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To convert more users into customers, a website has to have of . If you haven’t got time to sit back, awaiting organic traffic, you may think of stealing it from your competitor. consistent inflow visitor traffic Think of this… A missing cake analogy :P Ever saved up a just for the late night craving? Only to later notice its absence. piece of cake Sad s**t! Had happened to me tonne a time. But pragmatically, that cake never belonged to you. And the one who availed it at the earliest got to enjoy the whole cheesy stuff. Yes! I am kind of drooling too… Well, the aforementioned is an analogy between you and your competitor’s . To appear on the first page of any search engine (preferably the most sought-after search engine). cake hypothesis SEO battle Google No. Not chuckling. To help you with this mad rush, I am explaining you can use to divert your competitor’s web traffic to your website/web page, in this blog. 3 stronger ways Strictly the legal way. #Hack1 — Enhance Your Domain Authority Enhance Your Domain Authority One important factor that determines the search engine ranking of a website is domain authority. “A metric developed by MOZ” With the , a website can appear at the top of search engine ranking. Essentially, the scale of domain authority range from (1 being the worst DA score whereas steadily until 100 being the best DA score). highest domain authority 1–100 looks for before generating the domain authority score for any web page. Moz 40 different elements Some of the most crucial elements are, — Looks for the number of backlinks and focuses more on the quality of those backlinks. MozRank — Analyzes how closely related are your backlinks to the trusted websites. MozTrust — Scans your content for the quality of your website content. Quality Content — Considers your most shared content (probably shared 100x times) on social mediums, as the trusted content. There is definitely a reason why it went viral while other didn’t. Social Signals — Analyzes your website structure and looks into the UX/CX of your website. Search Engine Friendliness Enhance Your Domain Authority #Hack2 — Target Your Competitors’ Keywords Target Your Competitors’ Keywords Don’t fret. Good grace! and let us do this. So. Google Bing But, doesn’t yet let us run a campaign targeted directly to our competitor’s fan page. SIGH! Facebook Well, understanding and targeting competitors’ keyword usage is commonly done on all . Though targeting competitor is one of the low-grade tricks at our disposal, it’s essentially done by almost every businesses. For one good reason, to reach heights sooner and to sustain it longer, a few have to be carried out. digital ad platforms black hat tricks As is very smart at identifying whether or not a website represents a particular identity, it can easily figure out original queries. Thus if you employ any of the black hat tricks, your ads may perform low. Google But, let’s do right things the smarter way. Here are some of the working . keyword hijackings Target Your Competitor’s Keywords #Hack3 — Become Highly Influential “You all have what it takes to become an influencer” But why have you not progressed yet? Only reason can be, you gave up quite early! Building with your audience has never been an overnight success sport. affinity Not a quirky cat video, you see :P It requires ceaseless commitment to generating actionable/compelling content. Hence, as a starter, kick your content strategy off by publishing some of the . And as you see an army of passionate readers visiting your website regularly, ship out some robust then. Btw**, blogs** of these can be easily differentiated. educational content action inducing content two types Historically, users employed word-of-mouth most of the times. Continuing this practice, now they take suggestions over a casual phone call or cross-check product reviews across a variety of portals. As well, we need to realize that online users have evolved greatly and are going behind their renewed set of using ultimate . purchase science preferences decision-making principles The more you engage them, the more likely they’ll consider you. Perhaps, the only way to be visible to the right audience is by lingering where your users spend most of their time. By positioning your business correctly and by helping users on their needs you can become one hella . influencer What to do to become an influencer? Augment social proofs Be consistent and responsible of your job Resonate with your followers Hold an authoritative voice (don’t overdo it) Use to tune them FOMO Choose the right topics for your niche Be available everywhere (try guest posts) Become Highly Influential Hey, I am snoozing now. Let’s learn some more gripping in the next blog. growth hacks Ciao :)

How To Lawfully Steal Web Traffic From Competitors

AI Regulations and Standards - ISO/IEC 42001

Hong Kong plans to introduce special regulations for stablecoins. At the end of December, a draft of new rules was published by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Public discussion of the will take place until February 24. document The new regulation applies to stablecoins that are used in Hong Kong or are pegged to the Hong Kong dollar. Stablecoins must be fully collateralized and get license from the HKMA and FSTB to operate in Hong Kong. Stablecoins that are not licensed in the country can be used, but only by residents of the country with the status of qualified investors. Initially, one of the options for regulating stablecoins was to apply the same requirements to them as to electronic money (SVF). Later, regulators decided that it’s better to issue separate rules for stablecoins. Which countries already have stablecoin regulation? Hong Kong is far from the first country in the world to create its framework for regulating stablecoins. This issue has long been discussed by regulators in many countries and international organizations such as FATF, FSB, and IMF. However, the need to obtain a special license to issue stablecoins appeared relatively recently. So far, such a license exists in a small number of jurisdictions, but an increasing number of countries are planning to introduce it. Japan and Singapore These two Asian countries are of the few large economies in the world that already have such a license. In Japan, the rules for regulating stablecoins were adopted in June 2023 with the participation of Financial Services Agencies (FSAs). According to the new rules, the circulation of stablecoins is regulated in the same way as transactions with digital currency. They must have full collateral pegged to the Japanese yen or other currencies. When the lawfully comes into force (in June 2024), only licensed banks, money transfer operators, and trust companies will be able to issue stablecoins. The issuer of one of the leading USDC steel coins, Circle, is already into this market. While stablecoin regulation in Japan may make it difficult for foreign stablecoin operators to enter the country's market, it appears that they can use without obtaining a license of their own. planning to expand local bank licenses In Singapore, stablecoins and cryptocurrencies are regulated by the local fintech regulator MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore). The main requirements are the presence of reserves and full collateral, as well as the presence of a payment institution license from MAS. The new rules in August 2023. were adopted European Union In the European Union, stablecoins and their use for settlement are regulated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) digital asset regulations. This is a large three-hundred-page document that regulates any operations with cryptocurrencies in the EU. It got approval from all 27 EU member states. For stablecoins, MiCA has identified a separate type of token - EMT (e-money tokens). The main requirements for stablecoins under MiCA are full collateral and reporting of all transactions above €1,000. This regulation has not yet entered into force, but additional requirements have already begun to appear. The European Union has presented new requirements for the regulation of stablecoins on November 8, 2023. Public discussion of these standards is due on January 30, 2024. If the proposals are approved, they will come into force in June 2024. However, it is still not entirely clear how the MiCA requirements will be implemented in practice. banking supervisor Great Britain In the UK, initially, the requirements for the regulation of stablecoins and cryptocurrencies coincided with the requirements for e-money issuers. The regulation is currently being clarified. The FCA its proposals for regulating stablecoins on November 6, 2023 - discussions will continue until February 6, 2024. The regulator remains based on the same approach within the framework of The Payment Services Regulations 2017 (PSRs). However, stablecoins issued in the UK or used for payments in the UK will now need to be registered with the FCA. published USA In the United States, there is still no clear regulation of stablecoins, although both Tether and USDC are pegged to the American dollar and this is about 90% of the global issue of stablecoins. In the summer of 2023, committees of the US Congress preliminary approved a bill specifically dedicated to the regulation of stablecoins - the . Payments Stablecoin Act The head of the fintech company Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, believes that regulatory clarity for stablecoins in the United States will come in 2024. According to him, “the stablecoin market has in some ways surprised people in terms of meeting real needs” - so regulatory certainty will only benefit the industry. In addition, he expects that as regulation becomes more transparent, new participants may appear in the market. However, due to the lack of consensus among Democrats and Republicans, as well as the complex system of regulation of cryptocurrencies in the United States (more than one regulator) - in 2024 there may also be no clarity on this issue. But what is important is that there are still many more stablecoins that are pegged to the US dollar than to the euro or the Japanese yen. Perhaps this is evidence that when there is no excessive regulation, it is only good for business. Other countries Offshore jurisdictions have also introduced special regulations for stablecoins, for example, in the and Bermuda, where the local Jewel Bank is planning to launch a Jewel USD. By the way, the USDC Circle issuer is licensed in Bermuda. Bahamas special stablecoin Canada In February 2023, the Canadian Securities Commission has prohibited local exchanges from conducting stablecoin transactions without prior regulator’s approval. In October, the regulator issued clarifying stablecoin transactions. So stablecoins are allowed in Canada, but VASPs need to get prior regulator’s approval for stablecoins’ trading. To receive such permission, a stablecoin must be fully backed. additional rules Australia Australia continues to discuss possible approaches to regulating cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. The Treasury published its on December 8, 2023, on the regulation of payment services - including the certification of stablecoins that circulate in Australia. This regulation has not yet been adopted. consultation document UAE The United Arab Emirates is quite conservative in the field of crypto payments, however, here too, in the fall of 2023, the first legal acts regulating the circulation of stablecoins appeared from the local regulator VARA. On September 18, 2023, VARA the “Code of Rules for the Issue of Virtual Assets” and, among other things, discussed the concept of “Fiat-Referenced Virtual Assets (“FRVAs”) there. published The VARA rules mustn't apply to stables with security in dirhams - for them, a separate regulation must be developed by the Central Bank of the UAE (“CBUAE”). To issue other stablecoins in the UAE, the company must have a VARA license of the first category. It is also mandatory to fully back the stablecoin and verify it during an audit. Conclusion Gradually, most of the world's fintech hubs are moving towards regulating stablecoins and licensing them. The main requirement that is prescribed by all jurisdictions is the availability of reserves and collateral. The second requirement is regulatory permission to conduct operations in the country.

Hong Kong Takes Its First Step Towards Regulating Stablecoins

I was a guest speaker at the National Diplomacy Week at Jagiellonian University last month. Turns out the diplomatic community is really engaged in the topic of AI regulations, development and ethics. We discussed topics including public diplomacy, cybersecurity, and AI in business development. It was cool to share my tech thoughts with some international politics enthusiasts. We also tried to cover both opportunities and challenges AI solutions may pose in the future. I prepared a small summary of the main issues we talked through. I’ve learned a lot about diplomatic world, dive deep into this with me. What is AI? Why the hype? Why is there so much talk about AI now? The big moment happened in fall 2022 when ChatGPT came out. People started noticing AI more, but the tech had been around for a few years. What was missing was the right cloud infrastructure and servers, plus a good commercial product to sell. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is commonly categorized into two types: narrow AI and general AI. Narrow AI, prevalent in today's market, excels in specific tasks such as language translation or image recognition but lacks the ability to operate beyond its programmed scope. On the other hand, general AI (or Artificial General Intelligence, AGI), a theoretical concept yet to be achieved, aspires to mimic human intelligence, demonstrating adaptability and learning across a wide array of domains. The development of AGI holds significant societal, ethical, and regulatory implications, prompting global discussions on how to manage its potential impact, including issues of privacy, safety, and ethical considerations. That said, until someone actually develops an AGI system, the topic is purely academic. Currently in the AI field, two prominent types of neural networks are transformers and diffusers. Transformers excel in processing and understanding text, significantly enhancing how computers work with written information. Diffusers, meanwhile, creatively generate new content, like images or music, by progressively refining initial concepts. It is important to note that these technologies alone are unlikely to lead to the creation of AGI. Achieving AGI will likely require advancements beyond these current architectures. What life areas does AI revolutionise? I think that AI-related technologies are already making a break through in our industry, similar to how electricity transformed every aspect of our lives. AI has the potential to make significant changes in our personal lives, businesses, healthcare, and even military operations. However, the scale and pace of AI development raises concerns about its potential harm if not properly regulated. AI is already revolutionizing tasks that are meticulous and repetitive, performing them better than humans. Instead of being a threat, I think it can be seen as useful in improving efficiency and productivity. A major change in our civilization is coming up, and we can't accurately predict the extent of its impact on our lives. As AI continues to advance, we are entering an era of transformation and I’m curious to see what it will bring. Some say that current text AI output is mediocre at best. I think that unremarkable skill applied at scale and at a whim can change the world. R egulatory models and AI superpowers Even though there is an already positive impact of AI tools on people's lives, they have been misused for among other misinformation and spam. There have been privacy concerns as well. This promoted certain regulators to take actions and start proposing targeted laws. What is more previous data protection laws still apply and influence AI models. If we wanted to divide the way AI development is progressing and what attitude towards AI regulations is presented we can mention 3 models: American, Chinese and the EU one. American Currently, the USA stands as the leader in the AI market. The American perspective focuses on the prosperity of the tech industry through free-market policies for startups and businesses. There is also a preference for minimal government influence. However, with the introduction of Chat GPT, there has been a shift in attitude. Now USA is trying to avoid consolidating too much power in a few big AI companies. Despite those concerns, there is still a techno-optimistic attitude, assuming that companies will self-regulate (which might be a bit far-fetched). Just now new AI Bill of Rights including guidance on usage of AI has been unpacked, seen as the first step toward proper AI regulatory system. Chinese China's next-generation plan aims to position the country as a global AI leader, surpassing the USA. The primary goal is development. At first regulations were not present, allowing companies the freedom to pursue their initiatives with funding and access provided. The concerns started with the rapid development of generative AI. Government got scared that AI may generate content outside the bounds of censorship. There are now regulatory experiments to still support business development while making sure the advancements will align with the vision of the communist party. EU In the EU, we are now finalizing the AI Act - including the anthropocentric vision of AI with a focus on citizen laws and ethics. A key dilemma is how to strike a balance. How to keep startups innovative, ensuring technological independence, but also make sure citizens and their rights are safe. Apart from mentioned models, there are of course also other countries/organizations that try to create independent laws within themselves. Let’s take Israel - their Director General of Ministry of Defense announced plans to make Israel an AI superpower with a focus on military applications. They put a record-high budget for AI development with the focus on laws and research regarding defense needs. Or recently France, Germany, and Italy agreeing on unified regulatory framework AI concerning companies in Europe. They don’t want sanctions on businesses to be immediate, rather put focus on incentives, and then later, if necessary, penalties for serious breaches. Not long ago we also saw Italy was blocking ChatGPT being concerned with lack of proper processes regarding handling personal data processing and absent age restrictions. There’s a multitude of solutions being discussed and implemented. Some try to regulate things that don’t exist yet (AGI). Some suggest putting restrictions that seem to benefit bigger players by raising the cost of operating AI systems. I’m watching the space with moderate interest, as it can potentially affect me. That said, even if regulation will harm the innovation, it’s still more interesting to spend time on the actual tech, not the accompanying initiatives. What regulatory issues I faced when running my own AI startup? Machine learning model development depends on training data. When companies talk business, a lot of the time is spent discussing how to keep data safe and hand it over lawfully. From what I've seen, China is tough when it comes to data safety. Everything has to get approved by the authorities, and the rules are strict. Because of this, many companies don't want to do business there (also political reasons). The EU aims to keep its users' data within its own borders. Regulations say only the EU companies and EU citizens can process it. To put it in perspective, this is very similar to what China enforces. Banks and financial institutions have the strictest rules. In many sales conversations I had for my AI projects, things came to halt when companies said they couldn't make data anonymous or didn't have good enough policies to share user data safely. But this situation also creates a niche for products that work on premise. We can have an AI product that can run in client’s data center, and that opens up a lot of possibilities. This is the route I chose with Sentimatic. Poland in AI development I bring in my local perspective and a mix of opinions I've heard during the debate. When it comes to EU laws, Poland plays a role in the establishment process, but simply because we're a member state, so we are sort of ‘forced’ to do so. For example, the recent EU AI Act involvement was a bit disappointing - only 12 people from our country participated, half from private companies, and the rest of them directly connected with Ministry of Digitization. Polish citizens and companies aren't showing a strong interest in AI regulations. Our current attitude is that we're more on the receiving end than actively contributing. Additionally, Poland does not have enough strong AI startups. We are in danger of falling behind other European countries. On a brighter note, there are some AI startups like Eleven Labs which are doing well. We do a lot of AI research, but turning it into something commercial is a challenge. There's money available for AI projects in places like PARP (government agency), but the paperwork required is massive, so you have to consider if you are down to take on a lot of bureaucratic risk. I think that even though so far we've (as in Polish engineers) mostly worked for Western European and US companies, we've learned a lot. With a bit of optimism, we can use that experience and money to figure out how to build our AI scene. So surely, I’m curious of what’s coming. And happy to contribute. What you should do to gain the most out of AI development? With the rapid development of AI it is easy to miss out on different upcoming opportunities. Here is what I think is useful to think of to gain the most out of this technological breakthrough in the context of this debate: Securing Funding: Explore private and government initiatives to fund your AI projects. Be mindful of the consequences of getting funding. As a specialist, you can bootstrap a small product as well. Being Aware: Stay informed about new AI solutions, but avoid getting swept up in the hype. Keep an eye on government regulations that could impact your rights and business. Looking for Job Opportunities: Look for emerging roles in the AI industry and find your niche. Use AI tools to streamline tasks, as companies are still trying to integrate AI. Thinking of Privacy: Protect your data by applying privacy settings in AI chat applications. Pay for avoiding your data to be used for training. Balancing Personalization and Automation: Use AI for content creation but not in a direct way. Be inspired. Get criticism. Always add value. Always check the quality and relevance of AI-generated content. Approach AI tools with caution, they make mistakes with striking confidence. Conclusions AI development is unavoidable. It is better to prepare ourselves for it rather than avoid the topic or threaten the society with a possible danger of new technologies. This technological revolution can be different than others, but fear mongers have been among us since the beginning of humanity. Sure, regulations are needed and we need to protect societies from AI-driven collapse but decisions should be evidence-based, not fear-driven. From my personal perspective I hope to see Poland becoming more active in establishing AI laws and I'm closely watching any new regulations coming out which might affect me personally and professionally. I think the best thing we can do right now is educate ourselves and try to gain the most out of the whole thing. It is silly to let some of the opportunities pass us by and not use the whole potential (generative) AI has to offer. Your thoughts? More worried or excited? Regulation: BS or necessity? Subscribe to my profile by filling in your email address on the left, and be up-to-date with my articles! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to my blog’s for more tips and insights! @ horosin_ newsletter If you don't have Twitter, you can also follow me on . LinkedIn Also published . here

What's Up With AI Regulations?

এআই রেগুলেশনের কী আছে?

Was ist los mit den KI-Vorschriften?

¿Qué pasa con las regulaciones de IA?

Quoi de neuf avec la réglementation sur l’IA ?

एआई विनियमों के साथ क्या हो रहा है?

AI規制ってどうなってるの？

AI 규제는 어떻게 되나요?

O que há com os regulamentos de IA?

Что случилось с правилами ИИ?

Yapay Zeka Düzenlemelerinde Neler Var?

Có chuyện gì với các quy định về AI?

人工智能法规怎么了？

How to Write Clearly: Rules and Exercises on English Composition by Edwin Abbott Abbott, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . WORDS. here WORDS. 1. Use words in their proper sense. Write, not "His apparent guilt justified his friends in disowning him," but "his evident guilt." "Conscious" and "aware," "unnatural" and "supernatural," "transpire" and "occur," "circumstance" and "event," "reverse" and "converse," "eliminate" and "elicit," are often confused together. This rule forbids the use of the same word in different senses. "It is in my power to refuse your request, and since I have power to do this, I may lawfully do it." Here the second "power" is used for "authority." This rule also forbids the slovenly use of "nice," "awfully," "delicious," "glorious," &c. See (2). 2. Avoid exaggerations. "The boundless plains in the heart of the empire furnished inexhaustible supplies of corn, that would have almost sufficed for twice the population." Here "inexhaustible" is inconsistent with what follows. The words "unprecedented," "incalculable," "very," and "stupendous" are often used in the same loose way. 3. Avoid useless circumlocution and "fine writing." "Her Majesty here partook of lunch." Write "lunched." "Partook of" implies sharing, and is incorrect as well as lengthy. So, do not use "apex" for "top," "species" for "kind," "individual" for "man," "assist" for "help," &c. [5] 4. Be careful how you use the following words: "not … and," "any," "only," "not … or," "that." See below, "Or." And. —"I am not bound to receive any messenger that you send."
Does this mean every, or a single? Use "every" or "a single." —(1) "I do not intend to help you, because you are my enemy &c." ought to mean (2), "I intend not to help you, and my reason for not helping you is, because you are my enemy." But it is often wrongly used to mean (3), "I intend to help you, not because you are my enemy (but because you are poor, blind, &c.)." In the latter case, not ought to be separated from intend. By distinctly marking the limits to which the influence of not extends, the ambiguity may be removed. Any. Not. is often used ambiguously for alone. "The rest help me to revenge myself; you only advise me to wait." This ought to mean, "you only advise, instead of helping;" but in similar sentences "you only" is often used for "you alone." But see 21. Only —When "or" is preceded by a negative, as "I do not want butter or honey," "or" ought not, strictly speaking, to be used like "and," nor like "nor." The strict use of "not … or" would be as follows:— Or. "You say you don't want both butter and honey—you want butter or honey; I, on the contrary, do not want butter or honey—I want them both." Practically, however, this meaning is so rare, that "I don't want butter or honey" is regularly used for "I want neither butter nor honey." But where there is the slightest danger of ambiguity, it is desirable to use nor. The same ambiguity attends "not … and." "I do not see Thomas and John" is commonly used for "I see neither Thomas nor John;" but it might mean, "I do not see them both—I see only one of them." —The different uses of "that" produce much ambiguity, e.g. "I am so much surprised by this statement that I am desirous of resigning, that I scarcely know what reply to make." Here it is impossible to tell, till one has read past "resigning," whether the first "that" depends upon "so" or "statement." Write: "The statement that I am desirous of resigning surprises me so much that I scarcely know &c." That. 4 a. Be careful in the use of ambiguous words, e.g. "certain." "Certain" is often used for "some," as in "Independently of his earnings, he has a certain property," where the meaning might be "unfailing." Under this head may be mentioned the double use of words, such as "left" in the same form and sound, but different in meaning. Even where there is no obscurity, the juxtaposition of the same word twice used in two senses is inelegant, e.g. (Bain), "He turned to the left and left the room." I have known the following slovenly sentence misunderstood: "Our object is that, with the aid of practice, we may sometime arrive at the point where we think eloquence in its most praiseworthy form to lie." "To lie" has been supposed to mean "to deceive." (For "which" see 8.) The ambiguity arising from the use of he applying to different persons is well known. 5. Be careful how you use "he," "it," "they," "these," &c. "He told his friend that if he did not feel better in half an hour he thought he had better return." See (6) for remedy. Much ambiguity is also caused by excessive use of such phrases as in this way, of this sort, &c. "God, foreseeing the disorders of human nature, has given us certain passions and affections which arise from, or whose objects are, these disorders. Of this sort are fear, resentment, compassion." Repeat the noun: "Among these passions and affections are fear &c." Two distinct uses of it may be noted. It, when referring to something that precedes, may be called "retrospective;" but when to something that follows, "prospective." In "Avoid indiscriminate charity: it is a crime," "it" is retrospective.[6] In "It is a crime to give indiscriminately," "it" is prospective. The prospective "it," if productive of ambiguity, can often be omitted by using the infinitive as a subject: "To give indiscriminately is a crime." Speeches in the third person afford a particular, though very common case, of the general ambiguity mentioned in (5). Instead of "He told his friend that if he did not feel better &c.," write "He said to his friend, 'If, I (or you) don't feel better &c.'" 6. Report a speech in the First, not the Third Person, where necessary to avoid ambiguity. Thus, where Essex is asking Sir Robert Cecil that Francis Bacon may be appointed Attorney-General, the dialogue is (as it almost always is in Lord Macaulay's writings) in the First Person, except where it becomes tedious and uninteresting so as to require condensation, and then it drops into the Third Person: 6 a. Sometimes, where the writer cannot know the exact words, or where the exact words are unimportant, or lengthy and uninteresting, the Third Person is preferable. "Sir Robert had nothing to say but that he thought his own abilities equal to the place which he hoped to obtain, and that his father's long services deserved such a mark of gratitude from the Queen." —Even when a speech is reported in the third person, "that" need not always be inserted before the dependent verb. Thus, instead of "He said that he took it ill that his promises were not believed," we may write, "'He took it ill,' he said, 'that &c.'" This gives a little more life, and sometimes more clearness also. 6 b. Omission of "that" in a speech reported in the Third Person. 7. When you use a Participle, as "walking," implying "when," "while," "though," "that," make it clear by the context what is implied. "Republics, in the first instance, are never desired for their own sakes. I do not think they will finally be desired at all, unaccompanied by courtly graces and good breeding." Here there is a little doubt whether the meaning is "since they are, or, if they are, unaccompanied." —"Men walking (that walk, or when they walk) on ice sometimes fall." That or when. It is better to use "men walking" to mean "men when they walk." If the relative is meant, use "men that walk," instead of the participle. (1) "While he was } Walking on { (1) the road, } he fell." (2) "Because he was } { (2) the ice, } When the participle precedes the subject, it generally implies a cause: "Seeing this, he retired." Otherwise it generally has its proper participial meaning, e.g. "He retired, keeping his face towards us." If there is any ambiguity, write "on seeing,"—"at the same time, or while, keeping." (1) "Though he was} {(1) he nevertheless stood
} { his ground." (2) "Since he was } Struck with terror, {(2) he rapidly retreated." (3) "If he is } {(3) he will soon retreat.” 8. When using the Relative Pronoun, use "who" and "which" where the meaning is "and he, it, &c.," "for he, it, &c." In other cases use "that," if euphony allows. "I heard this from the inspector, who (and he) heard it from the guard that travelled with the train." "Fetch me (all) the books that lie on the table, and also the pamphlets, which (and these) you will find on the floor." An adherence to this rule would remove much ambiguity. Thus: "There was a public-house next door, which was a great nuisance," means "and this (i.e. the fact of its being next door) was a great nuisance;" whereas that would have meant "Next door was a public-house that (i.e. the public-house) was a great nuisance." Thus, in the first example above, "inspector" is complete in itself, and "who" introduces a new fact about him; "guard" is incomplete, and requires "that travelled with the train" to complete the meaning. "Who," "which," &c. introduce a new fact about the antecedent, whereas "that" introduces something without which the antecedent is incomplete or undefined. It is not, and cannot be, maintained that this rule, though observed in Elizabethan English, is observed by our best modern authors. (Probably a general impression that "that" cannot be used to refer to persons has assisted "who" in supplanting "that" as a relative.) But the convenience of the rule is so great that beginners in composition may with advantage adhere to the rule. The following are some of the cases where who and which are mostly used, contrary to the rule, instead of that. — Exceptions: (a) When the antecedent is defined, e.g. by a possessive case, modern English uses who instead of that. It is rare, though it would be useful,[7] to say "His English friends that had not seen him" for "the English friends, or those of his English friends, that had not seen him." (b) That sounds ill when separated from its verb and from its antecedents, and emphasized by isolation: "There are many persons that, though unscrupulous, are commonly good-tempered, and that, if not strongly incited by self-interest, are ready for the most part to think of the interest of their neighbours." Shakespeare frequently uses who after that when the relative is repeated. See "Shakespearian Grammar," par. 260. (c) If the antecedent is qualified by that, the relative must not be that. Besides other considerations, the repetition is disagreeable. Addison ridicules such language as "That remark that I made yesterday is not that that I said that I regretted that I had made." (d) That cannot be preceded by a preposition, and hence throws the preposition to the end. "This is the rule that I adhere to." This is perfectly good English, though sometimes unnecessarily avoided. But, with some prepositions, the construction is harsh and objectionable, e.g. "This is the mark that I jumped beyond," "Such were the prejudices that he rose above." The reason is that some of these disyllabic prepositions are used as adverbs, and, when separated from their nouns, give one the impression that they are used as adverbs. (e) After pronominal adjectives used for personal pronouns, modern English prefers who. "There are many, others, several, those, who can testify &c." (f) After that used as a conjunction there is sometimes a dislike to use that as a relative. See (c). 9. Do not use redundant "and" before "which."[8] "I gave him a very interesting book for a present, and which cost me five shillings." In short sentences the absurdity is evident, but in long sentences it is less evident, and very common. "A petition was presented for rescinding that portion of the bye-laws which permits application of public money to support sectarian schools over which ratepayers have no control, this being a violation of the principle of civil and religious liberty, and which the memorialists believe would provoke a determined and conscientious resistance." Here which ought grammatically to refer to "portion" or "schools." But it seems intended to refer to "violation." Omit "and," or repeat "a violation" before "which," or turn the sentence otherwise. 10. Equivalents for Relative. —"Men thirsting (for 'men that thirst') for revenge are not indifferent to plunder." The objection to the participle is that here, as often, it creates a little ambiguity. The above sentence may mean, "men, when they thirst," or "though they thirst," as well as "men that thirst." Often however there is no ambiguity: "I have documents proving this conclusively." (a) Participle. —Instead of "He was the first that entered" you can write "to enter;" for "He is not a man who will act dishonestly," "to act." This equivalent cannot often be used. (b) Infinitive. can sometimes be used for "by which," "in which," so as to avoid a harsh repetition of "which." "The means whereby this may be effected." But this use is somewhat antiquated. (c) Whereby, wherein, &c., —"The man that does not care for music is to be pitied" can be written (though not so forcibly), "If a man does not care for music, he is to be pitied." It is in long sentences that this equivalent will be found most useful. (d) If. —"He did his best, which was all that could be expected," can be written, "and this was all that, &c." (e) And this. —"Let me repeat that which[9] you ought to know, that that which is worth doing is worth doing well." "Let me repeat, what you ought to know, that what is worth doing is worth doing well." (f) What. —It is sometimes thought ungrammatical to omit the relative, as in "The man (that) you speak of." On the contrary, that when an object (not when a subject) may be omitted, wherever the antecedent and the subject of the relative sentence are brought into juxtaposition by the omission. (g) Omission of Relative. This is particularly useful after a negative: "He said that he would not even hear me, which I confess I had expected." Here the meaning may be, "I had expected that he would," or "that he would not, hear me." Write, "a refusal, or, a favour, that I confess I had expected." See (38). 10 a'. Repeat the Antecedent in some new form, where there is any ambiguity. —This is a most important rule. Instead of "I have neither the necessaries of life nor the means of procuring them," write (if you can with truth), "I have not a crust of bread, nor a penny to buy one." 11. Use particular for general terms. CAUTION.—There is a danger in this use. The meaning is vividly expressed but sometimes may be exaggerated or imperfect. Crust of bread may be an exaggeration; on the other hand, if the speaker is destitute not only of bread, but also of shelter and clothing, then crust of bread is an imperfect expression of the meaning. In philosophy and science, where the language ought very often to be inclusive and brief, general and not particular terms must be used. The disadvantage of the use of Verbal Nouns is this, that, unless they are immediately preceded by prepositions, they are sometimes liable to be confounded with participles. The following is an instance of an excessive use of Verbal Nouns: 11 a. Avoid Verbal Nouns where Verbs can be used instead. "The pretended confession of the secretary was only collusion to lay the jealousies of the king's favouring popery, which still hung upon him, notwithstanding his writing on the Revelation, and affecting to enter on all occasions into controversy, asserting in particular that the Pope was Antichrist." Write "notwithstanding that he wrote and affected &c." 12. Use a particular Person instead of a class. "What is the splendour of the greatest monarch compared with the beauty of a flower?" "What is the splendour of Solomon compared with the beauty of a daisy?" Under this head may come the forcible use of Noun for Adjective: "This fortress is weakness itself." An excess of this use is lengthy and pedantically bombastic, e.g., the following paraphrase for "in every British colony:"—"under Indian palm-groves, amid Australian gum-trees, in the shadow of African mimosas, and beneath Canadian pines." 13. Use Metaphor instead of literal statement. "The ship ploughs the sea" is clearer than "the ship cleaves the sea," and shorter than "the ship cleaves the sea as a plough cleaves the land." Of course there are some subjects for which Metaphor should not be used. See (14 a) and (14 b). 14. Do not confuse Metaphor. "In a moment the thunderbolt was upon them, deluging their country with invaders." The following is attributed to Sir Boyle Roche: "Mr. Speaker, I smell a rat, I see him brewing in the air; but, mark me, I shall yet nip him in the bud." Some words, once metaphorical, have ceased to be so regarded. Hence many good writers say "under these circumstances" instead of "in these circumstances." An excessive regard for disused metaphor savours of pedantry: disregard is inelegant. Write, not, "unparalleled complications," but "unprecedented complications;" and "he threw light on obscurities," instead of "he unravelled obscurities." 14 a. Do not introduce literal statement immediately after Metaphor. "He was the father of Chemistry, and brother to the Earl of Cork." "He was a very thunderbolt of war,
And was lieutenant to the Earl of Mar." Thus, we may say "a poet soars," or even, though rarely, "a nation soars to greatness," but you could not say "Consols soared to 94-1/2." Even commonplace subjects may be illustrated by metaphor: for it is a metaphor, and quite unobjectionable, to say "Consols mounted, or jumped to 94-1/2." But commonplace subjects must be illustrated by metaphor that is commonplace. 14 b. Do not use poetic metaphor to illustrate a prosaic subject. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edwin Abbott Abbott (2007). How to Write Clearly: Rules and Exercises on English Composition. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/22600/pg22600.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

Use words in their proper sense

A community doesn’t need gamers who have child-like behavior exhibiting extreme toxicity. If you have a game that has a massive community and to balance their emotions, you need a regulatory solution. A solution that could curb their toxicity, analyze trolls, filter out BMs ( ), and eliminate cyberbullying. A solution like a sportsmanship score, conduct, player reputation, or Fairplay score, and here we are calling it Behavior Score Analytics. gaming Bad Manners What is Behavior Score Analytics? Every game has always been on the radar of undetermined independent entities who score the effect of those games on users. The effect can vary; it can alter their behavior towards personal as well as professional life. Hence, the behavior score is used to assess the impact. It also provides information regarding the player’s toxicity level and the way they treat their fellow teammates or in-game players. The score also validates the fairness of the player; cheating, scripting, and tampering with the game rules often lead to deactivation of the account. The score also provides insights into how the game is progressing with the community. A player is reputable, has a good rank, and makes the gaming community a better place for other players. A Good Behavior Score: This is the first strike; you might want to consider reviewing your [All Chat] messages and conversations. A Mediocre Score: You might get banned for extreme toxicity or bullying or be placed in low ranks. This will impact your overall match-making factor, too. A Bad Behavior Score: The behavior score analytics scale is integrated into the game to make the experience wholesome. Friendly banter is okay, but if you don’t have control over your temper and start Chatting in a full rage, you might disrupt the gaming experience of other players, too. So, we found another valid reason why a proficient game developer would introduce behavior score analytics into the game. Here, a skilled game developer will prioritize leaving the analytics and judging on an autonomous & unbiased entity. An AI-based Behavior Score analytics. It reduces the cost of manual moderators, implements efficient tacking, and has the ability to scale as well as adapt the game mechanics. Can AI track Gamer Conduct? Yes, developing an AI-based Behavior score tracking system is feasible. However, it sure takes a lot of planning, and the process is not as easy as it seems. Integrating Artificial Intelligence with a Behavior score tracker involves utilizing natural language and speech processing at full capacity. The system needs to process the way players verbalize, chat, and grief (Spoiling the game experience through irrelevant game plays that affect team rankings and score). There are a lot of in-game metrics that need to be studied, analyzed, and labeled, and then we need to determine a result. Sure, one can moderate metrics like in-game chat, and normal communication. But a few metrics like reports, action, and gameplay that lead to reputation scores need to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, AI can be proven to be a primary contributor for game developers. Let’s learn what AI-integrated Fairplay score analytics can do and how to develop one. What Behaviour can AI Track? We explore the importance of behavior scores, but let's study what the system can do for the game. A game developer integrates a Fairplay scoring system to ensure quality across the game and its community. It mitigates the risk of a ‘maybe’ possibility of being put under investigation. Here are the following five common factors tracked by the AI score analysis system. . The system can monitor if the players are following the guidelines of their respective roles or not. Not doing so may disrupt the gameplay and, in pro scenes, can result in match-fixing for tilting the betting odds. Teamplay: In gameplay, a team is sometimes assigned to respective roles A true sportsman understands that sportsmanship matters. Every esports player is currently a well-known figure. The way they interact and behave in the game affects the thought process of the community, too. So AI can lawfully judge whether the player is being a true sportsman or not. Sportsmanship: They can also track aimbots, scripters, lag switches, and much more. Many players run scripts to climb up the rank or smurf using low-level secondary accounts. Cheating:- Many in-game actions by players can lead to grief. Actions such as taunting, bullying, Bad manners, irrelevant playstyle, etc. It leads to boiled-up hatred, and the other players can report the person through the system. Griefing:- In-game communication is the best way for shot callers to make game-breaking plays. But on the other hand, it can be used to abuse words. AI solutions can track this and either mute the player or score them accordingly. Communication:- Building Blocks For a Behaviour Score Tracker Let's explore the building blocks of a common AI-based behavior score system. We have divided the whole structure into five primary needs and wants of services required. Games are full of chats, voice messages, and communication pings. Building a game data collection pipeline is one of the important stages. You can utilize AI here for automated data collection as well as the security of the data gathered. Game Data Collection Pipeline: Now, we need to label the data that was collected. Every string of data needs to be labeled either positive, negative, or neutral. The data annotation will help train your and provide results once the equation is run through the model. Data Annotation: machine-learning model here, the automation kicks in; you now have a labeled data set; you just need to analyze it and build a classification system. The classifiers will automatically anatomize the whole data set in small details. The data set includes players’ behavior, speech, raw chats, messages, and behavior during the gameplay. Applied AI/ML Model Development: The infrastructure will help you to deploy huge data streaming pipelines conveniently and in an efficient manner. A Cloud infrastructure: UI/UX design and mobile/web app development to build an easily accessible product. This is required to provide end product experience to users, like more precise data visualization, allowing them to view data insights, and ultimately a two-way data viewing channel for both users as well as manual moderators, just in case. End Product Development: Top Three Case Studies Automated sportsmanship analytics may be complex for a beginner or a person who is not aware of the system. So here are the top three case studies that we have explained in short to clear your understanding. These case studies are not ranked; we are not saying these are the most perfect in the market. But looking at the pro scene, this system has been praised for its analytics and much more. Note: Riot Games uses an AI-powered behavior score system called Valorant Credit Score. The system is used to track reports, AFK-ing, Cheats, and Toxicity levels. Case 1: Counter Strike 2 uses Overwatch and the Trust Factor system. It has contributed to making the community a better place. Players can report toxic behavior and tampering. Case 2: Dota 2 has always been the king of esports games due to its massive prize pool. But in 2019, it experienced a rapid drop in its users. This was due to toxicity. Valve unveiled Overwatch and the Trust Factor system for Dota 2, too. It allowed players to file a report, and the gameplay was reviewed by an expert esports Dota 2 community. The conduct score system has so far helped not only retain their players but also enabled them to make the community a wholesome battleground for . Case 3: Newbies In all the cases, there was one single approach: to combine a natural language processing system with a scoring system. AI has already begun to develop and is at its prime, and the game development industry is not backing from leveraging its evident benefits. Boosting Wholesome Experience in Mobile Games Did you know that a report concluded that in 2023, there was a 21.7% increase in the number of mobile game users? The same report suggested that the segment will reach an all-time high of 1.9 billion users by 2028. So you may ask a simple question: can there be an AI-based Behavior Score just for mobile games? The answer is yes, although there would be a few things that need to be considered before creating it, such as: API Integration to tap into chats, gameplays, and reporting systems. Efficient Model that can work with low latency and high throughput. A data-protecting system that allows players to reliably transfer data from mobile to cloud. Cross-platform support for more convenience and accessibility. Mobile native data viewing and UI/UX design. Epilogue An AI-based Behavior Score System can help game developers build games that are not subjected to spreading toxicity. A positive community needs moderation strategies, and AI can help automate those tasks. Sure, there are ample benefits an AI-based Behavior score system can provide and along comes complexity. However, due to the introduction of Generative AI, a variety of things are automated, such as dataset augmentation, pattern recognition, context evaluation, and stimulating gaming environments that might reduce toxicity. Still, it is a long way to go. However, one should not back down from introducing their ideas in the market due to complexity. Explore how games are being developed in modern times, the use of AI/ML, and primary research about Generative AI tools and technologies. It will surely help you develop your idea, even mobile games with AI-based behavior score systems. Thank you for reading, and remember the best way to play games is responsibly.

Automating Sportsmanship : AI for Behavior Score Analytics

PARAG AGRAWAL VIJAYA GADDE, and NED SEGAL v. twitter Court Filing, retrieved on April 10, 2023 is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This is part 20 of 37. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here ARTICLE VII - MANNER OF GIVING NOTICE AND WAIVER 7.1 NOTICE OF STOCKHOLDERS MEETINGS Notice of any meeting of stockholders shall be given in the manner set forth in the DGCL. 7.2 NOTICE TO STOCKHOLDERS SHARING AN ADDRESS Except as otherwise prohibited under the DGCL, without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the corporation under the provisions of the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws shall be effective if given by a single written notice to stockholders who share an address if consented to by the stockholders at that address to whom such notice is given. Any such consent shall be revocable by the stockholder by written notice to the corporation. Any stockholder who fails to object in writing to the corporation, within 60 days of having been given written notice by the corporation of its intention to send the single notice, shall be deemed to have consented to receiving such single written notice. This Section 7.2 shall not apply to Sections 164, 296, 311, 312, or 324 of the DGCL. 7.3 NOTICE TO PERSON WITH WHOM COMMUNICATION IS UNLAWFUL Whenever notice is required to be given, under the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws, to any person with whom communication is unlawful, the giving of such notice to such person shall not be required and there shall be no duty to apply to any governmental authority or agency for a license or permit to give such notice to such person. Any action or meeting which shall be taken or held without notice to any such person with whom communication is unlawful shall have the same force and effect as if such notice had been duly given. In the event that the action taken by the corporation is such as to require the filing of a certificate under the DGCL, the certificate shall state, if such is the fact and if notice is required, that notice was given to all persons entitled to receive notice except such persons with whom communication is unlawful. 7.4 WAIVER OF NOTICE Whenever notice is required to be given under any provision of the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws, a written waiver, signed by the person entitled to notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the person entitled to notice, whether before or after the time of the event for which notice is to be given, shall be deemed equivalent to notice. Attendance of a person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the stockholders need be specified in any written waiver of notice or any waiver by electronic transmission unless so required by the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws. Continue Reading Here. About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case 2023-0409 retrieved on October 4, 2023, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. int.nyt.com

How Twitter Has to Notify Stockholders of a Meeting

Microsoft v. United States (2016) Court Filing, retrieved on July 14, 2016, is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This part is 19 of 22. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here CONCLUSION We conclude that Congress did not intend the SCA’s warrant provisions to apply extraterritorially.  The focus of those provisions is protection of a user’s privacy interests.  Accordingly, the SCA does not authorize a U.S. court to issue and enforce an SCA warrant against a United States‐based service provider for the contents of a customer’s electronic communications stored on servers located outside the United States.  The SCA warrant in this case may not lawfully be used to compel Microsoft to produce to the government the contents of a customer’s e‐mail account stored exclusively in Ireland.  Because Microsoft has otherwise complied with the Warrant, it has no remaining lawful obligation to produce materials to the government. We therefore the District Court’s denial of Microsoft’s motion to quash; we its order holding Microsoft in civil contempt of court; and we this cause to the District Court with instructions to quash the warrant insofar as it demands user content stored outside of the United States. REVERSE VACATE REMAND GERARD E. LYNCH, , concurring in the judgment: Circuit Judge I am in general agreement with the Court’s conclusion that, in light of the presumption against extraterritorial application of congressional enactments, the Stored Communications Act (“SCA” or the “Act”) should not, on the record made by the government below, be construed to require Microsoft to turn over records of the content of emails stored on servers in Ireland. I write separately to clarify what, in my view, is at stake and not at stake in this case; to explain why I believe that the government’s arguments are stronger than the Court’s opinion acknowledges; and to emphasize the need for congressional action to revise a badly outdated statute. Continue Reading . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case No. 15–777 retrieved on September 27, 2023, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. cases.justia.com

Microsoft Wins Appeal to Quash Warrant Asking it to Share Customer's Data

Quite a few years ago, in a elsewhere, I had mentioned the following: previous article “The huge technological progress of the last decade addressed and greatly impacted the basic human need of communication. Websites, blogs, emails, text messages, Facebook, Snapchat, Slack and smartphones on the one hand and Google on the other as the dominant intermediary, all in essence addressing our need to communicate. I would refer to this as the ‘communication era’ that has “plateaued” in terms of potential truly disruptive innovation. The next era will be the ‘knowledge era’, where Artificial Intelligence (AI) will dominate.“ Now OpenAI has gulped the entire Web to usher in this “knowledge era” which could be seen as a new technology paradigm as it introduces Natural Language Processing and Inference ubiquitously. At my company Fortuit, we are now building Generative AI infused apps that solve real world problems. Inevitably, the questions that arise are: What is ChatGPT aka Generative AI What are the business benefits of integrating Generative AI? What are the Data Privacy implications? To what extent are businesses integrating Generative AI? Let’s go. WHAT IS GENERATIVE AI (like CHATGPT)? To put the discussion into context, it is important to describe what ChatGPT is in business and in more technical terms, as even within the software industry, AI and Machine Learning expertise is not ubiquitous. Business Perspective ChatGPT is a cutting-edge Generative AI tool designed to enhance customer interactions, automate repetitive tasks, and provide valuable insights. Example use cases include market research, customer support and sales / marketing efforts, allowing businesses to streamline communication processes, handle inquiries and even generate leads. Its ability to understand and generate human-like text makes it a powerful asset for businesses seeking to improve their market position and enhance their customer engagement strategies. Businesses can leverage ChatGPT to create interactive and dynamic customer experiences, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Technical Perspective For developers, ChatGPT is a tool that provides natural language understanding and generation capabilities to create intelligent, conversational interfaces to their applications. ChatGPT is based on the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) architecture which is a type of deep learning (ML) model designed for natural language processing tasks. This Transformer architecture, referred to as a Large Language Model (LLM), was introduced in a paper titled “Attention Is All You Need” by Google engineers Vaswani et al. in 2017. In more detail, A GPT neural network architecture (LLM) is comprised of an “Encoder” and a “Decoder”. Encoder The encoder’s job is to read and understand user input, such as a sentence or a paragraph. It uses a mechanism called “self-attention” to capture relationships between words in the input, weighing the importance of each word as regards all other words, not concerning itself with the orders of the words as such. In this way contextual information and dependencies between the input words are captured. Decoder The decoder is used for generating text by predicting the next word given the input based and the previously generated sequence of words. Example To illustrate with a simple example: Input: “What is a Chabot” Encoder: · Input becomes: [0, 1 ,2, 3] · Accordingly, the calculated “attention” scores: [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.7], indicating that the word “Chabot” commands the highest interest (attention) · The scores are multiplied by each word’s “vector”, where a vector is a numeric representation of a word in a vector “space” where similar words have similar vectors indicating contextual proximity (i.e., the words are usually seen together, like “hotel” and “travel”) · The Encoder’s outputs: [0.2 * vector (What), 0.3 * vector (is), 0.4 * vector (a), 0.7 * vector (Chabot)] Decoder · The Encoder’s output is the Decoder’s input · From the Encoders output, the decoder gets the probabilities of next potential words from the overall (English or other) vocabulary · From these words, the decoder’s mechanism selects the one with the highest probability to come next, in this case this word ‘System” · So, the generated response starts to become “What is a Chabot? … [system]” · This is repeated until the desired response length is reached. No more technical stuff from here on! THE BUSINESS BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING GENERATIVE AI The critical question for businesses is what this huge new technological opportunity means and what are the benefits for a company’s workings overall through the application of Generative AI. Furthermore, how can it seamlessly and safely be integrated into each business function with a view to improving performance and efficiency, connecting and centralizing these business processes? How to streamline Generative AI Integration into a coherent, simple long term AI Strategy? Business 101 To put the above in context, lets briefly take a step back to Business 101 and see what processes make up a business. Overall, business processes can be approximately divided into three categories: Core, Support and “Long Tail” Core Processes · Production · Sales and Marketing · Order Fulfillment · Customer Support · Product Development Support Processes · Human Resources (HR) & Recruiting · Finance · IT · Procurement Long Tail (everything else) A long-tail process is a custom / ad hoc workflow in response to evolving business needs, usually reflecting a gap between systems, apps, departments, or workflows, usually addressed through manual work or an informal workflow. Examples · Contract Management · Vendor approval · New hire request · Budget requests Application of Generative AI to Business Processes A huge opportunity exists for businesses to leapfrog competition by reimagining how humans get work done with generative AI applications at their side. Generative AI can and is being applied to business processes, unlocking novel use cases and also speeding up, scaling, and improving existing ones. Some potential business benefits Of Generative AI integration are: Automated Content Creation Personalized Customer Experiences Customer Service and Support Language Translation and Localization Cost Reduction Innovation and Idea Generation Overall, implementing generative AI enhances productivity, reduces costs, improves customer satisfaction, and unlocks innovation across various business function. But, to be more specific, below are some very beneficial use cases (among many more) in reference to the business processes described above. Core Business Process: Sales and Marketing A Sales AI Assistant to augment sales performance Imagine a customer sales call where the company’s “Sales AI Assistant” suggests upselling opportunities to the salesperson in real time based on the actual content of the conversation, drawing from CRM data, market trends, current news and social media influencer data. Before the call, the AI Assistant would provide a sales pitch draft. After the call, an assessment would be automatically generated that would allow the salesperson to provide feedback to the AI assistant with a view to helping it performance get better and better. The above does not mean replacing salespeople but teaming them up with generative AI. Core Business Process: Product Development Adding value to an existing product Imagine if for every specific product a company sells an employee could be assigned to guide the customer from initial use and un-boxing to trouble shooting and to best use guidelines. Customer satisfaction would sky rocket but of course the cost would be unsustainable. Imagine for example a specific Air Fryer product that has an accompanying specific AI Assistant implemented through a mobile app with speech to text and text to speech functionality that will guide product use from day one. Consider what this means for upselling, feedback, engagement, support and loyalty. This would be like hiring thousands of support employees, essentially for free. Support Business Process: Human Resources Company Culture and standards, training and on-boarding HR assistant A generative HR AI Assistant trained on proprietary knowledge such as company policies, customer interaction guidelines, and overall company culture and governance could provide continuous guidance and support to all company employees. The same assistant could act as a company Learning Management System (LMS), and a new employee on-boarding guidance counselor. Central AI Assistant — all processes, all assistants Importantly, in conjunction to applying generative AI to the various business processes described above, a core AI Assistant could be implemented as a “centralization” vehicle connecting, improving and monitoring all business processes and sub-assistants, so improving performance and efficiency and unlocking innovation across overall business functionality. Generative AI Implementation Modes All AI Assistants will have their own custom knowledge (LLM), and could potentially access data though API’s that connect to various company databases including ERP and CRM. All assistants would be implemented only as a Chat UX app accessible through mobile or the web with distinct authentication levels. All AI assistants would be minimal in terms of design and UX features, relying only on natural language chats sessions and a great amount of knowledge (unstructured) and data (structured). Cloud implementation · Custom LLM (hosted on the cloud on a service like Hugging Face Spaces which offers a simple way to host ML apps) · ChatGPT API leveraged to complement the Custom LLM as required. · AI Assistant app implemented on the cloud on a service like Azure or AWS. · AI Assistant implemented as an IOS or Android mobile app As regards Data Privacy, OpenAI recently launched ChatGPT Enterprise to address related concerns. ChatGPT Enterprise provides: · Data encryption “at rest” and “in transit” · Data privacy through AES 256 and TLS 1.2+ · SOC 2 compliance · Customer prompts and sensitive corporate data remain untapped for OpenAI model training In-house Implementation · LLM and Apps hosted within corporate IT infrastructure · No access to Chat GPT API or other GEN AI API’s. Hugging Face has over 300,000 models readily available, including exceptionally powerful large-language models, allowing businesses to deploy their own GPT privately and locally. Hybrid Implementation Internal use AI Assistants (like the HR example above), could be implemented and made accessible only within the corporate IT infrastructure. Non-public documents such as meeting minutes, legal documents, product specifications, technical documentation, R&D reports, business procedures, and so on could be made available only to internal AI Assistants. External use Assistants that rely on public company data clearly should use 3rd Party LLM services like ChatGPT, Google Bard and/or others. In theory, In-house implementations are safer but much more expensive. But, if in-house security is not at enterprise level (like the specifications mentioned above), is it really safer? DATA PRIVACY, COMPLIANCE AND SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF GENERATIVE AI To be clear, Data Privacy and Compliance requirements have always been an important aspect of data processing and should be a priority for all business process and IT Systems. These issues and are not something that requires prioritization due to the recent advent of Generative AI technology. From a legal perspective, to date the United States lacks comprehensive, broadly applicable privacy protections like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and its equivalent regulations in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, but does have a patchwork of federal and state laws addresses data privacy here at home. For example, The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”) regulates only collection and use of personal information of consumers (employee data is exempt from regulatory requirements). The California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) requires that notice of the business’s personal data handling practices be provided prior to or at the time of initial data collection. In terms of AI specific Regulation, there are various undergoing efforts (US, UK, EU), but it is a very difficult task. Innovation is stifled by over-regulation, and even if certain countries do over-regulate, others will clearly under-regulate. Let’s briefly look at the basic requirements for some of the regulatory directives mentioned above. European Union: GDPR (General Data Protection Act) Basic Principles o Lawful, fair and transparent processing o Limitation of purpose, data and storage o Data subject rights o Consent o Personal data breaches o Privacy by Design o Data Protection Impact Assessment o Data transfers o Data Protection Officer o Awareness and training United States: California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) (proxy for other potential regulation) Applies to businesses: o with an annual gross revenue of over $25 million o that gather, buy, sell, or receive personal information of over 50,000 California residents, households, or devices o derive more than 50% of annual revenue from selling the personal information of California residents Basic Principles o Right to Disclosure o Right to Access o Right to Contact Information. o Right to be Forgotten. o Opt-out of Data Sales and Marketing. o Right to Fair Treatment. o Periodic Privacy Policy Updates. United Kingdom: Data Protection Act Basic Principles o Used fairly, lawfully and transparently o Used for specified, explicit purposes o Used in a way that is adequate, relevant and limited to only what is necessary o Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date o Kept for no longer than is necessary o Handled in a way that ensures appropriate security, including protection against unlawful or unauthorized processing, access, loss, destruction or damage Approaches to Generative AI Data Privacy, Compliance, Security Sandboxing Sandboxing is strategy to keep data safe when working with AI models. Sandboxing means creating a controlled environment within which a system or application operates. So a company can have internal apps working only with an internal (sandboxed) network (lan) environment. Data Obfuscation Obfuscation means replacing sensitive data with encrypted forms, sending this version to the LLM, and process the response by replacing the replaced data with the original version. For example, sending the following to ChatGPT: “Joe Smith lives at 4607 Rodeo LN Los Angeles CA 90016–5609 USA”. What is Joe’s current address?” would be translated to “<NAME-1>” lives at4607 Rodeo LN Los Angeles CA 90016–5609 USA. What is :<NAME-1>”’s current address?” The ChatGPT response “<NAME-1> lives at 4607 Rodeo LN Los Angeles CA 90016–5609 USA.” Would be converted to “Joe Smith lives at 4607 Rodeo LN Los Angeles CA 90016–5609 USA.” before being sent to the user. Moderation and Fact Checking API In all LLM use cases, a Moderation and Fact Checking API should be deployed. This would filter out a large range of inappropriate material in AI and/or user-generated content (UGC). At the same time, it would fact check both the input and output. LLMs do not recall facts (as databases do) but instead generate text that reads like human-written text that will always sound right but in some cases may be incorrect. This is known as hallucination. To mitigate this, in addition to the Moderation and Fact Checking API a containing certified company knowledge should be included and tapped into initially by the AI Assistant. custom LLM Use of Disclaimers As regards all AI applications, in addition to recorded user terms and conditions acceptance, disclaimers should clearly indicate that the content has been generated by AI and may not always be accurate and/or taken as medical, financial (or other) advice. Transparency and Data Best Practices Transparency about how Generative AI models have been trained is important. Users must always know what data might and might not be collected about them when using generative AI. There should always be an accessible mechanism for users to request data deletion or opt-out of certain data processing activities. Data de-identification and anonymization, identification of Personal Identifying Information (PII), data loss prevention and data minimization should always be considered when developing any *(Generative) AI application. TO WHAT EXTENT ARE BUSINESSES INTEGRATING GENERATIVE AI? OpenAI’s blog post reports ChatGPT’s impressive adoption. With over 80 percent uptake in Fortune 500 companies, industry leaders such as Block, Canva, and PwC are using ChatGPT Enterprise to expedite tasks ranging from coding to communications. Overall, AI integration is already underway in a significant number of businesses today with an ever-increasing trend as reflected in a recent Forbes Advisor Study shown below. According to this study, “a significant number of businesses (53%) apply AI to improve production processes, while 51% adopt AI for process automation and 52% utilize it for search engine optimization tasks such as keyword research. Companies are also leveraging AI for data aggregation (40%), idea generation (38%) and minimizing safety risks (38%). In addition, AI is being used to streamline internal communications, plans, presentations and reports (46%). Businesses employ AI for writing code (31%) and website copy (29%) as well.” Another study by revealed that 45 percent of top-level executives mentioned that exposure to ChatGPT had motivated them to boost their investments in AI. This trend is likely to continue with the introduction of ChatGPT Enterprise. Gartner Takeaway Generative AI is a major and rare opportunity for today’s businesses to transform themselves into less rigid and less bureaucratic entities, enabling a transition to a nimbler and more productive version of themselves, more akin to smaller niche companies. Current generative AI and other AI technologies have the potential to automate work activities that absorb a substantial percent of employees’ time today, allowing focus on more creative and productive activities. The potential benefits of Generative AI are significant. Risks and safeguards must be considered and implemented. In fact, integration is inevitable. P.S. Although I hold an MSc from QMW London in Artificial Intelligence — Advanced Methods in Computer Science and have technical expertise in ML Models, I am still continuously impressed by the workings of ChatGPT — GPT-4. I asked it to read this article, check grammar and spelling, tell me how much time would be required for someone to read it and to give me some NEW Gen AI insights. It answered saying that 12 minutes of reading would be required (stating the average read time per word), indicated grammar and spelling issues, and gave some great, deep insights referring to Reskilling, Impact on education, Cultural Implications, Accessibility/Inclusivity and Environmental Impact. I said “Thanks great answer” and it responded with “if there’s anything else I can help you with, feel free to ask, oh and happy reading”. From a technical perspective that “happy reading” part at the end is impressive, reflecting the extent of ChatGPT’s contextual understanding at more than one dimension, implying that AI systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their ability to comprehend and respond to human input, enhancing user experiences and interactions.

How Generative AI Helps Improve Your Business

Baker v. Selden Court Filing, retrieved September 29, 2023, is part of . You can jump to any part of this filing . This part is 1 of 1. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here Opinion of the Court Charles Selden, the testator of the complainant in this case, in the year 1859 took the requisite steps for obtaining the copyright [100] of a book, entitled 'Selden's Condensed Ledger, or Book-keeping Simplified,' the object of which was to exhibit and explain a peculiar system of book-keeping. In 1860 and 1861, he took the copyright of several other books, containing additions to and improvements upon the said system. The bill of complaint was filed against the defendant, Baker, for an alleged infringement of these copyrights. The latter, in his answer, denied that Selden was the author or designer of the books, and denied the infringement charged, and contends on the argument that the matter alleged to be infringed is not a lawful subject of copyright. The parties went into proofs, and the various books of the complainant, as well as those sold and used by the defendant, were exhibited before the examiner, and witnesses were examined on both sides. A decree was rendered for the complainant, and the defendant appealed. The book or series of books of which the complainant claims the copyright consists of an introductory essay explaining the system of book-keeping referred to, to which are annexed certain forms or banks, consisting of ruled lines, and headings, illustrating the system and showing how it is to be used and carried out in practice. This system effects the same results as book-keeping by double entry; but, by a peculiar arrangement of columns and headings, presents the entire operation, of a day, a week, or a month, on a single page, or on two pages facing each other, in an account-book. The defendant uses a similar plan so far as results are concerned; but makes a different arrangement of the columns, and uses different headings. If the complainant's testator had the exclusive right to the use of the system explained in his book, it would be difficult to contend that the defendant does not infringe it, notwithstanding the difference in his form of arrangement; but if it be assumed that the system is open to public use, it seems to be equally difficult to contend that the books made and sold by the defendant are a violation of the copyright of the complainant's book considered merely as a book explanatory of the system. Where the truths of a science or the methods of an art are the common property of the whole world, any author has the right to express the one, or explain and use the other, in [101] his own way. As an author, Selden explained the system in a particular way. It may be conceded that Baker makes and uses account-books arranged on substantially the same system; but the proof fails to show that he has violated the copyright of Selden's book, regarding the latter merely as an explanatory work; or that he has infringed Selden's right in any way, unless the latter became entitled to an exclusive right in the system. The evidence of the complainant is principally directed to the object of showing that Baker uses the same system as that which is explained and illustrated in Selden's books. It becomes important, therefore, to determine whether, in obtaining the copyright of his books, he secured the exclusive right to the use of the system or method of book-keeping which the said books are intended to illustrate and explain. It is contended that he has secured such exclusive right, because no one can use the system without using substantially the same ruled lines and headings which he has appended to his books in illustration of it. In other words, it is contended that the ruled lines and headings, given to illustrate the system, are a part of the book, and, as such, are secured by the copyright; and that no one can make or use similar ruled lines and headings, or ruled lines and headings made and arranged on substantially the same system, without violating the copyright. And this is really the question to be decided in this case. Stated in another form, the question is, whether the exclusive property in a system of book-keeping can be claimed, under the law of copyright, by means of a book in which that system is explained? The complainant's bill, and the case made under it, are based on the hypothesis that it can be. It cannot be pretended, and indeed it is not seriously urged, that the ruled lines of the complainant's account-book can be claimed under any special class of objects, other than books, named in the law of copyright existing in 1859. The law then in force was that of 1831, and specified only books, maps, charts, musical compositions, prints, and engravings. An account-book, consisting of ruled lines and blank columns, cannot be called by any of these names unless by that of a book. There is no doubt that a work on the subject of book-keeping, [102] though only explanatory of well-known systems, may be the subject of a copyright; but, then, it is claimed only as a book. Such a book may be explanatory either of old systems, or of an entirely new system; and, considered as a book, as the work of an author, conveying information on the subject of book-keeping, and containing detailed explanations of the art, it may be a very valuable acquisition to the practical knowledge of the community. But there is a clear distinction between the book, as such, and the art which it is intended to illustrate. The mere statement of the proposition is so evident, that it requires hardly any argument to support it. The same distinction may be predicated of every other art as well as that of book-keeping. A treatise on the composition and use of medicines, be they old or new; on the construction and use of ploughs, or watches, or churns; or on the mixture and application of colors for painting or dyeing; or on the mode of drawing lines to produce the effect of perspective, would be the subject of copyright; but no one would contend that the copyright of the treatise would give the exclusive right to the art or manufacture described therein. The copyright of the book, if not pirated from other works, would be valid without regard to the novelty, or want of novelty, of its subject-matter. The novelty of the art or thing described or explained has nothing to do with the validity of the copyright. To give to the author of the book an exclusive property in the art described therein, when no examination of its novelty has ever been officially made, would be a surprise and a fraud upon the public. That is the province of letters-patent, not of copyright. The claim to an invention or discovery of an art or manufacture must be subjected to the examination of the Patent Office before an exclusive right therein can be obtained; and it can only be secured by a patent from the government. The difference between the two things, letters-patent and copyright, may be illustrated by reference to the subjects just enumerated. Take the case of medicines. Certain mixtures are found to be of great value in the healing art. If the discoverer writes and publishes a book on the subject (as regular physicians generally do), he gains no exclusive right to the manufacture and sale of the medicine; he gives that to the [103] public. If he desires to acquire such exclusive right, he must obtain a patent for the mixture as a new art, manufacture, or composition of matter. He may copyright his book, if he pleases; but that only secures to him the exclusive right of printing and publishing his book. So of all other inventions or discoveries. The copyright of a book on perspective, no matter how many drawings and illustrations it may contain, gives no exclusive right to the modes of drawing described, though they may never have been known or used before. By publishing the book, without getting a patent for the art, the latter is given to the public. The fact that the art described in the book by illustrations of lines and figures which are reproduced in practice in the application of the art, makes no difference. Those illustrations are the mere language employed by the author to convey his ideas more clearly. Had he used words of description instead of diagrams (which merely stand in the place of words), there could not be the slightest doubt that others, applying the art to practical use, might lawfully draw the lines and diagrams which were in the author's mind, and which he thus described by words in his book The copyright of a work on mathematical science cannot give to the author an exclusive right to the methods of operation which he propounds, or to the diagrams which he employs to explain them, so as to prevent an engineer from using them whenever occasion requires. The very object of publishing a book on science or the useful arts is to communicate to the world the useful knowledge which it contains. But this object would be frustrated if the knowledge could not be used without incurring the guilt of piracy of the book. And where the art it teaches cannot be used without employing the methods and diagrams used to illustrate the book, or such as are similar to them, such methods and diagrams are to be considered as necessary incidents to the art, and given therewith to the public; not given for the purpose of publication in other works explanatory of the art, but for the purpose of practical application. Of course, these observations are not intended to apply to ornamental designs, or pictorial illustrations addressed to the taste. Of these it may be said, that their form is their essence, [104] and their object, the production of pleasure in their contemplation. This is their final end. They are as much the product of genius and the result of composition, as are the lines of the poet or the historian's periods. On the other hand, the teachings of science and the rules and methods of useful art have their final end in application and use; and this application and use are what the public derive from the publication of a book which teaches them. But as embodied and taught in a literary composition or book, their essence consists only in their statement. This alone is what is secured by the copyright. The use by another of the same methods of statement, whether in words or illustrations, in a book published for teaching the art, would undoubtedly be an infringement of the copyright. Recurring to the case before us, we observe that Charles Selden, by his books, explained and described a peculiar system of book-keeping, and illustrated his method by means of ruled lines and blank columns, with proper headings on a page, or on successive pages. Now, whilst no one has a right to print or publish his book, or any material part thereof, as a book intended to convey instruction in the art, any person may practise and use the art itself which he has described and illustrated therein. The use of the art is a totally different thing from a publication of the book explaining it. The copyright of a book on book-keeping cannot secure the exclusive right to make, sell, and use account-books prepared upon the plan set forth in such book. Whether the art might or might not have been patented, is a question which is not before us. It was not patented, and is open and free to the use of the public. And, of course, in using the art, the ruled lines and headings of accounts must necessarily be used as incident to it. The plausibility of the claim put forward by the complainant in this case arises from a confusion of ideas produced by the peculiar nature of the art described in the books which have been made the subject of copyright. In describing the art, the illustrations and diagrams employed happen to correspond more closely than usual with the actual work performed by the operator who uses the art. Those illustrations and diagrams consist of ruled lines and headings of accounts; and [105] it is similar ruled lines and headings of accounts which, in the application of the art, the bookkeeper makes with his pen, or the stationer with his press; whilst in most other cases the diagrams and illustrations can only be represented in concrete forms of wood, metal, stone, or some other physical embodiment. But the principle is the same in all. The description of the art in a book, though entitled to the benefit of copyright, lays no foundation for an exclusive claim to the art itself. The object of the one is explanation; the object of the other is use. The former may be secured by copyright. The latter can only be secured, if it can be secured at all, by letters-patent. [...] The conclusion to which we have come is, that blank account-books are not the subject of copyright; and that the mere copyright of Selden's book did not confer upon him the exclusive right to make and use account-books, ruled and arranged as designated by him and described and illustrated in said book. The decree of the Circuit Court must be reversed, and the cause remanded with instructions to dismiss the complainant's bill; and it is So ordered About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case 2023-0409 retrieved on September 29, 2023, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. cyber.harvard.edu

Baker v. Selden: Tackling the Boundaries of Copyright and Artistic Expression

Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Mr Oriel here Mr Oriel I must now, shortly—as shortly as it is in my power to do it—introduce a new character to my reader. Mention has been made of the rectory of Greshamsbury; but, hitherto, no opportunity has offered itself for the Rev Caleb Oriel to come upon the boards. Mr Oriel was a man of family and fortune, who, having gone to Oxford with the usual views of such men, had become inoculated there with very High-Church principles, and had gone into orders influenced by a feeling of enthusiastic love for the priesthood. He was by no means an ascetic—such men, indeed, seldom are—nor was he a devotee. He was a man well able, and certainly willing, to do the work of a parish clergyman; and when he became one, he was efficacious in his profession. But it may perhaps be said of him, without speaking slanderously, that his original calling, as a young man, was rather to the outward and visible signs of religion than to its inward and spiritual graces. He delighted in lecterns and credence-tables, in services at dark hours of winter mornings when no one would attend, in high waistcoats and narrow white neckties, in chanted services and intoned prayers, and in all the paraphernalia of Anglican formalities which have given such offence to those of our brethren who live in daily fear of the scarlet lady. Many of his friends declared that Mr Oriel would sooner or later deliver himself over body and soul to that lady; but there was no need to fear for him: for though sufficiently enthusiastic to get out of bed at five a.m. on winter mornings—he did so, at least, all through his first winter at Greshamsbury—he was not made of that stuff which is necessary for a staunch, burning, self-denying convert. It was not in him to change his very sleek black coat for a Capuchin's filthy cassock, nor his pleasant parsonage for some dirty hole in Rome. And it was better so both for him and others. There are but few, very few, to whom it is given to be a Huss, a Wickliffe, or a Luther; and a man gains but little by being a false Huss, or a false Luther,—and his neighbours gain less. But certain lengths in self-privation Mr Oriel did go; at any rate, for some time. He eschewed matrimony, imagining that it became him as a priest to do so. He fasted rigorously on Fridays; and the neighbours declared that he scourged himself. Mr Oriel was, as it has been said, a man of fortune; that is to say, when he came of age he was master of thirty thousand pounds. When he took it into his head to go into the Church, his friends bought for him the next presentation to the living at Greshamsbury; and, a year after his ordination, the living falling in, Mr Oriel brought himself and his sister to the rectory. Mr Oriel soon became popular. He was a dark-haired, good-looking man, of polished manners, agreeable in society, not given to monkish austerities—except in the matter of Fridays—nor yet to the Low-Church severity of demeanour. He was thoroughly a gentleman, good-humoured, inoffensive, and sociable. But he had one fault: he was not a marrying man. On this ground there was a feeling against him so strong as almost at one time to throw him into serious danger. It was not only that he should be sworn against matrimony in his individual self—he whom fate had made so able to sustain the weight of a wife and family; but what an example he was setting! If other clergymen all around should declare against wives and families, what was to become of the country? What was to be done in the rural districts? The religious observances, as regards women, of a Brigham Young were hardly so bad as this! There were around Greshamsbury very many unmarried ladies—I believe there generally are so round most such villages. From the great house he did not receive much annoyance. Beatrice was then only just on the verge of being brought out, and was not perhaps inclined to think very much of a young clergyman; and Augusta certainly intended to fly at higher game. But there were the Miss Athelings, the daughters of a neighbouring clergyman, who were ready to go all lengths with him in High-Church matters, except as that one tremendously papal step of celibacy; and the two Miss Hesterwells, of Hesterwell Park, the younger of whom boldly declared her purpose of civilising the savage; and Mrs Opie Green, a very pretty widow, with a very pretty jointure, who lived in a very pretty house about a mile from Greshamsbury, and who declared her opinion that Mr Oriel was quite right in his view of a clergyman's position. How could a woman, situated as she was, have the comfort of a clergyman's attention if he were to be regarded just as any other man? She could now know in what light to regard Mr Oriel, and would be able without scruple to avail herself of his zeal. So she did avail herself of his zeal,—and that without any scruple. And then there was Miss Gushing,—a young thing. Miss Gushing had a great advantage over the other competitors for the civilisation of Mr Oriel, namely, in this—that she was able to attend his morning services. If Mr Oriel was to be reached in any way, it was probable that he might be reached in this way. If anything could civilise him, this would do it. Therefore, the young thing, through all one long, tedious winter, tore herself from her warm bed, and was to be seen—no, not seen, but heard—entering Mr Oriel's church at six o'clock. With indefatigable assiduity the responses were made, uttered from under a close bonnet, and out of a dark corner, in an enthusiastically feminine voice, through the whole winter. Nor did Miss Gushing altogether fail in her object. When a clergyman's daily audience consists of but one person, and that person is a young lady, it is hardly possible that he should not become personally intimate with her; hardly possible that he should not be in some measure grateful. Miss Gushing's responses came from her with such fervour, and she begged for ghostly advice with such eager longing to have her scruples satisfied, that Mr Oriel had nothing for it but to give way to a certain amount of civilisation. By degrees it came to pass that Miss Gushing could never get her final prayer said, her shawl and boa adjusted, and stow away her nice new Prayer-Book with the red letters inside, and the cross on the back, till Mr Oriel had been into his vestry and got rid of his surplice. And then they met at the church-porch, and naturally walked together till Mr Oriel's cruel gateway separated them. The young thing did sometimes think that, as the parson's civilisation progressed, he might have taken the trouble to walk with her as far as Mr Yates Umbleby's hall door; but she had hope to sustain her, and a firm resolve to merit success, even though she might not attain it. "Is it not ten thousand pities," she once said to him, "that none here should avail themselves of the inestimable privilege which your coming has conferred upon us? Oh, Mr Oriel, I do so wonder at it! To me it is so delightful! The morning service in the dark church is so beautiful, so touching!" "I suppose they think it is a bore getting up so early," said Mr Oriel. "Ah, a bore!" said Miss Gushing, in an enthusiastic tone of depreciation. "How insensate they must be! To me it gives a new charm to life. It quiets one for the day; makes one so much fitter for one's daily trials and daily troubles. Does it not, Mr Oriel?" "I look upon morning prayer as an imperative duty, certainly." "Oh, certainly, a most imperative duty; but so delicious at the same time. I spoke to Mrs Umbleby about it, but she said she could not leave the children." "No: I dare say not," said Mr Oriel. "And Mr Umbleby said his business kept him up so late at night." "Very probably. I hardly expect the attendance of men of business." "But the servants might come, mightn't they, Mr Oriel?" "I fear that servants seldom can have time for daily prayers in church." "Oh, ah, no; perhaps not." And then Miss Gushing began to bethink herself of whom should be composed the congregation which it must be presumed that Mr Oriel wished to see around him. But on this matter he did not enlighten her. Then Miss Gushing took to fasting on Fridays, and made some futile attempts to induce her priest to give her the comfort of confessional absolution. But, unfortunately, the zeal of the master waxed cool as that of the pupil waxed hot; and, at last, when the young thing returned to Greshamsbury from an autumn excursion which she had made with Mrs Umbleby to Weston-super-Mare, she found that the delicious morning services had died a natural death. Miss Gushing did not on that account give up the game, but she was bound to fight with no particular advantage in her favour. Miss Oriel, though a good Churchwoman, was by no means a convert to her brother's extremist views, and perhaps gave but scanty credit to the Gushings, Athelings, and Opie Greens for the sincerity of their religion. But, nevertheless, she and her brother were staunch friends; and she still hoped to see the day when he might be induced to think that an English parson might get through his parish work with the assistance of a wife better than he could do without such feminine encumbrance. The girl whom she selected for his bride was not the young thing, but Beatrice Gresham. And at last it seemed probable to Mr Oriel's nearest friends that he was in a fair way to be overcome. Not that he had begun to make love to Beatrice, or committed himself by the utterance of any opinion as to the propriety of clerical marriages; but he daily became looser about his peculiar tenets, raved less immoderately than heretofore as to the atrocity of the Greshamsbury church pews, and was observed to take some opportunities of conversing alone with Beatrice. Beatrice had always denied the imputation—this had usually been made by Mary in their happy days—with vehement asseverations of anger; and Miss Gushing had tittered, and expressed herself as supposing that great people's daughters might be as barefaced as they pleased. All this had happened previous to the great Greshamsbury feud. Mr Oriel gradually got himself into a way of sauntering up to the great house, sauntering into the drawing-room for the purpose, as I am sure he thought, of talking to Lady Arabella, and then of sauntering home again, having usually found an opportunity for saying a few words to Beatrice during the visit. This went on all through the feud up to the period of Lady Arabella's illness; and then one morning, about a month before the date fixed for Frank's return, Mr Oriel found himself engaged to Miss Beatrice Gresham. From the day that Miss Gushing heard of it—which was not however for some considerable time after this—she became an Independent Methodist. She could no longer, she said at first, have any faith in any religion; and for an hour or so she was almost tempted to swear that she could no longer have any faith in any man. She had nearly completed a worked cover for a credence-table when the news reached her, as to which, in the young enthusiasm of her heart, she had not been able to remain silent; it had already been promised to Mr Oriel; that promise she swore should not be kept. He was an apostate, she said, from his principles; an utter pervert; a false, designing man, with whom she would never have trusted herself alone on dark mornings had she known that he had such grovelling, worldly inclinations. So Miss Gushing became an Independent Methodist; the credence-table covering was cut up into slippers for the preacher's feet; and the young thing herself, more happy in this direction than she had been in the other, became the arbiter of that preacher's domestic happiness. But this little history of Miss Gushing's future life is premature. Mr Oriel became engaged demurely, nay, almost silently, to Beatrice, and no one out of their own immediate families was at the time informed of the matter. It was arranged very differently from those two other matches—embryo, or not embryo, those, namely, of Augusta with Mr Moffat, and Frank with Mary Thorne. All Barsetshire had heard of them; but that of Beatrice and Mr Oriel was managed in a much more private manner. "I do think you are a happy girl," said Patience to her one morning. "Indeed I am." "He is so good. You don't know how good he is as yet; he never thinks of himself, and thinks so much of those he loves." Beatrice took her friend's hand in her own and kissed it. She was full of joy. When a girl is about to be married, when she may lawfully talk of her love, there is no music in her ears so sweet as the praises of her lover. "I made up my mind from the first that he should marry you." "Nonsense, Patience." "I did, indeed. I made up my mind that he should marry; and there were only two to choose from." "Me and Miss Gushing," said Beatrice, laughing. "No; not exactly Miss Gushing. I had not many fears for Caleb there." "I declare she's very pretty," said Beatrice, who could afford to be good-natured. Now Miss Gushing certainly was pretty; and would have been very pretty had her nose not turned up so much, and could she have parted her hair in the centre. "Well, I am very glad you chose me;—if it was you who chose," said Beatrice, modestly; having, however, in her own mind a strong opinion that Mr Oriel had chosen for himself, and had never had any doubt in the matter. "And who was the other?" "Can't you guess?" "I won't guess any more; perhaps Mrs Green." "Oh, no; certainly not a widow. I don't like widows marrying. But of course you could guess if you would; of course it was Mary Thorne. But I soon saw Mary would not do, for two reasons; Caleb would never have liked her well enough nor would she ever have liked him." "Not like him! oh I hope she will; I do so love Mary Thorne." "So do I, dearly; and so does Caleb; but he could never have loved her as he loves you." "But, Patience, have you told Mary?" "No, I have told no one, and shall not without your leave." "Ah, you must tell her. Tell it her with my best, and kindest, warmest love. Tell her how happy I am, and how I long to talk to her. Tell that I will have her for my bridesmaid. Oh! I do hope that before that all this horrid quarrel will be settled." Patience undertook the commission, and did tell Mary; did give her also the message which Beatrice had sent. And Mary was rejoiced to hear it; for though, as Patience had said of her, she had never herself felt any inclination to fall in love with Mr Oriel, she believed him to be one in whose hands her friend's happiness would be secure. Then, by degrees, the conversation changed from the loves of Mr Oriel and Beatrice to the troubles of Frank Gresham and herself. "She says, that let what will happen you shall be one of her bridesmaids." "Ah, yes, dear Trichy! that was settled between us in auld lang syne; but those settlements are all unsettled now, must all be broken. No, I cannot be her bridesmaid; but I shall yet hope to see her once before her marriage." "And why not be her bridesmaid? Lady Arabella will hardly object to that." "Lady Arabella!" said Mary, curling her lip with deep scorn. "I do not care that for Lady Arabella," and she let her silver thimble fall from her fingers on to the table. "If Beatrice invited me to her wedding, she might manage as to that; I should ask no question as to Lady Arabella." "Then why not come to it?" She remained silent for a while, and then boldly answered. "Though I do not care for Lady Arabella, I do care for Mr Gresham:—and I do care for his son." "But the squire always loved you." "Yes, and therefore I will not be there to vex his sight. I will tell you the truth, Patience. I can never be in that house again till Frank Gresham is a married man, or till I am about to be a married woman. I do not think they have treated me well, but I will not treat them ill." "I am sure you will not do that," said Miss Oriel. "I will endeavour not to do so; and, therefore, will go to none of their fêtes! No, Patience." And then she turned her head to the arm of the sofa, and silently, without audible sobs, hiding her face, she endeavoured to get rid of her tears unseen. For one moment she had all but resolved to pour out the whole truth of her love into her friend's ears; but suddenly she changed her mind. Why should she talk of her own unhappiness? Why should she speak of her own love when she was fully determined not to speak of Frank's promises. "Mary, dear Mary." "Anything but pity, Patience; anything but that," said she, convulsively, swallowing down her sobs, and rubbing away her tears. "I cannot bear that. Tell Beatrice from me, that I wish her every happiness; and, with such a husband, I am sure she will be happy. I wish her every joy; give her my kindest love; but tell her I cannot be at her marriage. Oh, I should so like to see her; not there, you know, but here, in my own room, where I still have liberty to speak." "But why should you decide now? She is not to be married yet, you know." "Now, or this day twelvemonth, can make no difference. I will not go into that house again, unless—but never mind; I will not go into it all; never, never again. If I could forgive her for myself, I could not forgive her for my uncle. But tell me, Patience, might not Beatrice now come here? It is so dreadful to see her every Sunday in church and never to speak to her, never to kiss her. She seems to look away from me as though she too had chosen to quarrel with me." Miss Oriel promised to do her best. She could not imagine, she said, that such a visit could be objected to on such an occasion. She would not advise Beatrice to come without telling her mother; but she could not think that Lady Arabella would be so cruel as to make any objection, knowing, as she could not but know, that her daughter, when married, would be at liberty to choose her own friends. "Good-bye, Mary," said Patience. "I wish I knew how to say more to comfort you." "Oh, comfort! I don't want comfort. I want to be let alone." "That's just it: you are so ferocious in your scorn, so unbending, so determined to take all the punishment that comes in your way." "What I do take, I'll take without complaint," said Mary; and then they kissed each other and parted. 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. Anthony Trollope (2002). Doctor Thorne. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3166/pg3166-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org, located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html.

Rev Caleb Oriel to come upon the boards

Apple vs. FBI (2016) Court Filing, retrieved on February 16, 2016, is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This part is 6 of 17. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here 1. Apple is not "far removed" from this matter First, Apple is not "so far removed from the underlying controversy that its assistance could not be permissibly compelled." Apple designed, manufactured and sold the SUBJECT DEVICE, and wrote and owns the software that runs the phone which software is preventing the execution of the warrant. Indeed, Apple has positioned itself to be essential to gaining access to the SUBJECT DEVICE or any other Apple device, and has marketed its products on this basis. Apple designed and restricts access to the code for the auto-erase function the function that makes the data on the phone permanently inaccessible after multiple failed passcode attempts and thus effectively prevents the government from attempting to execute the search warrant without Apple's assistance. The same software Apple is uniquely able to modify also controls the delays Apple implemented between failed passcode attempts which makes the process take too long to enable the access ordered by the court. Especially but not only because iPhones will only run software cryptographically signed by Apple, and because Apple restricts access to the code of the software that creates these obstacles, there is no other party that has the ability to assist the government in preventing these features from obstructing the search ordered b y the court pursuant to the warrant. Apple is also not made "far removed" by the fact that it is a While involved a non-government third party. public utility, that was not the source of the holding that the All . emphasized Writs Act order was appropriate. . emphasized that "the Company's facilities were being employed to facilitate a criminal enterprise on a continuing basis," and the company's noncompliance "threatened obstruction of an investigation which would determine whether the Company's facilities were being lawfully used." , 434 U.S. at 174. By analogy, where Apple manufactured and sold a phone used by a person at the center of a terrorism investigation, where it owns and licensed the software used to "facilitate the criminal enterprise," where that very software now must be used to enable the search ordered by the warrant, compulsion of Apple is permissible under . Moreover, other courts have directed All Writs Act orders based on warrants to entities that are not public utilities. For example, neither the credit card company in Hall nor the landlord in Access to Videotapes was a public utility. See Hall, 583 F. Supp. at 722; Access to Videotapes, 2003 WL 22053105, at *3. Apple's close relationship to the iPhone and its software which are by Apple's design makes compelling assistance from Apple permissible and the only means of executing the warrant. New York Telephone Co. New York Telephone Co New York Telephone Co New York Telephone Co. New York Telephone Co Continue Reading . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case No. 15-0451M retrieved on September 25, 2023, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. archive.epic.org

Apple and the Case of Government-Sanctioned Jail Breaking

Apple vs. FBI (2016) Court Filing, retrieved on February 16, 2016, is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing here. This part is 2 of 17. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series Memorandum of Points and Authorities - I. Introduction In the hopes of gaining crucial evidence about the December 2, 2015 massacre in San Bernardino, California, the government has sought to search a lawfully-seized Apple iPhone used by one of the mass murderers. Despite both a warrant authorizing the search and the phone owner's consent, the government has been unable to complete the search because it cannot access the iPhone's encrypted content. Apple has the exclusive technical means which would assist the government in completing its search, but has declined to provide that assistance voluntarily. Accordingly, the government respectfully requests that this Court issue an order compelling Apple to assist in enabling the search commanded by the warrant. Continue Reading . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case No. 15-0451M retrieved on September 25, 2023, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. archive.epic.org

Unlocking Secrets: The iPhone Encryption Battle

FTC v. Binance Court Filing, retrieved on March 27, 2023 is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This is part 27 of 31. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here VI. VIOLATIONS OF THE COMMODITY EXCHANGE ACT AND REGULATIONS COUNT V Violations of Regulation 166.3, 17 C.F.R. § 166.3 (2022) Failure to Diligently Supervise 218. Paragraphs 1 through 186 of this Complaint are re-alleged and incorporated herein by reference. 219. During the Relevant Period, Defendants Binance Holdings, Binance IE, and Binance Services, all acting as a common enterprise and doing business as Binance, and through their officers, employees, and agents, violated and are continuing to violate 17 C.F.R. § 166.3 by employing an inadequate supervisory system and failing to perform their supervisory duties diligently. More specifically, Binance violated and is continuing to violate 17 C.F.R. § 166.3 by, among other things, (i) failing to implement an effective Customer Information Program; (ii) failing to implement effective Know-Your-Customer procedures; (iii) failing to implement effective Anti-Money Laundering procedures; (iv) failing to ensure that its partners, officers, employees, and agents, lawfully and appropriately handled all commodity interest accounts at Binance; (v) purposefully instructing customers to evade compliance controls; and, (vi) intentionally destroying documents related to illegal conduct. 220. Binance is and has been acting as an FCM, and therefore 17 C.F.R. § 166.3 applies to Binance as if it were a Commission registrant. 221. Each act in violation of 17 C.F.R. § 166.3, including, but not limited to, those specifically alleged herein, is alleged as a separate and distinct violation. 222. During the Relevant Period, Zhao directly or indirectly controlled Binance, and did not act in good faith or knowingly induced, directly or indirectly, the acts constituting Binance’s violations described in this Count. Therefore, pursuant to Section 13(b) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 13c(b), Zhao is liable as a control person for Binance’s violations described in this Count. 223. The acts and omissions of Zhao, Lim, and other officers, employees, or agents acting for Binance described in this Complaint were done within the scope of their office, employment, or agency with Binance. Therefore, pursuant to 7 U.S.C. § 2(a)(1)(B) and 17 C.F.R. § 1.2, Binance is liable as a principal for each act, omission, or failure of the other officers, employees, or agents acting for Binance, constituting violations of 17 C.F.R. § 166.3. 224. From July 2019 through at least January 2022 and while acting as Binance’s Chief Compliance Officer, Lim willfully aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, or procured the acts constituting Binance’s violations described in this Count, or acted in combination or concert with any other person in any such violation, or willfully caused an act to be done or omitted which if directly performed or omitted by Lim or another would constitute a violation described in this Count. Pursuant to 7 U.S.C. § 13c(a), Lim is therefore liable for Binance’s violations described in this Count to the same extent as Binance. Continue Reading . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case 1:23-cv-01887 retrieved on September 4, 2023, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. docdroid.net

FTC Accuses Binance of Negligent Supervision

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Conclusion here Conclusion It is often the case that the man who can’t tell a lie thinks he is the best judge of one. —Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar. . It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it. October 12, the Discovery —Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar. The town sat up all night to discuss the amazing events of the day and swap guesses as to when Tom’s trial would begin. Troop after troop of citizens came to serenade Wilson, and require a speech, and shout themselves hoarse over every sentence that fell from his lips—for all his sentences were golden, now, all were marvelous. His long fight against hard luck and prejudice was ended; he was a made man for good. And as each of these roaring gangs of enthusiasts marched away, some remorseful member of it was quite sure to raise his voice and say— “And this is the man the likes of us have called a pudd’nhead for more than twenty years. He has resigned from that position, friends.” “Yes, but it isn’t vacant—we’re elected.” The twins were heroes of romance, now, and with rehabilitated reputations. But they were weary of Western adventure, and straightway retired to Europe. Roxy’s heart was broken. The young fellow upon whom she had inflicted twenty-three years of slavery continued the false heir’s pension of thirty-five dollars a month to her, but her hurts were too deep for money to heal; the spirit in her eye was quenched, her martial bearing departed with it, and the voice of her laughter ceased in the land. In her church and its affairs she found her only solace. The real heir suddenly found himself rich and free, but in a most embarrassing situation. He could neither read nor write, and his speech was the basest dialect of the negro quarter. His gait, his attitudes, his gestures, his bearing, his laugh—all were vulgar and uncouth; his manners were the manners of a slave. Money and fine clothes could not mend these defects or cover them up; they only made them the more glaring and the more pathetic. The poor fellow could not endure the terrors of the white man’s parlor, and felt at home and at peace nowhere but in the kitchen. The family pew was a misery to him, yet he could nevermore enter into the solacing refuge of the “nigger gallery”—that was closed to him for good and all. But we cannot follow his curious fate further—that would be a long story. The false heir made a full confession and was sentenced to imprisonment for life. But now a complication came up. The Percy Driscoll estate was in such a crippled shape when its owner died that it could pay only sixty per cent. of its great indebtedness, and was settled at that rate. But the creditors came forward, now, and complained that inasmuch as through an error for which were in no way to blame the false heir was not inventoried at the time with the rest of the property, great wrong and loss had thereby been inflicted upon them. They rightly claimed that “Tom” was lawfully their property and had been so for eight years; that they had already lost sufficiently in being deprived of his services during that long period, and ought not to be required to add anything to that loss; that if he had been delivered up to them in the first place, they would have sold him and he could not have murdered Judge Driscoll; therefore it was not he that had really committed the murder, the guilt lay with the erroneous inventory. Everybody saw that there was reason in this. Everybody granted that if “Tom” were white and free it would be unquestionably right to punish him—it would be no loss to anybody; but to shut up a valuable slave for life—that was quite another matter. they As soon as the Governor understood the case, he pardoned Tom at once, and the creditors sold him down the river. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Mark Twain (2004). The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/102/pg102-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

Tom’s trial would begin

Abandoned by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CHAPTER III here CHAPTER III The Start—The rising Tide—Elms and different Plants—The Jacamar—Aspect of the Forest—Gigantic Eucalypti—The Reason they are called "Fever Trees"—Troops of Monkeys—A Waterfall—The Night Encampment. The next day, the 30th of October, all was ready for the proposed exploring expedition, which recent events had rendered so necessary. In fact, things had so come about that the settlers in Lincoln Island no longer needed help for themselves, but were even able to carry it to others. It was therefore agreed that they should ascend the Mercy as far as the river was navigable. A great part of the distance would thus be traversed without fatigue, and the explorers could transport their provisions and arms to an advanced point in the west of the island. It was necessary to think not only of the things which they should take with them, but also of those which they might have by chance to bring back to Granite House. If there had been a wreck on the coast, as was supposed, there would be many things cast up, which would be lawfully their prizes. In the event of this, the cart would have been of more use than the light canoe, but it was heavy and clumsy to drag, and therefore more difficult to use; this led Pencroft to express his regret that the chest had not contained, besides "his half-pound of tobacco," a pair of strong New Jersey horses, which would have been very useful to the colony! The provisions, which Neb had already packed up, consisted of a store of meat and of several gallons of beer, that is to say, enough to sustain them for three days, the time which Harding assigned for the expedition. They hoped besides to supply themselves on the road, and Neb took care not to forget the portable stove. The only tools the settlers took were the two woodmen's axes, which they could use to cut a path through the thick forests, as also the instruments, the telescope and pocket-compass. For weapons they selected the two flint-lock guns, which were likely to be more useful to them than the percussion fowling-pieces, the first only requiring flints which could be easily replaced, and the latter needing fulminating caps, a frequent use of which would soon exhaust their limited stock. However, they took also one of the carbines and some cartridges. As to the powder, of which there was about fifty pounds in the barrel, a small supply of it had to be taken, but the engineer hoped to manufacture an explosive substance which would allow them to husband it. To the firearms were added the five cutlasses well sheathed in leather, and, thus supplied, the settlers could venture into the vast forest with some chance of success. It is useless to add that Pencroft, Herbert, and Neb, thus armed, were at the summit of their happiness, although Cyrus Harding made them promise not to fire a shot unless it was necessary. At six in the morning the canoe put off from the shore; all had embarked, including Top, and they proceeded to the mouth of the Mercy. The tide had begun to come up half an hour before. For several hours, therefore, there would be a current, which it was well to profit by, for later the ebb would make it difficult to ascend the river. The tide was already strong, for in three days the moon would be full, and it was enough to keep the boat in the centre of the current, where it floated swiftly along between the high banks without its being necessary to increase its speed by the aid of the oars. In a few minutes the explorers arrived at the angle formed by the Mercy, and exactly at the place where, seven months before, Pencroft had made his first raft of wood. After this sudden angle the river widened and flowed under the shade of great evergreen firs. The aspect of the banks was magnificent. Cyrus Harding and his companions could not but admire the lovely effects so easily produced by nature with water and trees. As they advanced the forest element diminished. On the right bank of the river grew magnificent specimens of the ulmaceæ tribe, the precious elm, so valuable to builders, and which withstands well the action of water. Then there were numerous groups belonging to the same family, amongst others one in particular, the fruit of which produces a very useful oil. Further on, Herbert remarked the lardizabala, a twining shrub which, when bruised in water, furnishes excellent cordage; and two or three ebony trees of a beautiful black, crossed with capricious veins. From time to time, in certain places where the landing was easy, the canoe was stopped, when Gideon Spilett, Herbert, and Pencroft, their guns in their hands, and preceded by Top, jumped on shore. Without expecting game, some useful plant might be met with, and the young naturalist was delighted with discovering a sort of wild spinage, belonging to the order of chenopodiaceæ, and numerous specimens of cruciferæ, belonging to the cabbage tribe, which it would certainly be possible to cultivate by transplanting. There were cresses, horse-radish, turnips, and lastly, little branching hairy stalks, scarcely more than three feet high, which produced brownish grains. "Do you know what this plant is?" asked Herbert of the sailor. "Tobacco!" cried Pencroft, who evidently had never seen his favourite plant except in the bowl of his pipe. "No, Pencroft," replied Herbert; "this is not tobacco, it is mustard." "Mustard be hanged!" returned the sailor; "but if by chance you happen to come across a tobacco-plant, my boy, pray don't scorn that!" "We shall find it some day!" said Gideon Spilett. "Well!" exclaimed Pencroft, "when that day comes, I do not know what more will be wanting in our island!" These different plants, which had been carefully rooted, up, were carried to the canoe, where Cyrus Harding had remained buried in thought. The reporter, Herbert, and Pencroft in this manner frequently disembarked, sometimes on the right bank, sometimes on the left bank of the Mercy. The latter was less abrupt, but the former more wooded. The engineer ascertained by consulting his pocket compass that the direction of the river from the first turn was obviously south-west and north-east, and nearly straight for a length of about three miles. But it was to be supposed that this direction changed beyond that point, and that the Mercy continued to the north-west, towards the spurs of Mount Franklin, among which the river rose. During one of these excursions, Gideon Spilett managed to get hold of two couples of living gallinaceæ. They were birds with long, thin beaks, lengthened necks, short wings, and without any appearance of a tail. Herbert rightly gave them the name of tinamons, and it was resolved that they should be the first tenants of their future poultry yard. But till then the guns had not spoken, and the first report which awoke the echoes of the forest of the Far West was provoked by the appearance of a beautiful bird, resembling the kingfisher. "I recognise him!" cried Pencroft, and it seemed as if his gun went off by itself. "What do you recognise?" asked the reporter. "The bird which escaped us on our first excursion, and from which we gave the name to that part of the forest." "A jacamar!" cried Herbert. It was indeed a jacamar, of which the plumage shines with a metallic lustre. A shot brought it to the ground, and Top carried it to the canoe. At the same time half a dozen lories were brought down. The lory is of the size of a pigeon, the plumage dashed with green, part of the wings crimson, and its crest bordered with white. To the young boy belonged the honour of this shot, and he was proud enough of it. Lories are better food than the jacamar, the flesh of which is rather tough, but it was difficult to persuade Pencroft that he had not killed the king of eatable birds. It was ten o'clock in the morning when the canoe reached a second angle of the Mercy, nearly five miles from its mouth. Here a halt was made for breakfast under the shade of some splendid trees. The river still measured from sixty to seventy feet in breadth, and its bed from five to six feet in depth. The engineer had observed that it was increased by numerous affluents, but they were unnavigable, being simply little streams. As to the forest, including Jacamar Wood, as well as the forests of the Far West, it extended as far as the eye could reach. In no place, either in the depths of the forest or under the trees on the banks of the Mercy, was the presence of man revealed. The explorers could not discover one suspicious trace. It was evident that the woodman's axe had never touched these trees, that the pioneer's knife had never severed the creepers hanging from one trunk to another in the midst of tangled brushwood and long grass. If castaways had landed on the island, they could not have yet quitted the shore and it was not in the woods that the survivors of the supposed shipwreck should be sought. The engineer therefore manifested some impatience to reach the western coast of Lincoln Island, which was at least five miles distant according to his estimation. The voyage was continued, and as the Mercy appeared to flow not towards the shore, but rather towards Mount Franklin, it was decided that they should use the boat as long as there was enough water under its keel to float it. It was both fatigue spared and time gained, for they would have been obliged to cut a path through the thick wood with their axes. But soon the flow completely failed them either the tide was going down, and it was about the hour, or it could no longer be felt at this distance from the mouth of the Mercy. They had therefore to make use of the oars, Herbert and Neb each took one, and Pencroft took the scull. The forest soon became less dense, the trees grew further apart and often quite isolated. But the further they were from each other the more magnificent they appeared, profiting, as they did, by the free, pure air which circulated around them. What splendid specimens of the Flora of this latitude! Certainly their presence would have been enough for a botanist to name without hesitation the parallel which traversed Lincoln Island. "Eucalypti!" cried Herbert. They were, in fact, those splendid trees, the giants of the extra-tropical zone, the congeners of the Australian and New Zealand eucalyptus, both situated under the same latitude as Lincoln Island. Some rose to a height of two hundred feet. Their trunks at the base measured twenty feet in circumference, and their bark was covered by a network of furrows containing a red, sweet-smelling gum. Nothing is more wonderful or more singular than those enormous specimens of the order of the myrtaceæ, with their leaves placed vertically and not horizontally, so that an edge and not a surface looks upwards, the effect being that the sun's rays penetrate more freely among the trees. The ground at the foot of the eucalypti was carpeted with grass, and from the bushes escaped flights of little birds, which glittered in the sunlight like winged rubies. "These are something like trees!" cried Neb; "but are they good for anything?" "Pooh!" replied Pencroft. "Of course there are vegetable giants as well as human giants, and they are no good, except to show themselves at fairs!" "I think that you are mistaken, Pencroft," replied Gideon Spilett, "and that the wood of the eucalyptus has begun to be very advantageously employed in cabinet-making." "And I may add," said Herbert, "that the eucalyptus belongs to a family which comprises many useful members; the guava-tree, from whose fruit guava jelly is made; the clove-tree, which produces the spice; the pomegranate-tree, which bears pomegranates; the Eugeacia Cauliflora, the fruit of which is used in making a tolerable wine; the Ugui myrtle, which contains an excellent alcoholic liquor; the Caryophyllus myrtle, of which the bark forms an esteemed cinnamon; the Eugenia Pimenta, from whence comes Jamaica pepper; the common myrtle, from whose buds and berries spice is sometimes made; the Eucalyptus manifera, which yields a sweet sort of manna; the Guinea Eucalyptus, the sap of which is transformed into beer by fermentation; in short, all those trees known under the name of gum-trees or iron-bark trees in Australia, belong to this family of the myrtaceæ, which contains forty-six genera and thirteen hundred species!" The lad was allowed to run on, and he delivered his little botanical lecture with great animation. Cyrus Harding listened smiling, and Pencroft with an indescribable feeling of pride. "Very good, Herbert," replied Pencroft, "but I could swear that all those useful specimens you have just told us about are none of them giants like these!" "That is true, Pencroft." "That supports what I said," returned the sailor, "namely, that these giants are good for nothing!" "There you are wrong, Pencroft," said the engineer; "these gigantic eucalypti, which shelter us, are good for something." "And what is that?" "To render the countries which they inhabit healthy. Do you know what they are called in Australia and New Zealand?" "No, captain." "They are called 'fever trees.'" "Because they give fevers?" "No, because they prevent them!" "Good. I must note that," said the reporter. "Note it then, my dear Spilett; for it appears proved that the presence of the eucalyptus is enough to neutralise miasmas. This natural antidote has been tried in certain countries in the middle of Europe and the north of Africa, where the soil was absolutely unhealthy, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants has been gradually ameliorated. No more intermittent fevers prevail in the regions now covered with forests of the myrtaceæ. This fact is now beyond doubt, and it is a happy circumstance for us settlers in Lincoln Island." "Ah! what an island! What a blessed island!" cried Pencroft. "I tell you, it wants nothing—unless it is—" "That will come, Pencroft, that will be found," replied the engineer; "but now we must continue our voyage and push on as far as the river will carry our boat!" The exploration was therefore continued for another two miles in the midst of country covered with eucalypti, which predominated in the woods of this portion of the island. The space which they occupied extended as far as the eye could reach on each side of the Mercy, which wound along between high green banks. The bed was often obstructed by long weeds, and even by pointed rocks, which rendered the navigation very difficult. The action of the oars was prevented, and Pencroft was obliged to push with a pole. They found also that the water was becoming shallower and shallower, and that the canoe must soon stop. The sun was already sinking towards the horizon, and the trees threw long shadows on the ground. Cyrus Harding, seeing that he could not hope to reach the western coast of the island in one journey, resolved to camp at the place where any further navigation was prevented by want of water. He calculated that they were still five or six miles from the coast, and this distance was too great for them to attempt traversing during the night in the midst of unknown woods. The boat was pushed on through the forest, which gradually became thicker again, and appeared also to have more inhabitants; for if the eyes of the sailor did not deceive him, he thought he saw bands of monkeys springing among the trees. Sometimes even two or three of these animals stopped at a little distance from the canoe and gazed at the settlers without manifesting any terror, as if, seeing men for the first time, they had not yet learned to fear them. It would have been easy to bring down one of these quadrumani with a gunshot, and Pencroft was greatly tempted to fire, but Harding opposed so useless a massacre. This was prudent, for the monkeys, or apes rather, appearing to be very powerful and extremely active, it was useless to provoke an unnecessary aggression, and the creatures might, ignorant of the power of the explorer's firearms, have attacked them. It is true that the sailor considered the monkeys from a purely alimentary point of view, for those animals which are herbivorous make very excellent game; but since they had an abundant supply of provisions, it was a pity to waste their ammunition. Towards four o'clock, the navigation of the Mercy became exceedingly difficult, for its course was obstructed by aquatic plants and rocks. The banks rose higher and higher, and already they were approaching the spurs of Mount Franklin. The source could not be far off, since it was fed by the water from the southern slopes of the mountain. "In a quarter of an hour," said the sailor, "we shall be obliged to stop, captain." "Very well, we will stop, Pencroft, and we will make our encampment for the night." "At what distance are we from Granite House?" asked Herbert. "About seven miles," replied the engineer, "taking into calculation, however, the of the river, which has carried us to the north-west." détours "Shall, we go on?" asked the reporter. "Yes, as long as we can," replied Cyrus Harding. "To-morrow, at break of day, we will leave the canoe, and in two hours I hope we shall cross the distance which separates us from the coast, and then we shall have the whole day in which to explore the shore." "Go-ahead!" replied Pencroft. But soon the boat grated on the stony bottom of the river, which was now not more than twenty feet in breadth. The trees met like a bower overhead, and caused a half-darkness. They also heard the noise of a waterfall, which showed that a few hundred feet up the river there was a natural barrier. Presently, after a sudden turn of the river, a cascade appeared through the trees. The canoe again touched the bottom, and in a few minutes it was moored to a trunk near the right bank. It was nearly five o'clock. The last rays of the sun gleamed through the thick foliage and glanced on the little waterfall, making the spray sparkle with all the colours of the rainbow. Beyond that, the Mercy was lost in the brushwood, where it was fed from some hidden source. The different streams which flowed into it increased it to a regular river further down, but here it was simply a shallow, limpid brook. It was agreed to camp here, as the place was charming. The colonists disembarked, and a fire was soon lighted under a clump of trees, among the branches of which Cyrus Harding and his companions could, if it was necessary, take refuge for the night. Supper was quickly devoured, for they were very hungry, and then there was only sleeping to think of. But, as roarings of rather a suspicious nature had been heard during the evening, a good fire was made up for the night, so as to protect the sleepers with its crackling flames. Neb and Pencroft also watched by turns, and did not spare fuel. They thought they saw the dark forms of some wild animals prowling round the camp among the bushes, but the night passed without incident, and the next day, the 31st of October, at five o'clock in the morning, all were on foot, ready for a start. 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. Jules Verne (2010). Abandoned. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/33516/pg33516-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

The 30th of October, all was ready for the proposed exploring expedition

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Chapter III here Chapter III The next day, the 30th of October, all was ready for the proposed exploring expedition, which recent events had rendered so necessary. In fact, things had so come about that the settlers in Lincoln Island no longer needed help for themselves, but were even able to carry it to others. It was therefore agreed that they should ascend the Mercy as far as the river was navigable. A great part of the distance would thus be traversed without fatigue, and the explorers could transport their provisions and arms to an advanced point in the west of the island. It was necessary to think not only of the things which they should take with them, but also of those which they might have by chance to bring back to Granite House. If there had been a wreck on the coast, as was supposed, there would be many things cast up, which would be lawfully their prizes. In the event of this, the cart would have been of more use than the light canoe, but it was heavy and clumsy to drag, and therefore more difficult to use; this led Pencroft to express his regret that the chest had not contained, besides “his halfpound of tobacco,” a pair of strong New Jersey horses, which would have been very useful to the colony! The provisions, which Neb had already packed up, consisted of a store of meat and of several gallons of beer, that is to say enough to sustain them for three days, the time which Harding assigned for the expedition. They hoped besides to supply themselves on the road, and Neb took care not to forget the portable stove. The only tools the settlers took were the two woodmen’s axes, which they could use to cut a path through the thick forests, as also the instruments, the telescope and pocket-compass. For weapons they selected the two flint-lock guns, which were likely to be more useful to them than the percussion fowling-pieces, the first only requiring flints which could be easily replaced, and the latter needing fulminating caps, a frequent use of which would soon exhaust their limited stock. However, they took also one of the carbines and some cartridges. As to the powder, of which there was about fifty pounds in the barrel, a small supply of it had to be taken, but the engineer hoped to manufacture an explosive substance which would allow them to husband it. To the firearms were added the five cutlasses well sheathed in leather, and, thus supplied, the settlers could venture into the vast forest with some chance of success. It is useless to add that Pencroft, Herbert, and Neb, thus armed, were at the summit of their happiness, although Cyrus Harding made them promise not to fire a shot unless it was necessary. At six in the morning the canoe put off from the shore; all had embarked, including Top, and they proceeded to the mouth of the Mercy. The tide had begun to come up half an hour before. For several hours, therefore, there would be a current, which it was well to profit by, for later the ebb would make it difficult to ascend the river. The tide was already strong, for in three days the moon would be full, and it was enough to keep the boat in the center of the current, where it floated swiftly along between the high banks without its being necessary to increase its speed by the aid of the oars. In a few minutes the explorers arrived at the angle formed by the Mercy and exactly at the place where, seven months before, Pencroft had made his first raft of wood. After this sudden angle the river widened and flowed under the shade of great evergreen firs. The aspect of the banks was magnificent. Cyrus Harding and his companions could not but admire the lovely effects so easily produced by nature with water and trees. As they advanced the forest element diminished. On the right bank of the river grew magnificent specimens of the ulmaceae tribe, the precious elm, so valuable to builders, and which withstands well the action of water. Then there were numerous groups belonging to the same family, among others one in particular, the fruit of which produces a very useful oil. Further on, Herbert remarked the lardizabala, a twining shrub which, when bruised in water, furnishes excellent cordage; and two or three ebony trees of a beautiful black, crossed with capricious veins. From time to time, in certain places where the landing was easy, the canoe was stopped, when Gideon Spilett, Herbert, and Pencroft, their guns in their hands, and preceded by Top, jumped on shore. Without expecting game, some useful plant might be met with, and the young naturalist was delighted with discovering a sort of wild spinach, belonging to the order of chenopodiaceae, and numerous specimens of cruciferae, belonging to the cabbage tribe, which it would certainly be possible to cultivate by transplanting. There were cresses, horseradish, turnips, and lastly, little branching hairy stalks, scarcely more than three feet high, which produced brownish grains. “Do you know what this plant is?” asked Herbert of the sailor. “Tobacco!” cried Pencroft, who evidently had never seen his favorite plant except in the bowl of his pipe. “No, Pencroft,” replied Herbert; “this is not tobacco, it is mustard.” “Mustard be hanged!” returned the sailor; “but if by chance you happen to come across a tobacco-plant, my boy, pray don’t scorn that!” “We shall find it some day!” said Gideon Spilett. “Well!” exclaimed Pencroft, “when that day comes, I do not know what more will be wanting in our island!” These different plants, which had been carefully rooted up, were carried to the canoe, where Cyrus Harding had remained buried in thought. The reporter, Herbert, and Pencroft in this manner frequently disembarked, sometimes on the right bank, sometimes on the left bank of the Mercy. The latter was less abrupt, but the former more wooded. The engineer ascertained by consulting his pocket-compass that the direction of the river from the first turn was obviously southwest and northeast, and nearly straight for a length of about three miles. But it was to be supposed that this direction changed beyond that point, and that the Mercy continued to the north-west, towards the spurs of Mount Franklin, among which the river rose. During one of these excursions, Gideon Spilett managed to get hold of two couples of living gallinaceae. They were birds with long, thin beaks, lengthened necks, short wings, and without any appearance of a tail. Herbert rightly gave them the name of tinamous, and it was resolved that they should be the first tenants of their future poultry-yard. But till then the guns had not spoken, and the first report which awoke the echoes of the forest of the Far West was provoked by the appearance of a beautiful bird, resembling the kingfisher. “I recognize him!” cried Pencroft, and it seemed as if his gun went off by itself. “What do you recognize?” asked the reporter. “The bird which escaped us on our first excursion, and from which we gave the name to that part of the forest.” “A jacamar!” cried Herbert. It was indeed a jacamar, of which the plumage shines with a metallic luster. A shot brought it to the ground, and Top carried it to the canoe. At the same time half a dozen lories were brought down. The lory is of the size of a pigeon, the plumage dashed with green, part of the wings crimson, and its crest bordered with white. To the young boy belonged the honor of this shot, and he was proud enough of it. Lories are better food than the jacamar, the flesh of which is rather tough, but it was difficult to persuade Pencroft that he had not killed the king of eatable birds. It was ten o’clock in the morning when the canoe reached a second angle of the Mercy, nearly five miles from its mouth. Here a halt was made for breakfast under the shade of some splendid trees. The river still measured from sixty to seventy feet in breadth, and its bed from five to six feet in depth. The engineer had observed that it was increased by numerous affluents, but they were unnavigable, being simply little streams. As to the forest, including Jacamar Wood, as well as the forests of the Far West, it extended as far as the eye could reach. In no place, either in the depths of the forests or under the trees on the banks of the Mercy, was the presence of man revealed. The explorers could not discover one suspicious trace. It was evident that the woodman’s axe had never touched these trees, that the pioneer’s knife had never severed the creepers hanging from one trunk to another in the midst of tangled brushwood and long grass. If castaways had landed on the island, they could not have yet quitted the shore, and it was not in the woods that the survivors of the supposed shipwreck should be sought. The engineer therefore manifested some impatience to reach the western coast of Lincoln Island, which was at least five miles distant according to his estimation. The voyage was continued, and as the Mercy appeared to flow not towards the shore, but rather towards Mount Franklin, it was decided that they should use the boat as long as there was enough water under its keel to float it. It was both fatigue spared and time gained, for they would have been obliged to cut a path through the thick wood with their axes. But soon the flow completely failed them, either the tide was going down, and it was about the hour, or it could no longer be felt at this distance from the mouth of the Mercy. They had therefore to make use of the oars. Herbert and Neb each took one, and Pencroft took the scull. The forest soon became less dense, the trees grew further apart and often quite isolated. But the further they were from each other the more magnificent they appeared, profiting, as they did, by the free, pure air which circulated around them. What splendid specimens of the flora of this latitude! Certainly their presence would have been enough for a botanist to name without hesitation the parallel which traversed Lincoln Island. “Eucalypti!” cried Herbert. They were, in fact, those splendid trees, the giants of the extratropical zone, the congeners of the Australian and New Zealand eucalyptus, both situated under the same latitude as Lincoln Island. Some rose to a height of two hundred feet. Their trunks at the base measured twenty feet in circumference, and their bark was covered by a network of farrows containing a red, sweet-smelling gum. Nothing is more wonderful or more singular than those enormous specimens of the order of the myrtaceae, with their leaves placed vertically and not horizontally, so that an edge and not a surface looks upwards, the effect being that the sun’s rays penetrate more freely among the trees. The ground at the foot of the eucalypti was carpeted with grass, and from the bushes escaped flights of little birds, which glittered in the sunlight like winged rubies. “These are something like trees!” cried Neb; “but are they good for anything?” “Pooh!” replied Pencroft. “Of course there are vegetable giants as well as human giants, and they are no good, except to show themselves at fairs!” “I think that you are mistaken, Pencroft,” replied Gideon Spilett, “and that the wood of the eucalyptus has begun to be very advantageously employed in cabinet-making.” “And I may add,” said Herbert, “that the eucalyptus belongs to a family which comprises many useful members; the guava-tree, from whose fruit guava jelly is made; the clove-tree, which produces the spice; the pomegranate-tree, which bears pomegranates; the Eugeacia Cauliflora, the fruit of which is used in making a tolerable wine; the Ugui myrtle, which contains an excellent alcoholic liquor; the Caryophyllus myrtle, of which the bark forms an esteemed cinnamon; the Eugenia Pimenta, from whence comes Jamaica pepper; the common myrtle, from whose buds and berries spice is sometimes made; the Eucalyptus manifera, which yields a sweet sort of manna; the Guinea Eucalyptus, the sap of which is transformed into beer by fermentation; in short, all those trees known under the name of gum-trees or iron-bark trees in Australia, belong to this family of the myrtaceae, which contains forty-six genera and thirteen hundred species!” The lad was allowed to run on, and he delivered his little botanical lecture with great animation. Cyrus Harding listened smiling, and Pencroft with an indescribable feeling of pride. “Very good, Herbert,” replied Pencroft, “but I could swear that all those useful specimens you have just told us about are none of them giants like these!” “That is true, Pencroft.” “That supports what I said,” returned the sailor, “namely, that these giants are good for nothing!” “There you are wrong, Pencroft,” said the engineer; “these gigantic eucalypti, which shelter us, are good for something.” “And what is that?” “To render the countries which they inhabit healthy. Do you know what they are called in Australia and New Zealand?” “No, captain.” “They are called ‘fever trees.’” “Because they give fevers?” “No, because they prevent them!” “Good. I must note that,” said the reporter. “Note it then, my dear Spilett; for it appears proved that the presence of the eucalyptus is enough to neutralize miasmas. This natural antidote has been tried in certain countries in the middle of Europe and the north of Africa where the soil was absolutely unhealthy, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants has been gradually ameliorated. No more intermittent fevers prevail in the regions now covered with forests of the myrtaceae. This fact is now beyond doubt, and it is a happy circumstance for us settlers in Lincoln Island.” “Ah! what an island! What a blessed island!” cried Pencroft. “I tell you, it wants nothing—unless it is—” “That will come, Pencroft, that will be found,” replied the engineer; “but now we must continue our voyage and push on as far as the river will carry our boat!” The exploration was therefore continued for another two miles in the midst of country covered with eucalypti, which predominated in the woods of this portion of the island. The space which they occupied extended as far as the eye could reach on each side of the Mercy, which wound along between high green banks. The bed was often obstructed by long weeds, and even by pointed rocks, which rendered the navigation very difficult. The action of the oars was prevented, and Pencroft was obliged to push with a pole. They found also that the water was becoming shallower and shallower, and that the canoe must soon stop. The sun was already sinking towards the horizon, and the trees threw long shadows on the ground. Cyrus Harding, seeing that he could not hope to reach the western coast of the island in one journey, resolved to camp at the place where any further navigation was prevented by want of water. He calculated that they were still five or six miles from the coast, and this distance was too great for them to attempt during the night in the midst of unknown woods. The boat was pushed on through the forest, which gradually became thicker again, and appeared also to have more inhabitants; for if the eyes of the sailor did not deceive him, he thought he saw bands of monkeys springing among the trees. Sometimes even two or three of these animals stopped at a little distance from the canoe and gazed at the settlers without manifesting any terror, as if, seeing men for the first time, they had not yet learned to fear them. It would have been easy to bring down one of these quadramani with a gunshot, and Pencroft was greatly tempted to fire, but Harding opposed so useless a massacre. This was prudent, for the monkeys, or apes rather, appearing to be very powerful and extremely active, it was useless to provoke an unnecessary aggression, and the creatures might, ignorant of the power of the explorers’ firearms, have attacked them. It is true that the sailor considered the monkeys from a purely alimentary point of view, for those animals which are herbivorous make very excellent game; but since they had an abundant supply of provisions, it was a pity to waste their ammunition. Towards four o’clock, the navigation of the Mercy became exceedingly difficult, for its course was obstructed by aquatic plants and rocks. The banks rose higher and higher, and already they were approaching the spurs of Mount Franklin. The source could not be far off, since it was fed by the water from the southern slopes of the mountain. “In a quarter of an hour,” said the sailor, “we shall be obliged to stop, captain.” “Very well, we will stop, Pencroft, and we will make our encampment for the night.” “At what distance are we from Granite House?” asked Herbert. “About seven miles,” replied the engineer, “taking into calculation, however, the detours of the river, which has carried us to the northwest.” “Shall we go on?” asked the reporter. “Yes, as long as we can,” replied Cyrus Harding. “To-morrow, at break of day, we will leave the canoe, and in two hours I hope we shall cross the distance which separates us from the coast, and then we shall have the whole day in which to explore the shore.” “Go ahead!” replied Pencroft. But soon the boat grated on the stony bottom of the river, which was now not more than twenty feet in breadth. The trees met like a bower overhead, and caused a half-darkness. They also heard the noise of a waterfall, which showed that a few hundred feet up the river there was a natural barrier. Presently, after a sudden turn of the river, a cascade appeared through the trees. The canoe again touched the bottom, and in a few minutes it was moored to a trunk near the right bank. It was nearly five o’clock. The last rays of the sun gleamed through the thick foliage and glanced on the little waterfall, making the spray sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow. Beyond that, the Mercy was lost in the bushwood, where it was fed from some hidden source. The different streams which flowed into it increased it to a regular river further down, but here it was simply a shallow, limpid brook. It was agreed to camp here, as the place was charming. The colonists disembarked, and a fire was soon lighted under a clump of trees, among the branches of which Cyrus Harding and his companions could, if it was necessary, take refuge for the night. Supper was quickly devoured, for they were very hungry, and then there was only sleeping to think of. But, as roarings of rather a suspicious nature had been heard during the evening, a good fire was made up for the night, so as to protect the sleepers with its crackling flames. Neb and Pencroft also watched by turns, and did not spare fuel. They thought they saw the dark forms of some wild animals prowling round the camp among the bushes, but the night passed without incident, and the next day, the 31st of October, at five o’clock in the morning, all were on foot, ready for a start. 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. Jules Verne (1998). The Mysterious Island. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1268/1268-h/1268-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

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