1878. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19406/pg19406-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

NEW CUTTING AND BORING ATTACHMENT FOR LATHES

The Romance of Modern Mechanism by Archibald Williams is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CHAPTER XXI here A SELF-MOVING STAIRCASE At the American Exhibition, held in the Crystal Palace in 1902, there was shown a staircase which, on payment of a penny, transported any sufficiently daring person from the ground-floor to the gallery above. All that the experimenters had to do was to step boldly on, take hold of the balustrade, which moved at an equal pace with the stairs, and step off when the upper level was reached. The "escalator" (Latin = flight of stairs) hails from the United States, where it is proving a serious rival to the elevator. In principle, it is a continuously working lift, the slow travel of which is more than compensated by the fact that it is always available. The ordinary elevator is very useful in a large business or commercial house, where it saves the legs of people who, if they had to tramp up flight after flight of stairs, would probably not spend so much money as they would be ready to part with if their vertical travel from one floor to another was entirely free of effort. But the ordinary lift is, like a railway, intermittent. We all know what it means to stand at the grille and watch the cage slide downwards on its journey of, perhaps, four floors, when we want to go to a floor higher up. Rather than face the delay we use our legs. scalae Theoretically, therefore, a large emporium should contain at least two lifts. If the number be further increased, the would-be passenger will have a still better chance of getting off at once. Thus at the station of the Central London Railway we have to wait but a very few seconds before a grille is thrown back and an attendant invites us to "Hurry up there, please!" Yet there is delay while the cage is being filled. The actual journey occupies but a small fraction of the time which elapses between the moment when the first passenger enters the lift at the one end of the trip and the moment when the last person leaves it at the other end. In a building where the lift stops every fifteen feet or so to take people on or put them off, the waste of time is still more accentuated. The escalator is always ready. You step on and are transported one stage. A second staircase takes you on at once if you desire it. There is no delay. Furthermore, the room occupied by a single escalator is much less than that occupied by the number of lifts required to give anything like an equally efficient service. In large American stores, then, it is coming into favour, and also on the Manhattan Elevated Railway of New York. When once the little nervousness accompanying the first use has worn off, it eclipses the lift. A writer in Cassier's Magazine says: "In one large retail store during the holiday season more than 6,000 persons per hour have been carried upon the escalator for five hours of the day, and the aggregate for an entire day is believed to be 50,000. In the same store on an ordinary day the passengers alighting at the second floor from the eight large lifts, which run from the basement to the fifth floor, were counted, likewise the number at the escalator. This latter was found to be 859 per cent. of the number delivered by the eight lifts. In another establishment, in a very busy hour, the number taken from the first floor by the escalator was four times the number taken from the first floor by the fourteen lifts, which were running at their maximum capacity. To the merchant this spells opportunity for business. "The experience at the Twenty-third Street and Sixth Avenue station of the Manhattan Elevated Railway in New York, during a recent shut-down of the escalator, which has been in service for some time, is interesting as showing the attitude of the public, of which many millions have been carried by the installation during the several years of its operation. The daily traffic receipts of this station for a period beginning several weeks before the shut-down and extending as many after, for the years 1903 and 1902, and receipts of the adjacent stations for the same period were carefully plotted ... and the loss area during the period of shut-down was determined. The loss area was found to embrace 64,645 fares. It was, furthermore, daily a matter of observation that numbers of people, finding that the escalator was not running, refused to climb the stairs, and turned away from the station. "In the case of a great store, the escalator may be constructed as one continuous machine, with landings at each floor, and so arranged that steps which carry passengers up may perform a like service in carrying others down; or separate machines may be installed in various locations affording the best opportunity for displaying merchandise to the customer who may be proceeding from the lower to the upper floor. In the case of a six-storey building so equipped with escalator service in both directions, or in all ten escalator flights, it is obvious that the facilities are equal to an impossible number of elevators; and as facility of access has a direct bearing upon opportunities for business, it may well be argued that the relative value, measured by rent, of the main and upper floors is greatly changed." Each step in a staircase has two parts—the "tread" or horizontal board on which the foot is placed, and the vertical "riser" which acts both as a support to the tread above and also prevents the foot from slipping under the tread. In the escalator each tread is attached rigidly to its riser, and the two together form an independent unit. For the convenience of passengers in stepping on or off at the upper and lower landings, the treads in these places are all in the same horizontal plane. As they approach the incline the risers gradually appear, and the treads separate vertically. At the top of the incline the process is gradually reversed, the risers disappearing until the treads once more form a horizontal belt. The means of effecting this change is most ingenious. Each tread and its riser is carried on a couple of vertical triangular brackets, one at each side of the staircase. The base of the bracket is uppermost, to engage with the tread, and its apex has a hole through which passes a transverse bar, which in its central part forms a pin in the link-chain by which power is transmitted to the escalator. Naturally, the step would tip over. This is prevented by a yoke attached to each end of the bar, at right angles to it and parallel to the tread. The yoke has at each extremity a small wheel running on its own rail—there being two rails for each side of the staircase. Since step, brackets, bar, and yoke are all rigidly joined together, the step is unable to leave the horizontal, but its relation to the steps above and below is determined by the arrangement of the rails on which the yoke wheels run. When these are in the same plane, all the yokes, and consequently the treads, will also be in the same plane. But at the incline, where the inner rail gradually sinks lower than its fellow, the front wheel of one tread is lower than the front wheel of the next, and the risers appear. It may be added that, owing to the double track at each side of the staircase, the back wheel of one tread does not interfere with the front wheel of that below; and that on the level they come abreast without jostling, as the yoke is bent. The chain, of which the step-bars form pins, travels under the centre of the staircase. It is made up of links eighteen inches long, having, in addition to the bars, a number of steel cross-pins 112 inches in diameter, their axes three inches apart, so that the chain as a whole has a three-inch "pitch." The hubs of the links are bushed with bronze, and have a graphite "inlay," which makes them self-lubricating. Every joint is turned to within 11,000 inch of absolute accuracy. The tracks are of steel and hardwood, insulated from the ironwork which supports them by sheets of rubber. The wheels are so constructed as to be practically noiseless, so that as a whole the escalator works very quietly. "It has been observed," says the authority already quoted, "that beginners take pains to step upon a single tread, and that after a little experience no attention whatever is given to the footing, owing to the facility of adapting oneself to the situation. The upper landing is somewhat longer, thereby affording an interval for stepping off at either side of sufficient duration to meet the requirements of the aged and infirm. The sole function of the travelling landing is to provide a time interval to meet the requirements of the slowest-acting passenger, and not of the alert. The terminal of the exit landing, be it top or bottom (for the escalator operates equally well for either ascent or descent), is a barrier, called the shunt, of which the lower member travels horizontally in a plane oblique to the direction of movement of the steps, and at a speed proportionately greater, thereby imparting a right-angle resultant to the person or obstacle on the step which may come in contact with the shunt. By reason of this resultant motion, the person or obstacle is gently pushed off the end of the step upon the floor, without shock or injury in the slightest degree. The motion of the escalator is so smooth and constant that it does not interpose the least obstacle to the free movement of the passenger, who may walk in either direction or assume any attitude to the same degree as upon a stationary staircase." At Cleveland, U.S.A., there has been erected a rolling roadway, consisting of an inclined endless belt and platform made of planks eight feet long, placed transversely across the roadway. The timbers are fastened together in trucks of two planks each, adjoining trucks being joined by heavy links to form a moving roadway, which runs on 4,000 small wheels. At each end the roadway, which is continuous, passes round enormous rollers. Its total length is 420 feet, and the rise 65 feet. Four electric motors placed at regular intervals along its length, and all controlled by one man at the head of the incline, drive it at three miles an hour. It can accommodate six wagons at a time. 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. Archibald Williams (2014). The Romance of Modern Mechanism. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/46094/pg46094-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

A SELF-MOVING STAIRCASE

Scientific American Supplement, No. 799, April 25, 1891 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . MARBLE AND MOSAIC. here MARBLE AND MOSAIC. By T.R. SPENCE. I do not propose to enter into any historical details as to the first and subsequent application of mosaics. In a general sense we understand mosaic as a combination of various more or less imperishable materials—fixed together by cement or other adhesive substances—and laid over walls, floors, etc., with a view to permanent decorative effect. The substance of the tesseræ is of many kinds, namely, glass, cheap and precious marbles, hard stone, and burnt clay, these mentioned being mainly in use for architectural purposes. For decorative schemes we collect as many gradations of color as are obtainable in such durable materials in their natural or manufactured state, and thus form a color palette which we regard in the same sense as a painter would his pigments. Of course, the first proceeding is to prepare a design on a small scale, which shall embrace your notions of color only. Then follows a full-sized cartoon, which I need hardly add shall embrace your best efforts in drawing. A tracing is made of the latter and transferred to sheets of cardboard. This cardboard is cut to the size of certain sections of your design, and, for convenience, should not be more than, say, 20 in. square. Of course, it will not always be square, but will bear the same relation to your complete cartoon as a map of the counties would to that of all England. Now, working from the small design (of color), the tesseræ are cut to the forms required, laid face downward, and glued on to the cardboard sections containing your enlarged cartoon. When the design is all worked out on these sections they are ready for fixing on walls or floor by laying them home on a float of cement. When the cement sets, the cardboard sticking to the face is washed off, and the joints of tesseræ flushed over with cement and cleaned off, leaving all joints filled up level. There are other processes used for the same end. The technical processes need not occupy our attention at present. There is one process that may appeal to you, and that is executing the work by floating on a limited expanse of cement, and sticking on the tesseræ at once. It has the advantage of enabling the artist or architect to see the effect of his efforts under the fixed conditions of light and height. in situ I shall confine myself to vitreous or glass mosaic, which for durability, extended scales of primary colors and their numerous semi-transparent gradations is unequaled by any substance yet used for wall or floor decoration. I am surprised, having all these fine qualities, it is not more used by architects. If you require proofs of its triumphs, go to St. Mark's, of Venice, and stand under its mellow golden roof. There you will find its domes and vaulted aisles, nave and transepts entirely overlaid with gold mosaic, into which ground is worked—in the deepest and richest colors and their gradations that contemporary manufacturers could produce—subjects selected from the creation down to the life of Christ, in addition containing a complete alphabet of early Christian symbolism. The roof surfaces being one succession of over-arching curves become receptive of innumerable waves of light and broad unities of soft shadows, giving the whole an incomparable quality of tone and low juicy color. Never use your gold but on curved or undulating surfaces. Flat planes of gold only give the effect of a monotonous metallic yellow, and can never be beautiful, owing to the absence of the variations that come with waves of shadow. By letting out the reins of imagination we might feel that in this a tenth century Giorgione has given off the mental impressions of all the golden autumn of his life. His material gave him an advantage over his great followers of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, insomuch that glass has a living and glowing quality of light not existing in the somewhat clouded purity of oil or fresco. In St. Mark's we have an example of the superb treatment in deepest and most Titianesque scales applied to curved forms, but to find a similarly complete example of the use of lighter tones and on flat surfaces, we must turn to Ravenna. I can give you no adequate description of the wall mosaics of Ravenna. In the sense of delicate color they remind me of some of the subtile harmonies of many of the finest works of the modern French school—of the Impressionists and others who combine that quality with a true instinct for design. In standing before them you feel that the Dagnan Bouverets, the Mersons, the Cazins, the Puvis de Chavannes, etc., of the fifth century have had a hand in the conception and realization of the beautiful compositions to be found on the nave walls of the two churches of St. Appollinare Nuovo and St. Appollinare in Classe. Here all the scales are of delicate degrees of light tones, supreme in their beauty, completeness, and, most important to us, their true decorative instinct. In the Baptistery we find what I may term a third essay in color, by weaving in rich, dark, and glowing colors on figures and bold sinuous forms of ornament in such a skillful and judicious manner that the whole dome seems to be alive with harmonies, although they are mostly primaries. As you know, rules for the disposition of color are futile, yet some details that struck me as eminently satisfactory may interest you. In all cases the tesseræ are of small dimensions, about a quarter of an inch square. The stucco joints are large and open, surfaces far from level, but undulating considerably. The tesseræ stick up in parts, brilliant edges showing. Absence of flatness gives play to the light. The gray of the stucco joints brings the whole composition together, serving as cool grays in a picture to give tender unity. Gold, apart from backgrounds and large surfaces, is used very cleverly in small pieces in borders of garments, and more especially in thin outlines to make out the drawing and certain flowing forms of ornament. Brilliant pieces of glass actually moulded at the kiln into forms of jewels add brilliancy to crowns, borders, etc. These stick boldly out from the surface. I noticed in the Baptistery below the springing of the dome a frieze about 2 ft. 6 in. deep, having the ground entirely in black, through which was woven in thin gold lines a delicate foliated design. This, in conjunction with the upper surfaces in dark, rich color, had a most delightful effect. We, as students, can learn most from the Ravenna examples, for great are the needs of light and silvery color in this country, where gray and gloomy days far outnumber those in which the sun gives liberally of his light. I may say, in passing, as our subject is really a matter of decoration, that our nineteenth century efforts in this direction are all of a somewhat gloomy tendency. We fill our rooms with imitations of somber Spanish leather, stain and paint our woodwork in leathery and muddy tones, to arrive at what is now a sort of decorator's god. Quaintness is the name of that god. Many are the sins for which he has to answer. Had we not better worship a deity called beauty, whose place is a little higher up Parnassus? Why should we not in our endeavors attempt in some measure to transfix the brilliant harmonies that follow the sun in his liberal and gracious course? This muddy quaintness is certainly pleasant for brief periods, when lamps are low and fire light gilds and deepens its parts. Turn the sunlight on these so-called triumphs of the modern decorator's art, and then you feel the lack of many a phase of color that might have been borrowed from the thousand and one examples that in nature he vivifies and makes brilliant. Referring again to the Ravenna mosaics, I can only add that at the present day an extended palette of colored glass is available. The technical difficulties are not great, and there is no question as to the fine qualities of design and color that are to be obtained in this material. The great point in this, as in all other schemes of decoration, is the art, the mental quality of conception, and the sense of color and fitness. If we hold the precious heritage of an artist's mind—that divine and rare something which gives form, color, and completeness to a story, a dream or a vision—then very little difficulty follows in making vitreous mosaic a valued servant in the realization of a fine creation. It is the function of architects to design suitable spaces for color decoration, so bound in by dignified mouldings and other details of his constructive art, in such a manner that the addition of decorative color shall in no way mar the scheme of his complete work, but shall (under these well ordered distributions) have set on them the seal and crown of color which is inseparable from a perfect piece of architecture. In such spaces he may dream his dreams, tell his stories, and stamp on them for centuries his subtilest and divinest thoughts. May I not urge that to such spaces must be given the best that is in you? for once placed so shall they remain unchanged through generations, time being powerless to add any mellow garment of tone or softening quality whatever. I mistook the title of the subject in thinking that it was mosaic only, and at the last moment found it was marble and mosaic. However, the same dominant principles shall underlie the treatment of marble. It is a question of the finer instincts for form and color. In recent years the demand for choice decorative materials has been the means of opening out many marble quarries all over the world. Transit being easy, a large scale of varieties is available. One fine addition is the Mexican onyx. My feeling is that the most beautiful marbles are those where the soft and sinuous veins melt and die into the general body, comparatively sharp markings dying right away at the edges into innumerable gradations. Marbles having strong and hardly marked veins present great difficulties in distribution. If they are near, they offend you with their coarseness; and, placed at a distance, the hard vein lines have very little decorative value. I should say use these in narrow slips, with very little moulded profile or as parts of intazzio. Mouldings should be specially designed for different marbles. I should say mainly on the principle of sudden contrasts; that is, large members with very little curve bound with members very small in detail, thus obtaining sharp lines, having little surface to be influenced or distorted by the veined markings, and serving to sharpen up and give form to the broader members (which show the color qualities of the marble), much as you sharpen up an ink drawing by underlining. These small members serve the architect's purpose for the expression of vertical and horizontal lines, and where decisive and cutting shadows are required in the composition of his work. If delicate carving forms part of your design, I should say statuary is the best, as you have no veins to distort your detail. I need hardly add that economy should be studied in using precious marbles, without injuring the durability of the work. Contours may be built up in thin sections. Intazzio is a beautiful form of treating marble on an inexpensive ground. Gem-like effects may be obtained by inlaying with smaller pieces, following such ornamental forms as your inventive brains shall dictate. Perhaps the pockets of your clients will be the chief dictator. Heraldic emblazonings, inlaid in marble, are highly effective. The conditions of the heraldry necessitate the use of many varieties, but in such small quantities that on a large simple field they are rarely out of harmony. In addition they map out a large and interesting variety that will save the worry of creation of designs coming entirely from your own brain, and you know the worry of an architect's life makes him hail with pleasure at times a rest from the strain of creation. This heraldic work may be seen to perfection in the chapel of the tombs of the Medici at Florence. At the Pitti Palace are some tables which you may know where marble intazzio can no further go. Alabaster does not appeal to me, it is somewhat sugary in results. If you are fortunate enough to have a sculptor who is a sort of nineteenth century Donatello, let him work his will on statuary or such restful marble. The celebrated monument in the church of S. Giovanni Paulo, at Venice, which Ruskin says is the finest monument in the world, if my recollection serves me correctly, is in white marble, and its beauty comes entirely from the sculptor's art. Such monuments give you much better than any words of mine ample suggestions for marble treatment. I may quote such names as Nicolo Pisano and Verocchio. Photos of some of their work I have brought. Note Pisano's beautiful white altar at Bologna, and Mina de Fiesole's work in Florence. They all show the sculptor as supreme. Why should not we encourage individual young sculptors more? Give them portions of your work in which they can put all the fervor and enthusiasm of young manhood. Their powers may not be ripe, but they possess a verve and intensity that may have forever fled when in later years the imagination is less enthusiastic and the pulses slower. I am sure there are many young sculptors now wanting commissions who have been trained at the academy, and better still, in the best French schools. I maintain that the contemporary French school of sculpture is in its line equal to any school of sculpture that has ever existed, not excepting that of Phidias or that of the Italian Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. I believe history will confirm this. Why not give these men an opportunity, and help on the movement to found a truly English school of sculpture, rather than give all such work to trading firms of carvers, who will do you any number of superficial feet, properly priced and scheduled, and in the bills of quantities, of any style you please, from prehistoric to Victorian Gothic? Of course, this is our British way of founding a great school. There is one method of treatment that appeals to me very strongly, and that is the application of colored metals to marble, more especially bronze and copper. I may quote as a successful example near the Wellington Memorial at St. Paul's. Another suggestion—although it is not used in combination with marble, but it nevertheless suggests what might be done in the way of bronze panels—that is, the Fawcett Memorial, by Gilbert, in the west chapel at Westminster Abbey. A paper recently read before the Architectural Association, London.— . From the Architect 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. Various (2004). Scientific American Supplement, No. 799, April 25, 1891. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11649/pg11649-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

MARBLE AND MOSAIC

The Planet of Pirates: Echoes of Destiny  

Not so long ago I got into poker, and in addition to that, I enjoy working with and decided that I would like to combine business with pleasure. I made a detection of objects that are on the poker table as well as added some analytics on the basis of which I could make decisions about my moves. computer vision General functioning of the program I should point out right away that I chose PokerStars as a game room and the most popular variety of poker - Texas Hold'em. The function of the program is to start an infinite loop that reads a certain area of the screen where the poker table is. When our (hero's) turn comes, a window with the following information pops up or is updated: what are the cards we currently hold; the cards that are now on the table; total pot; equity; of each player's position and bid. Visually it looks as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYqsw58T0b8&embedable=true Determining a hero's move Just below the hero’s cards, there is a small area that can be either black or gray: If this area is grayed out, it is our move, otherwise, it is our opponent's move. Since our image is static, we cut out this area by coordinates. Then we use the function, which is used to detect pixels in the image that are within a certain color range by passing the clipped image there, determine from the number of white pixels in the binary image whether that returned function is our move or not: inRange() res_img = self.img[self.cfg['hero_step_define']['y_0']:self.cfg['hero_step_define']['y_1'],
                           self.cfg['hero_step_define']['x_0']:self.cfg['hero_step_define']['x_1']]

hsv_img = cv2.cvtColor(res_img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2HSV_FULL)
mask = cv2.inRange(hsv_img, np.array(self.cfg['hero_step_define']['lower_gray_color']),
                            np.array(self.cfg['hero_step_define']['upper_gray_color']))
count_of_white_pixels = cv2.countNonZero(mask) Now that we've determined that it's our turn, we should recognize the hero’s cards and those on the table. To do this, I suggest that we again take advantage of the fact that the image is static and cut it out, and then binarize the areas with cards. As a result, for such images with cards: We get the following binary image: After that, we find the outer contours of the values and suits using function, which we then pass to function, which returns the bounding boxes of each contour. All right, now we have boxes of all the cards, but how do we know if we have, for example, an ace of hearts? To do this, I found and manually cropped each value and each suit, and placed these images in a special folder as reference images. Next, we calculate the MSE between each of the reference images and the cropped card images: findContours() boundingRect() err = np.sum((img.astype("float") - benchmark_img.astype("float")) ** 2)
err /= float(img.shape[0] * img.shape[1]) Which reference image has the smallest error, that is the name image we assign to the box. Quite easy :) Determining the bank and the player's bet: Finding the dealer button To determine the bank, we will work with a template image of this view: We pass the template image and the image of the whole table to the function, which I wrote about in one of my previous , which, as one of the parameters is to return the coordinates of the top-left corner of the template image on the image of the whole table. matchTemplate() articles Knowing these coordinates, we can, by stepping back a constant value to the right, find the digits of the bank. Then, according to the familiar scheme, we find the contours and boxes of each digit, which we subsequently compare with the reference, but already digits image, and count the MSE. All these machinations are described in this section, except for the search of template image, we also do the same with bets of each player, where the coordinates of bets are prescribed in the config file. The dealer button in poker is a mandatory attribute that determines the order of action and bargaining for all participants in the game. If you have to act one of the first, you are in the early position. If you are in a late position, your turn is one of the last to act. For the 6-max table, which is the table we're looking at, the positions are as follows: To determine who the dealer is, we also take a template image, only this one: We find the coordinates of the upper left corner of the image on the table and using the formula for the distance between two points on the plane, where the second x and y coordinates are prescribed in the configuration file coordinates of the player's center, determine who is closer to the button, that will be its owner :) Recognition of vacant seats and players who are absent It often happens that there are 5 players at the table instead of 6, so the empty seat is marked in this way: Under the nickname of a player who is currently absent, the following caption appears: To detect the presence of such players, we take these images as templates and the image of the table, and again give them as input to the function, but this time we don't return the coordinates, but the probability of how similar the two images are to each other. If the probability, for instance, between the first image and the table is high, then we have a table missing a player. matchTemplate() Calculating Equity Equity is the probability of winning a particular hand against two specific cards or the opponent's range. Mathematically, equity is calculated as the ratio of the number of possible winning combinations to the total number of possible combinations. In this algorithm can be implemented using library eval7 (which in this case helps to estimate how strong the hand is) as follows: Python deck = [eval7.Card(card) for card in deck]
table_cards = [eval7.Card(card) for card in table_cards]
hero_cards = [eval7.Card(card) for card in hero_cards]
max_table_cards = 5
win_count = 0
for _ in range(iters):
    np.random.shuffle(deck)
    num_remaining = max_table_cards - len(table_cards)
    draw = deck[:num_remaining+2]
    opp_hole, remaining_comm = draw[:2], draw[2:]
    player_hand = hero_cards + table_cards + remaining_comm
    opp_hand = opp_hole + table_cards + remaining_comm
    player_strength = eval7.evaluate(player_hand)
    opp_strength = eval7.evaluate(opp_hand)

    if player_strength > opp_strength:
        win_count += 1

win_prob = (win_count / iters) * 100 Conclusion In this article, I wanted to show what can be achieved using only classic computer vision methods. I understand that the current solution is unlikely to be used in poker games, but in the future, I plan to add analytics, which can already be useful. If anyone wants to participate in the project or has any ideas for its development - feel free to write! The source code is available on , as always. Have a nice day everyone! github Also published . here

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