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“A few years back, I was tuning an alert rule and accidentally triggered the alert, which created 772 tickets. Twice.” This (all too true) story serves as the introduction of the main thesis of my talk in the video below (and the reason for its title): That alerts — contrary to the popular opinion held by IT practitioners across the spectrum of — don’t inherently suck. The problem lies in how alerts are typically created, which causes them to be… well, let’s just say “sub-optimal” and leave it at that. tech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K658JEZUGF4&embedable=true I’ve given this talk frequently at conferences such as , , , and others. I believe its popularity is largely due to its fun approach to a frustrating issue. DevOpsDays BRUM DevOpsDays TLV Monitorama I’d like to take a few moments of your time here to emphasize points I make in the talk but then extend those ideas in ways that don’t fit the limitations of time or format common in conference presentations. The slippery slope to “Monitoring Engineer” If you’ve read this far, there’s a good chance you care about alerts for more than just your own personal reasons. You probably have people — whether on your immediate team or in the larger organization — who look to and rely on you for help designing, implementing, maintaining, and fixing alerts. While most of us first encounter monitoring solutions because we want to know more about our own sh… tuff, it quickly follows that we’re helping others set up monitoring for themselves. Before long, we found ourselves in the “resident expert” role. Once that reputation gets around, the job (whether official or not) is irrevocably added to our responsibilities. The good news is that this is a huge opportunity for those who enjoy the work. Monitoring is an undeniable game-change in organizations willing to embrace and use it. Alerts ≠ Monitoring One of my first encounters with alerting that were completely off the rails was at a company that defined uptime as “100% minus the # of alerts” in a given period. It was utterly unhinged. While it was an extreme example, the underlying issue — confusing alerting with monitoring — isn’t rare at all. For many individuals (and teams, departments, and entire companies), the raison d’être for monitoring is to have alerts, which is simply not helpful or effective. Monitoring is nothing more (and nothing less) than the consistent, persistent collection of data from a set of systems. Everything else that a monitoring and observability solution provides — dashboards, widgets, reports, automation, and alerts — is merely a happy by-product of having monitoring in the first place. As a monitoring engineer, I know something is amiss when I see people hyper-focusing on alerts to the exclusion (if not the detriment) of monitoring. Alerts need proof of their value An alert should only exist if it has a proven, measurable, meaningful impact. The best way to validate that is to see if an alert is intended to cause someone to do something RIGHT. NOW. about a problem If all of those conditions aren’t met, you’re looking at an alert that is trying to replace some other monitoring structure — a dashboard, a report, etc. But that merely proves that an alert is actionable, not valuable. And I must be clear: “important” isn’t the same as “valuable.” Importance implies that it is technically, intellectually, or (believe it or not) emotionally meaningful to some person or group. “Valuable” is much more particular: The existence of the alert can be directly tied to a financial outcome. How does one establish this? Start with what the world would look like without the alert: How would the people who can fix the issue find out about the problem? And more to the point, how LONG would it take for the people who can resolve the issue to find out? Are there any inherent losses while the problem is happening? An online sales system that generates $1,000 an hour loses that amount every hour it’s unavailable. How long would it take to fix the problem? In some cases, it’s the same amount of time, alert or not. But in far more circumstances, if the problem were left unaddressed for the length of time identified in the first bullet, it would take longer (possibly significantly longer) to resolve. What is the regular (“total loaded”) rate for the staff who can fix the issue? What is the “interruption cost” for that staff? This means the staff is (ostensibly) not sitting around waiting for this particular error. So what is the value of their normal work? Because they will NOT be doing it while they are addressing this issue. You are welcome to take the formula above and, as the saying goes, “salt to taste.” Once you have this, recalculate all of the above WITH the alert. The difference between the first calculation and the second is the dollar value of the alert. Now, you can set up a simple report showing the number of occurrences the alert triggered multiplied by the value. That is the amount this one alert has saved the company during that time. Observability enables us to change our focus Back when I started working with monitoring solutions (yeah, yeah, Grampa. When dinosaurs ruled the earth and you had to chisel each bit into the hard drive by hand with a lodestone), we had to guess at the user’s experience from an array of much lower-level data. We’d look at network traffic, disk I/O, server connections, and other metrics and use those metrics to guess what was happening at the top of the OSI model. We didn’t do it because we thought it was the best option. We did it because it was the ONLY option. Tracing didn’t really come onto the scene — in terms of true application monitoring - until 2010. And it only took hold because of the fundamental change in application architecture. The widespread adoption of cloud computing (AWS EC2 went GA in 2006) and mobile phones (the first iPhone came on the scene in 2007) radically changed how we interacted with applications. Facebook had an unbelievable (for the time) 600 million users in 2010. That number grew to 800 million in 2011 and over 1 billion in 2012. Against THAT backdrop, application tracing and real user monitoring went from something we could only do in carefully controlled QA environments to a technique that was not only possible but game-changing. Because the entire reason we have monitoring — the whole damn point — is to understand what users are experiencing with an application. That’s it. That’s the whole enchilada. So, I will go on record as saying that alerting should focus on that aspect first and foremost. If the user experience is impacted, sound the alarm and get people out of bed if necessary. At that point, all the other telemetry - metrics, events, and logs - can be used to understand the details of the impact. But those lower-level data points no longer have to be the trigger point for alerts. Not in most cases. Where do we go from here? Hopefully, you have enough time between this blog and my talk to reflect on your existing alerts with an eye toward real improvement. You may find yourself deleting alerts you once thought essential. You will also undoubtedly spend time tweaking your alerts to make them more actionable, meaningful, and valuable. Just ensure you don’t trigger an alert storm in the process, or you’ll end up in the helpdesk, manually closing 1,544 tickets. Don’t ask me how I know. Also published . here

IT Monitoring Solutions: Your Alerts Shouldn't Be This Much of a Headache

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Chapter XV here Chapter XV The next day, the 17th of April, the sailor’s first words were addressed to Gideon Spilett. “Well, sir,” he asked, “what shall we do to-day?” “What the captain pleases,” replied the reporter. Till then the engineer’s companions had been brickmakers and potters, now they were to become metallurgists. The day before, after breakfast, they had explored as far as the point of Mandible Cape, seven miles distant from the Chimneys. There, the long series of downs ended, and the soil had a volcanic appearance. There were no longer high cliffs as at Prospect Heights, but a strange and capricious border which surrounded the narrow gulf between the two capes, formed of mineral matter, thrown up by the volcano. Arrived at this point the settlers retraced their steps, and at nightfall entered the Chimneys; but they did not sleep before the question of knowing whether they could think of leaving Lincoln Island or not was definitely settled. The twelve hundred miles which separated the island from the Pomoutous Island was a considerable distance. A boat could not cross it, especially at the approach of the bad season. Pencroft had expressly declared this. Now, to construct a simple boat even with the necessary tools, was a difficult work, and the colonists not having tools they must begin by making hammers, axes, adzes, saws, augers, planes, etc., which would take some time. It was decided, therefore, that they would winter at Lincoln Island, and that they would look for a more comfortable dwelling than the Chimneys, in which to pass the winter months. Before anything else could be done it was necessary to make the iron ore, of which the engineer had observed some traces in the northwest part of the island, fit for use by converting it either into iron or into steel. Metals are not generally found in the ground in a pure state. For the most part they are combined with oxygen or sulphur. Such was the case with the two specimens which Cyrus Harding had brought back, one of magnetic iron, not carbonated, the other a pyrite, also called sulphuret of iron. It was, therefore the first, the oxide of iron, which they must reduce with coal, that is to say, get rid of the oxygen, to obtain it in a pure state. This reduction is made by subjecting the ore with coal to a high temperature, either by the rapid and easy Catalan method, which has the advantage of transforming the ore into iron in a single operation, or by the blast furnace, which first smelts the ore, then changes it into iron, by carrying away the three to four per cent. of coal, which is combined with it. Now Cyrus Harding wanted iron, and he wished to obtain it as soon as possible. The ore which he had picked up was in itself very pure and rich. It was the oxydulous iron, which is found in confused masses of a deep gray color; it gives a black dust, crystallized in the form of the regular octahedron. Native lodestones consist of this ore, and iron of the first quality is made in Europe from that with which Sweden and Norway are so abundantly supplied. Not far from this vein was the vein of coal already made use of by the settlers. The ingredients for the manufacture being close together would greatly facilitate the treatment of the ore. This is the cause of the wealth of the mines in Great Britain, where the coal aids the manufacture of the metal extracted from the same soil at the same time as itself. “Then, captain,” said Pencroft, “we are going to work iron ore?” “Yes, my friend,” replied the engineer, “and for that—something which will please you—we must begin by having a seal hunt on the islet.” “A seal hunt!” cried the sailor, turning towards Gideon Spilett. “Are seals needed to make iron?” “Since Cyrus has said so!” replied the reporter. But the engineer had already left the Chimneys, and Pencroft prepared for the seal hunt, without having received any other explanation. Cyrus Harding, Herbert, Gideon Spilett, Neb, and the sailor were soon collected on the shore, at a place where the channel left a ford passable at low tide. The hunters could therefore traverse it without getting wet higher than the knee. Harding then put his foot on the islet for the first, and his companions for the second time. On their landing some hundreds of penguins looked fearlessly at them. The hunters, armed with sticks, could have killed them easily, but they were not guilty of such useless massacre, as it was important not to frighten the seals, who were lying on the sand several cable lengths off. They also respected certain innocent-looking birds, whose wings were reduced to the state of stumps, spread out like fins, ornamented with feathers of a scaly appearance. The settlers, therefore, prudently advanced towards the north point, walking over ground riddled with little holes, which formed nests for the sea-birds. Towards the extremity of the islet appeared great black heads floating just above the water, having exactly the appearance of rocks in motion. These were the seals which were to be captured. It was necessary, however, first to allow them to land, for with their close, short hair, and their fusiform conformation, being excellent swimmers, it is difficult to catch them in the sea, while on land their short, webbed feet prevent their having more than a slow, waddling movement. Pencroft knew the habits of these creatures, and he advised waiting till they were stretched on the sand, when the sun, before long, would send them to sleep. They must then manage to cut off their retreat and knock them on the head. The hunters, having concealed themselves behind the rocks, waited silently. An hour passed before the seals came to play on the sand. They could count half a dozen. Pencroft and Herbert then went round the point of the islet, so as to take them in the rear, and cut off their retreat. During this time Cyrus Harding, Spilett, and Neb, crawling behind the rocks, glided towards the future scene of combat. All at once the tall figure of the sailor appeared. Pencroft shouted. The engineer and his two companions threw themselves between the sea and the seals. Two of the animals soon lay dead on the sand, but the rest regained the sea in safety. “Here are the seals required, captain!” said the sailor, advancing towards the engineer. “Capital,” replied Harding. “We will make bellows of them!” “Bellows!” cried Pencroft. “Well! these are lucky seals!” It was, in fact, a blowing-machine, necessary for the treatment of the ore that the engineer wished to manufacture with the skins of the amphibious creatures. They were of a medium size, for their length did not exceed six feet. They resembled a dog about the head. As it was useless to burden themselves with the weight of both the animals, Neb and Pencroft resolved to skin them on the spot, while Cyrus Harding and the reporter continued to explore the islet. The sailor and the Negro cleverly performed the operation, and three hours afterwards Cyrus Harding had at his disposal two seals’ skins, which he intended to use in this state, without subjecting them to any tanning process. The settlers waited till the tide was again low, and crossing the channel they entered the Chimneys. The skins had then to be stretched on a frame of wood and sewn by means of fibers so as to preserve the air without allowing too much to escape. Cyrus Harding had nothing but the two steel blades from Top’s collar, and yet he was so clever, and his companions aided him with so much intelligence, that three days afterwards the little colony’s stock of tools was augmented by a blowing-machine, destined to inject the air into the midst of the ore when it should be subjected to heat—an indispensable condition to the success of the operation. On the morning of the 20th of April began the “metallic period,” as the reporter called it in his notes. The engineer had decided, as has been said, to operate near the veins both of coal and ore. Now, according to his observations, these veins were situated at the foot of the northeast spurs of Mount Franklin, that is to say, a distance of six miles from their home. It was impossible, therefore, to return every day to the Chimneys, and it was agreed that the little colony should camp under a hut of branches, so that the important operation could be followed night and day. This settled, they set out in the morning. Neb and Pencroft dragged the bellows on a hurdle; also a quantity of vegetables and animals, which they besides could renew on the way. The road led through Jacamar Wood, which they traversed obliquely from southeast to northwest, and in the thickest part. It was necessary to beat a path, which would in the future form the most direct road to Prospect Heights and Mount Franklin. The trees, belonging to the species already discovered, were magnificent. Herbert found some new ones, among others some which Pencroft called “sham leeks”; for, in spite of their size, they were of the same liliaceous family as the onion, chive, shallot, or asparagus. These trees produce ligneous roots which, when cooked, are excellent; from them, by fermentation, a very agreeable liquor is made. They therefore made a good store of the roots. The journey through the wood was long; it lasted the whole day, and so allowed plenty of time for examining the flora and fauna. Top, who took special charge of the fauna, ran through the grass and brushwood, putting up all sorts of game. Herbert and Gideon Spilett killed two kangaroos with bows and arrows, and also an animal which strongly resembled both a hedgehog and an ant-eater. It was like the first because it rolled itself into a ball, and bristled with spines, and the second because it had sharp claws, a long slender snout which terminated in a bird’s beak, and an extendible tongue, covered with little thorns which served to hold the insects. “And when it is in the pot,” asked Pencroft naturally, “what will it be like?” “An excellent piece of beef,” replied Herbert. “We will not ask more from it,” replied the sailor. During this excursion they saw several wild boars, which however, did not offer to attack the little band, and it appeared as if they would not meet with any dangerous beasts; when, in a thick part of the wood, the reporter thought he saw, some paces from him, among the lower branches of a tree, an animal which he took for a bear, and which he very tranquilly began to draw. Happily for Gideon Spilett, the animal in question did not belong to the redoubtable family of the plantigrades. It was only a koala, better known under the name of the sloth, being about the size of a large dog, and having stiff hair of a dirty color, the paws armed with strong claws, which enabled it to climb trees and feed on the leaves. Having identified the animal, which they did not disturb, Gideon Spilett erased “bear” from the title of his sketch, putting koala in its place, and the journey was resumed. At five o’clock in the evening, Cyrus Harding gave the signal to halt. They were now outside the forest, at the beginning of the powerful spurs which supported Mount Franklin towards the west. At a distance of some hundred feet flowed the Red Creek, and consequently plenty of fresh water was within their reach. The camp was soon organized. In less than an hour, on the edge of the forest, among the trees, a hut of branches interlaced with creepers, and pasted over with clay, offered a tolerable shelter. Their geological researches were put off till the next day. Supper was prepared, a good fire blazed before the hut, the roast turned, and at eight o’clock, while one of the settlers watched to keep up the fire, in case any wild beasts should prowl in the neighborhood, the others slept soundly. The next day, the 21st of April, Cyrus Harding accompanied by Herbert, went to look for the soil of ancient formation, on which he had already discovered a specimen of ore. They found the vein above ground, near the source of the creek, at the foot of one of the northeastern spurs. This ore, very rich in iron, enclosed in its fusible veinstone, was perfectly suited to the mode of reduction which the engineer intended to employ; that is, the Catalan method, but simplified, as it is used in Corsica. In fact, the Catalan method, properly so called, requires the construction of kilns and crucibles, in which the ore and the coal, placed in alternate layers, are transformed and reduced, But Cyrus Harding intended to economize these constructions, and wished simply to form, with the ore and the coal, a cubic mass, to the center of which he would direct the wind from his bellows. Doubtless, it was the proceeding employed by Tubalcain, and the first metallurgists of the inhabited world. Now that which had succeeded with the grandson of Adam, and which still yielded good results in countries rich in ore and fuel, could not but succeed with the settlers in Lincoln Island. The coal, as well as the ore, was collected without trouble on the surface of the ground. They first broke the ore into little pieces, and cleansed them with the hand from the impurities which soiled their surface. Then coal and ore were arranged in heaps and in successive layers, as the charcoal-burner does with the wood which he wishes to carbonize. In this way, under the influence of the air projected by the blowing-machine, the coal would be transformed into carbonic acid, then into oxide of carbon, its use being to reduce the oxide of iron, that is to say, to rid it of the oxygen. Thus the engineer proceeded. The bellows of sealskin, furnished at its extremity with a nozzle of clay, which had been previously fabricated in the pottery kiln, was established near the heap of ore. Using the mechanism which consisted of a frame, cords of fiber and counterpoise, he threw into the mass an abundance of air, which by raising the temperature also concurred with the chemical transformation to produce in time pure iron. The operation was difficult. All the patience, all the ingenuity of the settlers was needed; but at last it succeeded, and the result was a lump of iron, reduced to a spongy state, which it was necessary to shingle and fagot, that is to say, to forge so as to expel from it the liquefied veinstone. These amateur smiths had, of course, no hammer; but they were in no worse a situation than the first metallurgist, and therefore did what, no doubt, he had to do. A handle was fixed to the first lump, and was used as a hammer to forge the second on a granite anvil, and thus they obtained a coarse but useful metal. At length, after many trials and much fatigue, on the 25th of April several bars of iron were forged, and transformed into tools, crowbars, pincers, pickaxes, spades, etc., which Pencroft and Neb declared to be real jewels. But the metal was not yet in its most serviceable state, that is, of steel. Now steel is a combination of iron and coal, which is extracted, either from the liquid ore, by taking from it the excess of coal, or from the iron by adding to it the coal which was wanting. The first, obtained by the decarburation of the metal, gives natural or puddled steel; the second, produced by the carburation of the iron, gives steel of cementation. It was the last which Cyrus Harding intended to forge, as he possessed iron in a pure state. He succeeded by heating the metal with powdered coal in a crucible which had previously been manufactured from clay suitable for the purpose. He then worked this steel, which is malleable both when hot or cold, with the hammer. Neb and Pencroft, cleverly directed, made hatchets, which, heated red-hot, and plunged suddenly into cold water, acquired an excellent temper. Other instruments, of course roughly fashioned, were also manufactured; blades for planes, axes, hatchets, pieces of steel to be transformed into saws, chisels; then iron for spades, pickaxes, hammers, nails, etc. At last, on the 5th of May, the metallic period ended, the smiths returned to the Chimneys, and new work would soon authorize them to take a fresh title. 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

The next day, the 17th of April, the sailor’s first words were addressed to Gideon Spilett

Saboteur of Space

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . THE ESCAPE OF THE DEAD THE ESCAPE OF THE DEAD A sense of delicious dreaminess overcame me, my muscles relaxed, and I was on the point of giving way to my desire to sleep when the sound of approaching horses reached my ears. I attempted to spring to my feet but was horrified to discover that my muscles refused to respond to my will. I was now thoroughly awake, but as unable to move a muscle as though turned to stone. It was then, for the first time, that I noticed a slight vapor filling the cave. It was extremely tenuous and only noticeable against the opening which led to daylight. There also came to my nostrils a faintly pungent odor, and I could only assume that I had been overcome by some poisonous gas, but why I should retain my mental faculties and yet be unable to move I could not fathom. I lay facing the opening of the cave and where I could see the short stretch of trail which lay between the cave and the turn of the cliff around which the trail led. The noise of the approaching horses had ceased, and I judged the Indians were creeping stealthily upon me along the little ledge which led to my living tomb. I remember that I hoped they would make short work of me as I did not particularly relish the thought of the innumerable things they might do to me if the spirit prompted them. I had not long to wait before a stealthy sound apprised me of their nearness, and then a war-bonneted, paint-streaked face was thrust cautiously around the shoulder of the cliff, and savage eyes looked into mine. That he could see me in the dim light of the cave I was sure for the early morning sun was falling full upon me through the opening. The fellow, instead of approaching, merely stood and stared; his eyes bulging and his jaw dropped. And then another savage face appeared, and a third and fourth and fifth, craning their necks over the shoulders of their fellows whom they could not pass upon the narrow ledge. Each face was the picture of awe and fear, but for what reason I did not know, nor did I learn until ten years later. That there were still other braves behind those who regarded me was apparent from the fact that the leaders passed back whispered word to those behind them. Suddenly a low but distinct moaning sound issued from the recesses of the cave behind me, and, as it reached the ears of the Indians, they turned and fled in terror, panic-stricken. So frantic were their efforts to escape from the unseen thing behind me that one of the braves was hurled headlong from the cliff to the rocks below. Their wild cries echoed in the canyon for a short time, and then all was still once more. The sound which had frightened them was not repeated, but it had been sufficient as it was to start me speculating on the possible horror which lurked in the shadows at my back. Fear is a relative term and so I can only measure my feelings at that time by what I had experienced in previous positions of danger and by those that I have passed through since; but I can say without shame that if the sensations I endured during the next few minutes were fear, then may God help the coward, for cowardice is of a surety its own punishment. To be held paralyzed, with one’s back toward some horrible and unknown danger from the very sound of which the ferocious Apache warriors turn in wild stampede, as a flock of sheep would madly flee from a pack of wolves, seems to me the last word in fearsome predicaments for a man who had ever been used to fighting for his life with all the energy of a powerful physique. Several times I thought I heard faint sounds behind me as of somebody moving cautiously, but eventually even these ceased, and I was left to the contemplation of my position without interruption. I could but vaguely conjecture the cause of my paralysis, and my only hope lay in that it might pass off as suddenly as it had fallen upon me. Late in the afternoon my horse, which had been standing with dragging rein before the cave, started slowly down the trail, evidently in search of food and water, and I was left alone with my mysterious unknown companion and the dead body of my friend, which lay just within my range of vision upon the ledge where I had placed it in the early morning. From then until possibly midnight all was silence, the silence of the dead; then, suddenly, the awful moan of the morning broke upon my startled ears, and there came again from the black shadows the sound of a moving thing, and a faint rustling as of dead leaves. The shock to my already overstrained nervous system was terrible in the extreme, and with a superhuman effort I strove to break my awful bonds. It was an effort of the mind, of the will, of the nerves; not muscular, for I could not move even so much as my little finger, but none the less mighty for all that. And then something gave, there was a momentary feeling of nausea, a sharp click as of the snapping of a steel wire, and I stood with my back against the wall of the cave facing my unknown foe. And then the moonlight flooded the cave, and there before me lay my own body as it had been lying all these hours, with the eyes staring toward the open ledge and the hands resting limply upon the ground. I looked first at my lifeless clay there upon the floor of the cave and then down at myself in utter bewilderment; for there I lay clothed, and yet here I stood but naked as at the minute of my birth. The transition had been so sudden and so unexpected that it left me for a moment forgetful of aught else than my strange metamorphosis. My first thought was, is this then death! Have I indeed passed over forever into that other life! But I could not well believe this, as I could feel my heart pounding against my ribs from the exertion of my efforts to release myself from the anaesthesis which had held me. My breath was coming in quick, short gasps, cold sweat stood out from every pore of my body, and the ancient experiment of pinching revealed the fact that I was anything other than a wraith. Again was I suddenly recalled to my immediate surroundings by a repetition of the weird moan from the depths of the cave. Naked and unarmed as I was, I had no desire to face the unseen thing which menaced me. My revolvers were strapped to my lifeless body which, for some unfathomable reason, I could not bring myself to touch. My carbine was in its boot, strapped to my saddle, and as my horse had wandered off I was left without means of defense. My only alternative seemed to lie in flight and my decision was crystallized by a recurrence of the rustling sound from the thing which now seemed, in the darkness of the cave and to my distorted imagination, to be creeping stealthily upon me. Unable longer to resist the temptation to escape this horrible place I leaped quickly through the opening into the starlight of a clear Arizona night. The crisp, fresh mountain air outside the cave acted as an immediate tonic and I felt new life and new courage coursing through me. Pausing upon the brink of the ledge I upbraided myself for what now seemed to me wholly unwarranted apprehension. I reasoned with myself that I had lain helpless for many hours within the cave, yet nothing had molested me, and my better judgment, when permitted the direction of clear and logical reasoning, convinced me that the noises I had heard must have resulted from purely natural and harmless causes; probably the conformation of the cave was such that a slight breeze had caused the sounds I heard. I decided to investigate, but first I lifted my head to fill my lungs with the pure, invigorating night air of the mountains. As I did so I saw stretching far below me the beautiful vista of rocky gorge, and level, cacti-studded flat, wrought by the moonlight into a miracle of soft splendor and wondrous enchantment. Few western wonders are more inspiring than the beauties of an Arizona moonlit landscape; the silvered mountains in the distance, the strange lights and shadows upon hog back and arroyo, and the grotesque details of the stiff, yet beautiful cacti form a picture at once enchanting and inspiring; as though one were catching for the first time a glimpse of some dead and forgotten world, so different is it from the aspect of any other spot upon our earth. As I stood thus meditating, I turned my gaze from the landscape to the heavens where the myriad stars formed a gorgeous and fitting canopy for the wonders of the earthly scene. My attention was quickly riveted by a large red star close to the distant horizon. As I gazed upon it I felt a spell of overpowering fascination—it was Mars, the god of war, and for me, the fighting man, it had always held the power of irresistible enchantment. As I gazed at it on that far-gone night it seemed to call across the unthinkable void, to lure me to it, to draw me as the lodestone attracts a particle of iron. My longing was beyond the power of opposition; I closed my eyes, stretched out my arms toward the god of my vocation and felt myself drawn with the suddenness of thought through the trackless immensity of space. There was an instant of extreme cold and utter darkness. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1993). A Princess of Mars. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/62/pg62-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 .

THE ESCAPE OF THE DEAD

The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated: Discourse IV

From Compass to Positioning Systems: Evolution of Location Tracking Location tracking has become such an ubiquitous term that it’s nearly impossible to imagine our lives without it. Outdoor navigation using GPS is an integral part of our daily lives. One study claims that GPS Tracking Device Market would be worth $2.89 bn by 2023. Almost every app you use on your smartphone utilizes GPS to fetch location specific info/feed. GPS finds its extensive use in finding routes, distance, mode of conveyance etc. As useful as it is for outdoor tracking, it fails to work in indoors. That necessitates the need of which guides you in searching objects in a confined space. indoor positioning systems Now, let’s go back in time and get to know how the location tracking technologies have reached its current status. History of Compass History of Compass The 1st hint of a compass trades back to China during 221–206 B.C. While using ladles made of in their fortune telling rituals, Chinese noticed its strange property to always point in the North-South direction. This mysterious property of Lodestone is attributed to its natural magnetism. Thus, lodestone’s direction predicting abilities saw the light of the day prompting China to get its share of credits as the developer of the first compass. lodestones The 1st compass was a square shaped slab with cardinal points and constellations marked all over it. The lodestone was shaped like a ladle whose handle would always point towards south. The ladle, later got replaced with magnetized needle. By 11th century, the use of compass as a navigating system gained huge popularity among sailors, voyagers etc. Notable Discoveries Antenna It may be mentioned here that, in 2nd Century, Ptolemy wrote ‘ ’ which laid the foundation of the standards for the use of latitude and longitude in maps. Geography Discovery of in the year 1819, when Hans Christian Oersted reported that a current carry wire has an effect on nearby magnetic needle. This laid grounds for wide-scale emergence of electronic communications, leading to the invention of telegraph and electric motor. Electromagnetism The year 1895 is marked by Marconi establishing . long distance radio transmission In the year 1957, Soviet Union launched the 1st artificial satellite . It was launched into a low Earth elliptical orbit. Sputnik 1 enabled scientists to gather a number of valuable information about the ionosphere and the density of the upper atmosphere. Sputnik1 Foundation of GPS Tracking GPS Tracking Sputnik’s location was calculated by using radio receivers by measuring the shifts in its radio signals due to ‘ ’. After approximately 6 months from the launch of Sputnik 1, Frank McLure ( ) came up with the question Doppler Effect the research director at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory ‘Whether the reverse of this was possible? Can satellites be used to locate us instead?’ In the mid-1960s, The US Navy conducted experiments on satellite navigation in order to track their own submarines loaded with nuclear missiles. Six satellites were enough to pinpoint the exact locations of the submarines within a few minutes. In the year 1978, following the suit of the Navy scientists, the Department of Defense (DoD) too followed and launched . This system became fully functional in 1993. NAVSTAR (Navigation System with Timing & Ranging) Satellite So, GPS was basically launched by US Military for their own use. But, an event in 1983 changed the course of the future by making GPS public. When a Korean passenger jet deviated form its original route and mistakenly entered into a Soviet prohibited area, it was shot down by Soviet SU-15. This triggered president Ronald Regan to make GPS public, considering that GPS could’ve prevented such mishap. Thus, GPS became public with an accuracy restricted to a radius of 100 meters. This was done in order to ensure that the best data was accessible to only the U.S military. Fortunately, in the year 2000, President Bill Clinton made the standard GPS available to the public. And the rest, as they say, is history. Every location-aware app of your smartphone owes to that day. Rise of Indoor Positioning Indoor Positioning As we progress, we are no longer restricted to getting lost in outdoors, indoor wayfinding or object finding too has become a major challenge. Shopping Malls, Airports, Warehouses are such confined areas where we often find ourselves stuck at some point in time, for not being able to find our desired shop or counter etc. You must’ve even tried to use GPS. But that’s where GPS takes the back seat. Here come indoor positioning technologies to your rescue. Microwave is easily impacted by obstacles like walls, roofs etc., so, GPS is not suitable for indoor positioning. Thus, if you wish to have a continuously unfettered navigation system, an integration of indoor and GPS would work for the best. A recent report from the research firm MarketsandMarkets estimates the indoor location market — which includes indoor navigation as well as indoor data tracking (such as how long someone spends in a specific store in the mall) — will be worth $41 billion by 2022. Future of Indoor Positioning Future of Indoor Positioning is finding huge popularity across various industries like manufacturing transportation, logistics, healthcare, retail etc. In every sector, both navigational and tracking features are utilized. Indoor positioning A number of radio technologies are currently available which can help in creating a full-fledged indoor positioning system. Some of the most notable ones are — , , Wifi, RFiD, Zigbee. The choice of the technology is largely dependent on the use-case. Ultra-Wide band (UWB) Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) In manufacturing units, asset tracking is very important, thus, keeping track on every asset would be the prime functionality of an IPS. On the other hand, in shopping malls, both navigation and tracking become important. The shops can track the customers’ movements and the customers can navigate to their desired store. The future for Indoor Positioning looks promising, especially with the evolution of high precision technologies like . Probably the day is not very far, when you would miss the process of finding your ways out or searching any stuff inside your own houses. Very soon we would probably find ourselves having more time then we could ever spend. Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Just like how we now talk about ‘the time we had to remember every route, ask for directions, sometimes roam around for hours before reaching the intended destinations?’, we would be talking about ‘the time we had to remember where we kept our stuffs, search for our forgotten stuffs for hours?’ The usage of the terms ‘lost/searching’ would become rare. But, just like every technology, there are two facets to it. There’s already a lot of on-going debate on Google maps knowing about your whereabouts better than you yourself can remember. Cameras in shopping malls, airports are already doing more than enough to make us feel watched. So, how would we take it if we are told that this ‘watching’ would get serious as our visibility would get beyond cameras. Probably the only place you can move freely is within your own homes. So, how would we react to our actions being tracked, probably to make our lives easier? Only time will tell…

From Compass to Positioning Systems: Evolution of Location Tracking

Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF MISSOURI. here THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF MISSOURI. The incalculable wealth, which lies hid in the bosom of Mother Earth, in our vast possessions of the West, is undoubtedly centered in the State of Missouri; and the development of this fund of riches must add to the national prosperity, not only by its immeasurable intrinsic value, but by its affording occupation to armies of laborers, the latter being the highest and most important consideration. In 1852-3, a geological survey of the State was wisely decided upon, and a liberal provision for its execution made. Two valuable reports, by Professor Swallow, have been printed, in the year 1855, but the notes of his subsequent investigations have not been made public. In the session of 1869-70, further action, in this important public work, was taken by the State legislature, and arrangements made for a still more accurate and detailed examination, under the direction of Professor A. D. Hager, of Vermont. The distribution of metals all over the State will be seen in the following figures, taken from the St. Louis , which show the number of counties in which the various ores are found: Iron in 46 counties, lead in 43, coal in 36, copper in 24, marble in 11, zinc in 27, fire clay in 16, barytes in 10, nickel in 6, granite in 4, tin in 4, plumbago in 2, gypsum in 2, alum in 1, antimony in 4. Journal of Commerce There is probably no country in the world so endowed as this. Of iron alone, according to the State geologist's report for 1855, there is ore of the best quality, sufficient to furnish 200,000,000 tuns of iron; and this quantity lies in a small space, in the vicinity of Pilot Knob and Iron Mountain, and within 100 miles of St. Louis. The quality of the iron is highly spoken of by the manufacturers, and the capacity of the smelting appliances has reached to over 150,000 tuns per annum. The coal is well suited for reduction of ores, either by hot or cold blast treatment. The Scotia Iron Co. commenced operations in January, 1870; and, although the materials for building blast furnaces had to be carried 80 miles into a desert, the first furnace was blown into blast in August, 1870. This furnace will run about 24 tuns per day. The company procures ore from a hill, near the furnace, in which there is an apparently inexhaustible supply of red oxide and brown specular. This ore yields 60 per cent of pure metal. The erection of mills for making wrought iron is contemplated, and the high quality and prodigious quantity of the raw material will justify and reward any outlay of capital in this direction. The shipment of ore to other States goes on constantly, the last year's account showing that 246,555 tuns were dispersed over Indiana, Ohio, and others. The furnaces at Kingsland, South St. Louis, Lewis Iron Co.'s Works, Carondelet, and Maramec are all well situated as to coal and limestone, the Maramec Works having a most valuable water-power. These latter works also ship about 40,000 tuns red hematite ore yearly. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19180/pg19180-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 MINERAL RESOURCES OF MISSOURI

Scientific American, Vol. XXXIX. No. 6. [New Series.], August 10, 1878, by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . NOTES AND QUERIES here NOTES AND QUERIES (1) H. P. says: Please inform me of some recipe for removing superfluous hair. A. Make a strong solution of sulphuret of barium into a paste with powdered starch. Apply immediately after being mixed and allow to remain for ten or fifteen minutes. See also p. 107 (8), vol. 38, and p. 25, current volume. (2) M. A. C. writes: I would like to know how to dissolve bleached shellac, to make it a cement for stone. A. Dissolve it by digestion in 3 or 4 parts of strong alcohol, or by the aid of ¼ its weight of borax in about 4 volumes of boiling water. (3) A. K. asks: 1. In rating substances as to hardness, diamond being No. 10, how do aluminum, osmium, iridium and steel as used in steel pens, number, also common and tempered glass? A. Aluminum about 3, iridosmine 6.5 to 7, steel 5.5 to 6, glass 5 to 5.5. 2. Can glass 1/32 inch in thickness be ground to angles of 15 per cent or less, and points as fine as pins, without difficulty, and how? A. No. (4) D. C. S., asks for a good recipe for cleaning and polishing dirty and tarnished brass. A. Dip for a short time in strong hot aqueous solution of caustic alkali, rinse in water, dip for a few moments in nitric acid diluted with an equal volume of water, rinse again, and finish with whiting. (5) C. J. H. asks for the simplest way of producing a coating of the magnetic or black oxide of iron on iron plates 3 feet x 6 feet. I think it is called the Barff process. A. See pp. 1041 Scientific American Supplement, and 232, vol. 36, and 4, vol. 37, of the Scientific American. How can I make tissue paper impervious to air and water, and yet strong enough to confine gas? A. You may pass the fabric through a solution of about 1 part caoutchouc in 35 parts of carbonic disulphide, exposing it then to the air until the solvent has evaporated. (6) J. H. J. asks how to use hyposulphite (?) of soda to neutralize chloride of lime in cotton and linen goods after bleaching the same. A. After washing from it the large excess of the hypochlorite, the fabric is passed slowly through a solution containing about 10 per cent of the hyposulphite, and then again thoroughly washed in clean water. (7) Columbus asks for a recipe for making ink to rule faint lines, such as he is now writing on. He wants it to rule unit columns in books. A. Dissolve in a small quantity of warm water 20 parts of Prussian blue by the aid of 3 parts of potassium ferrocyanide, and dilute the solution with thin gum water until the proper degree of color is obtained. (8) A. I. B. asks: Can I add anything to Arnold's writing fluid which will cause it to give a good free copy in my letter book? A. Try a little sugar. (9) R. & C. ask for information in regard to the process of printing copies of drawings made on transparent materials, by using chemically prepared paper and exposing to the sunlight. A. It is based on the fact that an acid in the presence of potassium dichromate strikes a blackish-green color when brought in contact with aniline. The paper is prepared by floating it on a bath of aqueous solution of potassium dichromate and a trace of phosphoric acid, and then drying it in the dark. Aniline is dissolved in a little alcohol, and the mixed vapors allowed to come into contact with the sensitive paper that has been exposed to strong sunlight beneath the drawing, when the portions not changed by the sunlight assume the dark color mentioned. All that is requisite is that the paper or cloth original should be fairly penetrable by the light. A piece of paper sensitized as indicated, a sheet of glass to place over the drawing, and a box in which to place the exposed print to the aniline vapor are the only necessary plant. (10) P. Y. P. writes: 1. To find the number of acres in a farm of valley and hillside land, is it by measuring the general contour of the land, allowing its actual surface, or by measuring and allowing only the imaginary face of the plane of it? A. The latter is the correct method. 2. Can more grain, say rye, be raised on a farm of valley and hillside land, as described above, than on a farm having a flat surface, the area of which is equal to the plane of the former, all other things supposed to be equal? A. No. (11) Inventor asks: 1. Can you tell me of a book on sound boards? A. We do not know of a book especially devoted to the subject. 2. Also the best kind of wood to make them out of? A. Spruce. (12) F. C. A. writes: I wish to construct a bar electro-magnet to go in a cylinder 1 inch in diameter and 1 inch long. 1. What size ought the core to be? What number of wire shall I use, and what number of Léclanché cells shall I use (not to exceed twelve) to obtain the greatest possible attractive power, distance 1/10 of an inch? A. Make the core 3/8 inch, wind it with No. 24 silk covered wire. Use 6 or 8 cells. 2. In the same space, could a horseshoe magnet be used, with a gain of power over the bar magnet? A. A cylindrical magnet, which is substantially the same as a horseshoe, might be substituted with advantage for the bar magnet. (13) W. C. H. writes: In turning a tapering shaft in an engine lathe, will the tool if raised above the centers of the lathe turn the taper true from end to end, , neither concave nor convex, the taper to be made by sliding the tail center the required distance? A. The taper will be concave. i. e. (14) H. E. H. asks how to make lime light. A. The lime light is made by directing the jet of an oxyhydrogen blowpipe against a cylinder of lime. The blowpipe is contrived to take the proper proportion of oxygen and hydrogen gas, and the lime is placed in the reducing focus of the jet. (15) L. F. asks: 1. How many Daniell's or Smee's cells would it require to produce the same effect as 50 Bunsen cells? A. About 100. 2. Is the diaphragm equally necessary in Bunsen's, Smee's and Daniell's cells, or can it be omitted in any one of them easier than in the others, and why so? A. The diaphragm or porous cell is required in Daniell's and Bunsen's batteries, but is not used in Smee's. The porous cell is used only in two fluid batteries; its object is to allow the current to pass, but to prevent the mixture of the two liquids. 3. Is the thickness of the zinc of any importance? A. Only that the thicker zinc lasts longer. 4. Which is the cheapest way to produce electric sparks and to charge a Leyden jar, and what will be the expense? A. By means of a frictional electrical machine. The machines cost from $10 upward. (16) R. C. K. writes: I am an engineer by trade; have been at it 9 years. Am out of a position at present and want to learn mechanical draughting. How long would it take me to become a good draughtsman by taking a special course at some university? And with my knowledge of engineering and draughting, would my services be likely to be in fair demand? A. If you are familiar with mechanical operations, you might become a good draughtsman by close application under a competent instructor for one or two years. At present there are many excellent draughtsmen looking for positions. (17) G. B. M. asks for the cause of the ribs or ridges on the surface of a piece of timber which has passed through a planing machine. A. They are frequently due to the intermittent motion of the feed. (18) A. F. writes: Having a small quantity of gold and gold plated things, I would like to know the simplest way to melt it. A. Put it in a small crucible with a little borax and melt in a common kitchen fire. (19) J. H. S., writes: I have three drawings each 21 x 30 inches, which I wish to mount upon cloth like a map, placing them end to end so as to make one whole sheet 90 inches long. The drawings are upon heavy Whatman paper. A. You should stretch wet canvas or factory cloth upon a frame, and while it is still damp apply paste to the backs of the drawings and lay them smoothly on the stretched cloth. When the paste becomes thoroughly dry cut the cloth from the stretching frame and paste a tape binding around the edges. (20) P. M. asks: What is the difference between the inner and outer rails of a 10° curve 100 yards in length, gauge 4 feet 8 inches? A. If this 100 yards is measured on the center of the curve, whose radius in feet is R, the length of the inner rail is R - 2-1/3 ———— x 100, R and of the outer rail R + 2-1/3 ———— x 100. R (21) W. B. K. asks how to make a shoe dressing for ladies' shoes. A. Soft water, 1 gallon; extract of logwood, 6 ozs.; dissolve at a temperature of about 120° Fah. Soft water, 1 gallon; borax, 6 ozs.; shellac, 1-1/2 oz.; boil until dissolved. Potassium dichromate, 3/8 oz.; hot water, 1/2 pint; dissolve, and add all together. It is preferred to add 3 ozs. of strong aqua ammonia to the liquid before bottling. (22) J. D. asks: What chemicals can be put into water to increase its efficiency in extinguishing fire? A. Carbonic acid; sodium carbonate. (23) H. P. writes: Please give me the advantages and disadvantages of substituting a galvanized iron tube 18 inches in diameter and 20 feet high for a wood tank, 5 feet wide and 6 deep, as a container of water in a dwelling house in the country. Would the narrower body of water keep fresh or sweet longer, etc.? Also the thickness of iron necessary to safety, and the number of gallons of water this tube would hold. A. The advantages are in favor of the wooden tank; zinc lined vessels (galvanized) are unsuitable for reservoirs for potable water. See p. 369, vol. 36, Scientific American. 0.3 inch iron would be stout enough. A pipe of the dimensions specified would contain about 327 gallons when full. (24) F. L. M. asks: 1. What is the process by which wire is given a copper finish? A. Clean the wire by pickling it for a short time in very dilute sulphuric acid and scouring with sand if necessary. Then pass the clean wire through a strong bath of copper sulphate dissolved in water. 2. Can wire be thus finished and also annealed? If so, how? A. The wire should be annealed first. 3. What other finish can be put on iron wire (annealed), and by what process? A. Zinc—by passing the clean wire through molten zinc covered with sal ammoniac; tin—by drawing the wire through a bath of molten tin covered with tallow. Minerals, Etc.—Specimens have been received from the following correspondents, and examined, with the results stated: J. H. McF.—A fine quality of kaolin.—F. C. H.—The floury powder consists chiefly, if not altogether, of calcium carbonate.—C. L. G.—They are all silicious limestones. We cannot judge fairly of their value for building purposes from the powders sent.—D. K.—Ferruginous earth or marl.—A. E.—It is a partially decomposed feldspar. The white powder is for the most part an impure, silicious, kaolin.—E. H.—It consists chiefly of basic carbonate and hydrated oxide of lead—poisonous.—J. B. V.—It is a fair quality of pipe clay—impure silicate of alumina—probably worth about $2 per ton in New York. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2013). Scientific American, Vol. XXXIX. No. 6. [New Series.], August 10, 1878. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19406/pg19406-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

LODESTONE

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