The Pound Sterling (GBP) remains vulnerable against the US Dollar in Thursday’s early American session after an intense sell-off that dragged the Cable to a two-month low near 1.2520.

Pound Sterling weakens against US Dollar as Fed rate cut hopes wane

Image © Adobe Images The British Pound looks vulnerable to further weakness against the Dollar but is better supported against the Euro and &#x27;high bet...

Pound Sterling in Risk-Off Play Against Euro and Dollar

The Pound Sterling (GBP) weakens against the US Dollar in Wednesday’s early American session as the United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for March remains stubbornly higher.

Pound Sterling weakens against US Dollar as March US Inflation remains sticky

Pounx

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Last week’s landslide victory for Britain’s Labour Party places Keir Starmer in a unique opportunity to reshape the UK’s financial landscape. The Labour Party has already made, as part of its mandate for financial services published in January, a commitment to expand the use of AI in financial services, to move Open Banking forward for “increased competition in retail payments,” to embrace “Open Finance” and to work on creating a UK-central digital currency, a state-backed digital pound. While the details on various proposals were missing in the party’s manifesto which touched upon a central bank digital currency, Labour’s plans for financial services showed “more of a commitment than any other political party” to a creating a digital pound, according to Jannah Patchay, executive board director at the Digital Pound Foundation. In February 2023, the UK Treasury and the Bank of England already QQi announced that state-backed digital pound would likely be introduced later this decade. While the previous Conservative government did not move towards digital currencies due to the fact that cryptocurrencies are not backed by a central bank and the value can shoot up and down rapidly, the digital pound, issued by the Bank of England, would be far less volatile. Ten digital pounds will always be worth the same as £10 in cash, the Treasury maintains. The next hurdle, for the cryptocurrency trade, however, is to convince the UK Treasury and the Bank of England that the technology proposed to develop the digital pound is similar to that of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. And many experts in the field see the new Labour government as having the potential to move towards digital assets, a move that would position the UK as a global cryptocurrency hub, according to Nigel Green, CEO of deVere Group, a leading financial advisory and fintech. Speaking to the Financial Mirror, Green stated, “To date, Starmer’s stance on crypto remains somewhat nebulous,” adding, “That said, Labour’s Rachel Reeves, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, has shown openness to the tech sector, while MP Tulip Siddiq (formerly Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury) has boldly stated that Labour would transform the UK into a global centre for tokenised assets if victorious.” The previous Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak had many intentions—even some unfulfilled plans—to elevate the status of crypto and Web3 in the UK. However, these plans were not developed in any meaningful way. Now, with yet another change of Prime Minister conterminous to a shift in political ideologies, it is possible that the crypto industry may remain in limbo. That said, the new Labour government has given domestic advocacy groups the perfect opportunity to launch their public manifestos in hopes of guiding government policy on cryptocurrency or even crypto lottery. While this surge of interest has certainly not come to the forefront of discussion around the new government without vast lobbying efforts undertaken by the crypto industry, the fact is that many in the crypto sector have been working for years to get the British government on board with crypto and it seems that Labour might be the party to move this agenda forward. According to a survey commissioned by the digital asset platform, Zumo between June 7 and 11, roughly one-third of 3,124 adults between the ages of 18 and 34 in the UK stated they were concerned about the future of crypto in the country while more than a third of young adults believe “the growth of the crypto sector should be a key consideration for politicians, with four in ten considering it vital for the UK’s economic growth prospects.” The support for the digital pound and cryptocurrency is no longer a fledgling dream for England or the rest of Britain. Now, under the Labour government there is  renewed public support that may transform the way montary systems work in favour of the public and not just the financial industry. Last week’s landslide victory for Britain’s Labour Party places Keir Starmer in a unique opportunity to reshape the UK’s financial landscape. The Labour Party has already made, as part of its mandate for financial services published in January, a commitment to expand the use of AI in financial services, to move Open Banking forward for “increased competition in retail payments,” to embrace “Open Finance” and to work on creating a UK-central digital currency, a state-backed digital pound. mandate mandate While the details on various proposals were missing in the party’s manifesto which touched upon a central bank digital currency, Labour’s plans for financial services showed “more of a commitment than any other political party” to a creating a digital pound, according to Jannah Patchay, executive board director at the Digital Pound Foundation . In February 2023, the UK Treasury and the Bank of England already QQi announced that state-backed digital pound would likely be introduced later this decade. Digital Pound Foundation Digital Pound Foundation While the previous Conservative government did not move towards digital currencies due to the fact that cryptocurrencies are not backed by a central bank and the value can shoot up and down rapidly, the digital pound, issued by the Bank of England, would be far less volatile. Ten digital pounds will always be worth the same as £10 in cash, the Treasury maintains. The next hurdle, for the cryptocurrency trade, however, is to convince the UK Treasury and the Bank of England that the technology proposed to develop the digital pound is similar to that of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. And many experts in the field see the new Labour government as having the potential to move towards digital assets, a move that would position the UK as a global cryptocurrency hub, according to Nigel Green , CEO of deVere Group, a leading financial advisory and fintech. Nigel Green Nigel Green Speaking to the Financial Mirror , Green stated, “To date, Starmer’s stance on crypto remains somewhat nebulous,” adding, “That said, Labour’s Rachel Reeves, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, has shown openness to the tech sector, while MP Tulip Siddiq (formerly Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury) has boldly stated that Labour would transform the UK into a global centre for tokenised assets if victorious.” Financial Mirror The previous Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak had many intentions—even some unfulfilled plans—to elevate the status of crypto and Web3 in the UK. However, these plans were not developed in any meaningful way. Now, with yet another change of Prime Minister conterminous to a shift in political ideologies, it is possible that the crypto industry may remain in limbo. That said, the new Labour government has given domestic advocacy groups the perfect opportunity to launch their public manifestos in hopes of guiding government policy on cryptocurrency or even crypto lottery . While this surge of interest has certainly not come to the forefront of discussion around the new government without vast lobbying efforts undertaken by the crypto industry, the fact is that many in the crypto sector have been working for years to get the British government on board with crypto and it seems that Labour might be the party to move this agenda forward. cryptocurrency crypto lottery crypto lottery lobbying lobbying According to a survey commissioned by the digital asset platform, Zumo between June 7 and 11, roughly one-third of 3,124 adults between the ages of 18 and 34 in the UK stated they were concerned about the future of crypto in the country while more than a third of young adults believe “the growth of the crypto sector should be a key consideration for politicians, with four in ten considering it vital for the UK’s economic growth prospects.” survey survey The support for the digital pound and cryptocurrency is no longer a fledgling dream for England or the rest of Britain. Now, under the Labour government there is  renewed public support that may transform the way montary systems work in favour of the public and not just the financial industry. digital pound fledgling dream

UK Labour Party Commits to Digital Pound While Considering Crypto

“ ”, my manager said unequivocally when I asked him about the single most thing that revolutionized the Software development industry. He argued that without containerisation, the rapid scaling and global deployment of today's software would have been a far more formidable challenge. It's remarkable to note that nearly all the software in use today leverages containerisation in various capacities, underscoring its indispensable role in powering the modern software ecosystem! Containerisation For those of you who don’t know, here is a definition from ~ AWS’s website *“Containerisation is a software deployment process that bundles an application’s code with all the files and libraries it needs to run on any infrastructure. Traditionally, to run any application on your computer, you had to install the version that matched your machine’s operating system.”* Images serve as the building blocks for containers, akin to blueprints guiding their creation. Therefore, maintaining lightweight and streamlined container images accelerates the deployment process and facilitates the distribution of these images. By optimizing your Docker images, not only can you expedite the overall development cycle, but you also bolster the security measures in place, ensuring a more robust and efficient software environment. In this article, we will explore various methods to create efficient Docker images, ultimately enhancing the efficiency of your application. Package single app per container It is a common mistake to treat container like Virtual Machines (VMs) and packaging more than one application inside a single container. While increasing the size of your container, this practice has other downsides too. A container is anticipated to have a lifespan that is closely related to the application it is running. The container should start when the app starts, and cease when the app finishes. Container orchestration solutions such as Docker and Kubernetes rely significantly on this attribute of containers. If a container is running many apps, the orchestration tools will be unable to identify and restart your application! Smartly utilising caches Images are composed of layers, and each instruction in your Dockerfile adds a new layer. Containerisation technologies, such as Docker, will attempt to reuse layers from prior builds wherever feasible in order to cut build time. Cache for a layer may only be used if none of the underlying layers have changed since prior builds. To enhance the speed of image building, it's beneficial to position instructions that may frequently change below in your Dockerfile. This approach enables Docker to leverage its caching system more effectively. For instance, since source code often undergoes frequent changes, it's advisable to copy it to the image towards the end of the process. While it does not make your images lighter, it makes the build process run fast! Remove unecessary tools Frequently, container images include unnecessary tools, leading to image bloat and potential security vulnerabilities. For example, tools like can be exploited by hackers to carry out malicious activities within your container if they gain unauthorised access. netcat Strictly maintaining the set of tools and libraries that get shipped with your container image can significantly help in reducing security threats and would also result in slimmer images. Smaller images download faster, meaning container start faster. Use the smallest base image The image that we reference in the FROM instruction is called the base image. Base image greatly dictates the size of the final image created. We should try to use the smallest base image possible to reduce the final size of our image. Try to use alpine images wherever possible since they are smaller in size and often contain enough tools to support development activity. Even when a small image does not contain all the tools that you require, using it may still be a better option. Installing packages that you require on top of the lighter base image may still provide saving over using the heavier image. Copy only what is necesary! While copying source code, many of the unwanted files and folder might also get copied over. This increases the size of your image and ultimately leads to bloating. Try to minimise the amount of files copied and try to keep them to a minimum. The significance of optimizing container images and establishing best practices is often overlooked in our industry. However, the substantial benefits that arise from adhering to these practices cannot be overstated. As developers, it's essential to consistently prioritize the creation of slim and fast container images. With that we reach the end of this article. Hope you enjoyed reading it!

How to Shed Pounds Off Your Docker Image

কিভাবে আপনার ডকার ইমেজ বন্ধ পাউন্ড সেড?

Wie können Sie Ihr Docker-Image einsparen?

¿Cómo perder peso en tu imagen de Docker?

Comment perdre des kilos sur votre image Docker ?

अपनी डॉकर छवि से पाउंड कैसे कम करें?

Docker イメージを大幅に削減するにはどうすればよいでしょうか?

Docker 이미지에서 파운드를 줄이는 방법은 무엇입니까?

Como perder peso com sua imagem Docker?

Как сбросить фунты с вашего образа Docker?

Docker imajınızdan Pound'u nasıl dökebilirsiniz?

Làm cách nào để loại bỏ Pound khỏi hình ảnh Docker của bạn?

如何减轻 Docker 镜像的重量？

FTC v. Amazon Court Filing, retrieved on Sep 26, 2023, is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This is part 71 of 80. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here COUNT XV: VIOLATIONS OF NEW YORK STATE LAW 516. Plaintiff State of New York repeats and re-alleges and incorporates by reference each and every paragraph and allegation of this Complaint as if fully set forth herein. 517. Amazon’s aforementioned acts and practices alleged in the Complaint violate Section 63(12) of New York’s Executive Law, in that Amazon engaged in repeated and/or persistent illegal acts—violations of Section 2 of the Sherman Act and Section 5 of the FTC Act—in the carrying on, conducting, or transaction of business within the meaning and intent of Executive Law Section 63(12). 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 2:23-cv-01495 retrieved on October 2, 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. ftc.gov

New York State Joins Plaintiffs Seeking a Pound of Flesh From Amazon

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . IN WHICH THE MASTER OF THE “TANKADERE” RUNS GREAT RISK OF LOSING A REWARD OF TWO HUNDRED POUNDS here CHAPTER XXI. IN WHICH THE MASTER OF THE “TANKADERE” RUNS GREAT RISK OF LOSING A REWARD OF TWO HUNDRED POUNDS This voyage of eight hundred miles was a perilous venture on a craft of twenty tons, and at that season of the year. The Chinese seas are usually boisterous, subject to terrible gales of wind, and especially during the equinoxes; and it was now early November. It would clearly have been to the master’s advantage to carry his passengers to Yokohama, since he was paid a certain sum per day; but he would have been rash to attempt such a voyage, and it was imprudent even to attempt to reach Shanghai. But John Bunsby believed in the “Tankadere,” which rode on the waves like a seagull; and perhaps he was not wrong. Late in the day they passed through the capricious channels of Hong Kong, and the “Tankadere,” impelled by favourable winds, conducted herself admirably. “I do not need, pilot,” said Phileas Fogg, when they got into the open sea, “to advise you to use all possible speed.” “Trust me, your honour. We are carrying all the sail the wind will let us. The poles would add nothing, and are only used when we are going into port.” “It’s your trade, not mine, pilot, and I confide in you.” Phileas Fogg, with body erect and legs wide apart, standing like a sailor, gazed without staggering at the swelling waters. The young woman, who was seated aft, was profoundly affected as she looked out upon the ocean, darkening now with the twilight, on which she had ventured in so frail a vessel. Above her head rustled the white sails, which seemed like great white wings. The boat, carried forward by the wind, seemed to be flying in the air. Night came. The moon was entering her first quarter, and her insufficient light would soon die out in the mist on the horizon. Clouds were rising from the east, and already overcast a part of the heavens. The pilot had hung out his lights, which was very necessary in these seas crowded with vessels bound landward; for collisions are not uncommon occurrences, and, at the speed she was going, the least shock would shatter the gallant little craft. Fix, seated in the bow, gave himself up to meditation. He kept apart from his fellow-travellers, knowing Mr. Fogg’s taciturn tastes; besides, he did not quite like to talk to the man whose favours he had accepted. He was thinking, too, of the future. It seemed certain that Fogg would not stop at Yokohama, but would at once take the boat for San Francisco; and the vast extent of America would ensure him impunity and safety. Fogg’s plan appeared to him the simplest in the world. Instead of sailing directly from England to the United States, like a common villain, he had traversed three quarters of the globe, so as to gain the American continent more surely; and there, after throwing the police off his track, he would quietly enjoy himself with the fortune stolen from the bank. But, once in the United States, what should he, Fix, do? Should he abandon this man? No, a hundred times no! Until he had secured his extradition, he would not lose sight of him for an hour. It was his duty, and he would fulfil it to the end. At all events, there was one thing to be thankful for; Passepartout was not with his master; and it was above all important, after the confidences Fix had imparted to him, that the servant should never have speech with his master. Phileas Fogg was also thinking of Passepartout, who had so strangely disappeared. Looking at the matter from every point of view, it did not seem to him impossible that, by some mistake, the man might have embarked on the “Carnatic” at the last moment; and this was also Aouda’s opinion, who regretted very much the loss of the worthy fellow to whom she owed so much. They might then find him at Yokohama; for, if the “Carnatic” was carrying him thither, it would be easy to ascertain if he had been on board. A brisk breeze arose about ten o’clock; but, though it might have been prudent to take in a reef, the pilot, after carefully examining the heavens, let the craft remain rigged as before. The “Tankadere” bore sail admirably, as she drew a great deal of water, and everything was prepared for high speed in case of a gale. Mr. Fogg and Aouda descended into the cabin at midnight, having been already preceded by Fix, who had lain down on one of the cots. The pilot and crew remained on deck all night. At sunrise the next day, which was 8th November, the boat had made more than one hundred miles. The log indicated a mean speed of between eight and nine miles. The “Tankadere” still carried all sail, and was accomplishing her greatest capacity of speed. If the wind held as it was, the chances would be in her favour. During the day she kept along the coast, where the currents were favourable; the coast, irregular in profile, and visible sometimes across the clearings, was at most five miles distant. The sea was less boisterous, since the wind came off land—a fortunate circumstance for the boat, which would suffer, owing to its small tonnage, by a heavy surge on the sea. The breeze subsided a little towards noon, and set in from the south-west. The pilot put up his poles, but took them down again within two hours, as the wind freshened up anew. Mr. Fogg and Aouda, happily unaffected by the roughness of the sea, ate with a good appetite, Fix being invited to share their repast, which he accepted with secret chagrin. To travel at this man’s expense and live upon his provisions was not palatable to him. Still, he was obliged to eat, and so he ate. When the meal was over, he took Mr. Fogg apart, and said, “sir”—this “sir” scorched his lips, and he had to control himself to avoid collaring this “gentleman”—“sir, you have been very kind to give me a passage on this boat. But, though my means will not admit of my expending them as freely as you, I must ask to pay my share—” “Let us not speak of that, sir,” replied Mr. Fogg. “But, if I insist—” “No, sir,” repeated Mr. Fogg, in a tone which did not admit of a reply. “This enters into my general expenses.” Fix, as he bowed, had a stifled feeling, and, going forward, where he ensconced himself, did not open his mouth for the rest of the day. Meanwhile they were progressing famously, and John Bunsby was in high hope. He several times assured Mr. Fogg that they would reach Shanghai in time; to which that gentleman responded that he counted upon it. The crew set to work in good earnest, inspired by the reward to be gained. There was not a sheet which was not tightened, not a sail which was not vigorously hoisted; not a lurch could be charged to the man at the helm. They worked as desperately as if they were contesting in a Royal yacht regatta. By evening, the log showed that two hundred and twenty miles had been accomplished from Hong Kong, and Mr. Fogg might hope that he would be able to reach Yokohama without recording any delay in his journal; in which case, the many misadventures which had overtaken him since he left London would not seriously affect his journey. The “Tankadere” entered the Straits of Fo-Kien, which separate the island of Formosa from the Chinese coast, in the small hours of the night, and crossed the Tropic of Cancer. The sea was very rough in the straits, full of eddies formed by the counter-currents, and the chopping waves broke her course, whilst it became very difficult to stand on deck. At daybreak the wind began to blow hard again, and the heavens seemed to predict a gale. The barometer announced a speedy change, the mercury rising and falling capriciously; the sea also, in the south-east, raised long surges which indicated a tempest. The sun had set the evening before in a red mist, in the midst of the phosphorescent scintillations of the ocean. John Bunsby long examined the threatening aspect of the heavens, muttering indistinctly between his teeth. At last he said in a low voice to Mr. Fogg, “Shall I speak out to your honour?” “Of course.” “Well, we are going to have a squall.” “Is the wind north or south?” asked Mr. Fogg quietly. “South. Look! a typhoon is coming up.” “Glad it’s a typhoon from the south, for it will carry us forward.” “Oh, if you take it that way,” said John Bunsby, “I’ve nothing more to say.” John Bunsby’s suspicions were confirmed. At a less advanced season of the year the typhoon, according to a famous meteorologist, would have passed away like a luminous cascade of electric flame; but in the winter equinox it was to be feared that it would burst upon them with great violence. The pilot took his precautions in advance. He reefed all sail, the pole-masts were dispensed with; all hands went forward to the bows. A single triangular sail, of strong canvas, was hoisted as a storm-jib, so as to hold the wind from behind. Then they waited. John Bunsby had requested his passengers to go below; but this imprisonment in so narrow a space, with little air, and the boat bouncing in the gale, was far from pleasant. Neither Mr. Fogg, Fix, nor Aouda consented to leave the deck. The storm of rain and wind descended upon them towards eight o’clock. With but its bit of sail, the “Tankadere” was lifted like a feather by a wind, an idea of whose violence can scarcely be given. To compare her speed to four times that of a locomotive going on full steam would be below the truth. The boat scudded thus northward during the whole day, borne on by monstrous waves, preserving always, fortunately, a speed equal to theirs. Twenty times she seemed almost to be submerged by these mountains of water which rose behind her; but the adroit management of the pilot saved her. The passengers were often bathed in spray, but they submitted to it philosophically. Fix cursed it, no doubt; but Aouda, with her eyes fastened upon her protector, whose coolness amazed her, showed herself worthy of him, and bravely weathered the storm. As for Phileas Fogg, it seemed just as if the typhoon were a part of his programme. Up to this time the “Tankadere” had always held her course to the north; but towards evening the wind, veering three quarters, bore down from the north-west. The boat, now lying in the trough of the waves, shook and rolled terribly; the sea struck her with fearful violence. At night the tempest increased in violence. John Bunsby saw the approach of darkness and the rising of the storm with dark misgivings. He thought awhile, and then asked his crew if it was not time to slacken speed. After a consultation he approached Mr. Fogg, and said, “I think, your honour, that we should do well to make for one of the ports on the coast.” “I think so too.” “Ah!” said the pilot. “But which one?” “I know of but one,” returned Mr. Fogg tranquilly. “And that is—” “Shanghai.” The pilot, at first, did not seem to comprehend; he could scarcely realise so much determination and tenacity. Then he cried, “Well—yes! Your honour is right. To Shanghai!” So the “Tankadere” kept steadily on her northward track. The night was really terrible; it would be a miracle if the craft did not founder. Twice it could have been all over with her if the crew had not been constantly on the watch. Aouda was exhausted, but did not utter a complaint. More than once Mr. Fogg rushed to protect her from the violence of the waves. Day reappeared. The tempest still raged with undiminished fury; but the wind now returned to the south-east. It was a favourable change, and the “Tankadere” again bounded forward on this mountainous sea, though the waves crossed each other, and imparted shocks and counter-shocks which would have crushed a craft less solidly built. From time to time the coast was visible through the broken mist, but no vessel was in sight. The “Tankadere” was alone upon the sea. There were some signs of a calm at noon, and these became more distinct as the sun descended toward the horizon. The tempest had been as brief as terrific. The passengers, thoroughly exhausted, could now eat a little, and take some repose. The night was comparatively quiet. Some of the sails were again hoisted, and the speed of the boat was very good. The next morning at dawn they espied the coast, and John Bunsby was able to assert that they were not one hundred miles from Shanghai. A hundred miles, and only one day to traverse them! That very evening Mr. Fogg was due at Shanghai, if he did not wish to miss the steamer to Yokohama. Had there been no storm, during which several hours were lost, they would be at this moment within thirty miles of their destination. The wind grew decidedly calmer, and happily the sea fell with it. All sails were now hoisted, and at noon the “Tankadere” was within forty-five miles of Shanghai. There remained yet six hours in which to accomplish that distance. All on board feared that it could not be done, and every one—Phileas Fogg, no doubt, excepted—felt his heart beat with impatience. The boat must keep up an average of nine miles an hour, and the wind was becoming calmer every moment! It was a capricious breeze, coming from the coast, and after it passed the sea became smooth. Still, the “Tankadere” was so light, and her fine sails caught the fickle zephyrs so well, that, with the aid of the currents John Bunsby found himself at six o’clock not more than ten miles from the mouth of Shanghai River. Shanghai itself is situated at least twelve miles up the stream. At seven they were still three miles from Shanghai. The pilot swore an angry oath; the reward of two hundred pounds was evidently on the point of escaping him. He looked at Mr. Fogg. Mr. Fogg was perfectly tranquil; and yet his whole fortune was at this moment at stake. At this moment, also, a long black funnel, crowned with wreaths of smoke, appeared on the edge of the waters. It was the American steamer, leaving for Yokohama at the appointed time. “Confound her!” cried John Bunsby, pushing back the rudder with a desperate jerk. “Signal her!” said Phileas Fogg quietly. A small brass cannon stood on the forward deck of the “Tankadere,” for making signals in the fogs. It was loaded to the muzzle; but just as the pilot was about to apply a red-hot coal to the touchhole, Mr. Fogg said, “Hoist your flag!” The flag was run up at half-mast, and, this being the signal of distress, it was hoped that the American steamer, perceiving it, would change her course a little, so as to succour the pilot-boat. “Fire!” said Mr. Fogg. And the booming of the little cannon resounded in the air. 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 (1994). Around the World in Eighty Days. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/103/103-h/103-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

IN WHICH THE MASTER OF THE “TANKADERE” RUNS GREAT RISK OF LOSING A REWARD OF TWO HUNDRED POUNDS

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . IN WHICH THE BAG OF BANKNOTES DISGORGES SOME THOUSANDS OF POUNDS MORE here CHAPTER XV. IN WHICH THE BAG OF BANKNOTES DISGORGES SOME THOUSANDS OF POUNDS MORE The train entered the station, and Passepartout jumping out first, was followed by Mr. Fogg, who assisted his fair companion to descend. Phileas Fogg intended to proceed at once to the Hong Kong steamer, in order to get Aouda comfortably settled for the voyage. He was unwilling to leave her while they were still on dangerous ground. Just as he was leaving the station a policeman came up to him, and said, “Mr. Phileas Fogg?” “I am he.” “Is this man your servant?” added the policeman, pointing to Passepartout. “Yes.” “Be so good, both of you, as to follow me.” Mr. Fogg betrayed no surprise whatever. The policeman was a representative of the law, and law is sacred to an Englishman. Passepartout tried to reason about the matter, but the policeman tapped him with his stick, and Mr. Fogg made him a signal to obey. “May this young lady go with us?” asked he. “She may,” replied the policeman. Mr. Fogg, Aouda, and Passepartout were conducted to a palkigahri, a sort of four-wheeled carriage, drawn by two horses, in which they took their places and were driven away. No one spoke during the twenty minutes which elapsed before they reached their destination. They first passed through the “black town,” with its narrow streets, its miserable, dirty huts, and squalid population; then through the “European town,” which presented a relief in its bright brick mansions, shaded by coconut-trees and bristling with masts, where, although it was early morning, elegantly dressed horsemen and handsome equipages were passing back and forth. The carriage stopped before a modest-looking house, which, however, did not have the appearance of a private mansion. The policeman having requested his prisoners—for so, truly, they might be called—to descend, conducted them into a room with barred windows, and said: “You will appear before Judge Obadiah at half-past eight.” He then retired, and closed the door. “Why, we are prisoners!” exclaimed Passepartout, falling into a chair. Aouda, with an emotion she tried to conceal, said to Mr. Fogg: “Sir, you must leave me to my fate! It is on my account that you receive this treatment, it is for having saved me!” Phileas Fogg contented himself with saying that it was impossible. It was quite unlikely that he should be arrested for preventing a suttee. The complainants would not dare present themselves with such a charge. There was some mistake. Moreover, he would not, in any event, abandon Aouda, but would escort her to Hong Kong. “But the steamer leaves at noon!” observed Passepartout, nervously. “We shall be on board by noon,” replied his master, placidly. It was said so positively that Passepartout could not help muttering to himself, “Parbleu that’s certain! Before noon we shall be on board.” But he was by no means reassured. At half-past eight the door opened, the policeman appeared, and, requesting them to follow him, led the way to an adjoining hall. It was evidently a court-room, and a crowd of Europeans and natives already occupied the rear of the apartment. Mr. Fogg and his two companions took their places on a bench opposite the desks of the magistrate and his clerk. Immediately after, Judge Obadiah, a fat, round man, followed by the clerk, entered. He proceeded to take down a wig which was hanging on a nail, and put it hurriedly on his head. “The first case,” said he. Then, putting his hand to his head, he exclaimed, “Heh! This is not my wig!” “No, your worship,” returned the clerk, “it is mine.” “My dear Mr. Oysterpuff, how can a judge give a wise sentence in a clerk’s wig?” The wigs were exchanged. Passepartout was getting nervous, for the hands on the face of the big clock over the judge seemed to go around with terrible rapidity. “The first case,” repeated Judge Obadiah. “Phileas Fogg?” demanded Oysterpuff. “I am here,” replied Mr. Fogg. “Passepartout?” “Present,” responded Passepartout. “Good,” said the judge. “You have been looked for, prisoners, for two days on the trains from Bombay.” “But of what are we accused?” asked Passepartout, impatiently. “You are about to be informed.” “I am an English subject, sir,” said Mr. Fogg, “and I have the right—” “Have you been ill-treated?” “Not at all.” “Very well; let the complainants come in.” A door was swung open by order of the judge, and three Indian priests entered. “That’s it,” muttered Passepartout; “these are the rogues who were going to burn our young lady.” The priests took their places in front of the judge, and the clerk proceeded to read in a loud voice a complaint of sacrilege against Phileas Fogg and his servant, who were accused of having violated a place held consecrated by the Brahmin religion. “You hear the charge?” asked the judge. “Yes, sir,” replied Mr. Fogg, consulting his watch, “and I admit it.” “You admit it?” “I admit it, and I wish to hear these priests admit, in their turn, what they were going to do at the pagoda of Pillaji.” The priests looked at each other; they did not seem to understand what was said. “Yes,” cried Passepartout, warmly; “at the pagoda of Pillaji, where they were on the point of burning their victim.” The judge stared with astonishment, and the priests were stupefied. “What victim?” said Judge Obadiah. “Burn whom? In Bombay itself?” “Bombay?” cried Passepartout. “Certainly. We are not talking of the pagoda of Pillaji, but of the pagoda of Malabar Hill, at Bombay.” “And as a proof,” added the clerk, “here are the desecrator’s very shoes, which he left behind him.” Whereupon he placed a pair of shoes on his desk. “My shoes!” cried Passepartout, in his surprise permitting this imprudent exclamation to escape him. The confusion of master and man, who had quite forgotten the affair at Bombay, for which they were now detained at Calcutta, may be imagined. Fix the detective, had foreseen the advantage which Passepartout’s escapade gave him, and, delaying his departure for twelve hours, had consulted the priests of Malabar Hill. Knowing that the English authorities dealt very severely with this kind of misdemeanour, he promised them a goodly sum in damages, and sent them forward to Calcutta by the next train. Owing to the delay caused by the rescue of the young widow, Fix and the priests reached the Indian capital before Mr. Fogg and his servant, the magistrates having been already warned by a dispatch to arrest them should they arrive. Fix’s disappointment when he learned that Phileas Fogg had not made his appearance in Calcutta may be imagined. He made up his mind that the robber had stopped somewhere on the route and taken refuge in the southern provinces. For twenty-four hours Fix watched the station with feverish anxiety; at last he was rewarded by seeing Mr. Fogg and Passepartout arrive, accompanied by a young woman, whose presence he was wholly at a loss to explain. He hastened for a policeman; and this was how the party came to be arrested and brought before Judge Obadiah. Had Passepartout been a little less preoccupied, he would have espied the detective ensconced in a corner of the court-room, watching the proceedings with an interest easily understood; for the warrant had failed to reach him at Calcutta, as it had done at Bombay and Suez. Judge Obadiah had unfortunately caught Passepartout’s rash exclamation, which the poor fellow would have given the world to recall. “The facts are admitted?” asked the judge. “Admitted,” replied Mr. Fogg, coldly. “Inasmuch,” resumed the judge, “as the English law protects equally and sternly the religions of the Indian people, and as the man Passepartout has admitted that he violated the sacred pagoda of Malabar Hill, at Bombay, on the 20th of October, I condemn the said Passepartout to imprisonment for fifteen days and a fine of three hundred pounds.” “Three hundred pounds!” cried Passepartout, startled at the largeness of the sum. “Silence!” shouted the constable. “And inasmuch,” continued the judge, “as it is not proved that the act was not done by the connivance of the master with the servant, and as the master in any case must be held responsible for the acts of his paid servant, I condemn Phileas Fogg to a week’s imprisonment and a fine of one hundred and fifty pounds.” Fix rubbed his hands softly with satisfaction; if Phileas Fogg could be detained in Calcutta a week, it would be more than time for the warrant to arrive. Passepartout was stupefied. This sentence ruined his master. A wager of twenty thousand pounds lost, because he, like a precious fool, had gone into that abominable pagoda! Phileas Fogg, as self-composed as if the judgment did not in the least concern him, did not even lift his eyebrows while it was being pronounced. Just as the clerk was calling the next case, he rose, and said, “I offer bail.” “You have that right,” returned the judge. Fix’s blood ran cold, but he resumed his composure when he heard the judge announce that the bail required for each prisoner would be one thousand pounds. “I will pay it at once,” said Mr. Fogg, taking a roll of bank-bills from the carpet-bag, which Passepartout had by him, and placing them on the clerk’s desk. “This sum will be restored to you upon your release from prison,” said the judge. “Meanwhile, you are liberated on bail.” “Come!” said Phileas Fogg to his servant. “But let them at least give me back my shoes!” cried Passepartout angrily. “Ah, these are pretty dear shoes!” he muttered, as they were handed to him. “More than a thousand pounds apiece; besides, they pinch my feet.” Mr. Fogg, offering his arm to Aouda, then departed, followed by the crestfallen Passepartout. Fix still nourished hopes that the robber would not, after all, leave the two thousand pounds behind him, but would decide to serve out his week in jail, and issued forth on Mr. Fogg’s traces. That gentleman took a carriage, and the party were soon landed on one of the quays. The “Rangoon” was moored half a mile off in the harbour, its signal of departure hoisted at the mast-head. Eleven o’clock was striking; Mr. Fogg was an hour in advance of time. Fix saw them leave the carriage and push off in a boat for the steamer, and stamped his feet with disappointment. “The rascal is off, after all!” he exclaimed. “Two thousand pounds sacrificed! He’s as prodigal as a thief! I’ll follow him to the end of the world if necessary; but, at the rate he is going on, the stolen money will soon be exhausted.” The detective was not far wrong in making this conjecture. Since leaving London, what with travelling expenses, bribes, the purchase of the elephant, bails, and fines, Mr. Fogg had already spent more than five thousand pounds on the way, and the percentage of the sum recovered from the bank robber promised to the detectives, was rapidly diminishing. 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 (1994). Around the World in Eighty Days. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/103/103-h/103-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

IN WHICH THE BAG OF BANKNOTES DISGORGES SOME THOUSANDS OF POUNDS MORE

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . The Medical Experts And A Pound Of Nuts Chapter III. The Medical Experts And A Pound Of Nuts The evidence of the medical experts, too, was of little use to the prisoner. And it appeared later that Fetyukovitch had not reckoned much upon it. The medical line of defense had only been taken up through the insistence of Katerina Ivanovna, who had sent for a celebrated doctor from Moscow on purpose. The case for the defense could, of course, lose nothing by it and might, with luck, gain something from it. There was, however, an element of comedy about it, through the difference of opinion of the doctors. The medical experts were the famous doctor from Moscow, our doctor, Herzenstube, and the young doctor, Varvinsky. The two latter appeared also as witnesses for the prosecution. The first to be called in the capacity of expert was Doctor Herzenstube. He was a gray and bald old man of seventy, of middle height and sturdy build. He was much esteemed and respected by every one in the town. He was a conscientious doctor and an excellent and pious man, a Hernguter or Moravian brother, I am not quite sure which. He had been living amongst us for many years and behaved with wonderful dignity. He was a kind‐hearted and humane man. He treated the sick poor and peasants for nothing, visited them in their slums and huts, and left money for medicine, but he was as obstinate as a mule. If once he had taken an idea into his head, there was no shaking it. Almost every one in the town was aware, by the way, that the famous doctor had, within the first two or three days of his presence among us, uttered some extremely offensive allusions to Doctor Herzenstube’s qualifications. Though the Moscow doctor asked twenty‐five roubles for a visit, several people in the town were glad to take advantage of his arrival, and rushed to consult him regardless of expense. All these had, of course, been previously patients of Doctor Herzenstube, and the celebrated doctor had criticized his treatment with extreme harshness. Finally, he had asked the patients as soon as he saw them, “Well, who has been cramming you with nostrums? Herzenstube? He, he!” Doctor Herzenstube, of course, heard all this, and now all the three doctors made their appearance, one after another, to be examined. Doctor Herzenstube roundly declared that the abnormality of the prisoner’s mental faculties was self‐evident. Then giving his grounds for this opinion, which I omit here, he added that the abnormality was not only evident in many of the prisoner’s actions in the past, but was apparent even now at this very moment. When he was asked to explain how it was apparent now at this moment, the old doctor, with simple‐hearted directness, pointed out that the prisoner on entering the court had “an extraordinary air, remarkable in the circumstances”; that he had “marched in like a soldier, looking straight before him, though it would have been more natural for him to look to the left where, among the public, the ladies were sitting, seeing that he was a great admirer of the fair sex and must be thinking much of what the ladies are saying of him now,” the old man concluded in his peculiar language. I must add that he spoke Russian readily, but every phrase was formed in German style, which did not, however, trouble him, for it had always been a weakness of his to believe that he spoke Russian perfectly, better indeed than Russians. And he was very fond of using Russian proverbs, always declaring that the Russian proverbs were the best and most expressive sayings in the whole world. I may remark, too, that in conversation, through absent‐mindedness he often forgot the most ordinary words, which sometimes went out of his head, though he knew them perfectly. The same thing happened, though, when he spoke German, and at such times he always waved his hand before his face as though trying to catch the lost word, and no one could induce him to go on speaking till he had found the missing word. His remark that the prisoner ought to have looked at the ladies on entering roused a whisper of amusement in the audience. All our ladies were very fond of our old doctor; they knew, too, that having been all his life a bachelor and a religious man of exemplary conduct, he looked upon women as lofty creatures. And so his unexpected observation struck every one as very queer. The Moscow doctor, being questioned in his turn, definitely and emphatically repeated that he considered the prisoner’s mental condition abnormal in the highest degree. He talked at length and with erudition of “aberration” and “mania,” and argued that, from all the facts collected, the prisoner had undoubtedly been in a condition of aberration for several days before his arrest, and, if the crime had been committed by him, it must, even if he were conscious of it, have been almost involuntary, as he had not the power to control the morbid impulse that possessed him. But apart from temporary aberration, the doctor diagnosed mania, which premised, in his words, to lead to complete insanity in the future. (It must be noted that I report this in my own words, the doctor made use of very learned and professional language.) “All his actions are in contravention of common sense and logic,” he continued. “Not to refer to what I have not seen, that is, the crime itself and the whole catastrophe, the day before yesterday, while he was talking to me, he had an unaccountably fixed look in his eye. He laughed unexpectedly when there was nothing to laugh at. He showed continual and inexplicable irritability, using strange words, ‘Bernard!’ ‘Ethics!’ and others equally inappropriate.” But the doctor detected mania, above all, in the fact that the prisoner could not even speak of the three thousand roubles, of which he considered himself to have been cheated, without extraordinary irritation, though he could speak comparatively lightly of other misfortunes and grievances. According to all accounts, he had even in the past, whenever the subject of the three thousand roubles was touched on, flown into a perfect frenzy, and yet he was reported to be a disinterested and not grasping man. “As to the opinion of my learned colleague,” the Moscow doctor added ironically in conclusion, “that the prisoner would, on entering the court, have naturally looked at the ladies and not straight before him, I will only say that, apart from the playfulness of this theory, it is radically unsound. For though I fully agree that the prisoner, on entering the court where his fate will be decided, would not naturally look straight before him in that fixed way, and that that may really be a sign of his abnormal mental condition, at the same time I maintain that he would naturally not look to the left at the ladies, but, on the contrary, to the right to find his legal adviser, on whose help all his hopes rest and on whose defense all his future depends.” The doctor expressed his opinion positively and emphatically. But the unexpected pronouncement of Doctor Varvinsky gave the last touch of comedy to the difference of opinion between the experts. In his opinion the prisoner was now, and had been all along, in a perfectly normal condition, and, although he certainly must have been in a nervous and exceedingly excited state before his arrest, this might have been due to several perfectly obvious causes, jealousy, anger, continual drunkenness, and so on. But this nervous condition would not involve the mental aberration of which mention had just been made. As to the question whether the prisoner should have looked to the left or to the right on entering the court, “in his modest opinion,” the prisoner would naturally look straight before him on entering the court, as he had in fact done, as that was where the judges, on whom his fate depended, were sitting. So that it was just by looking straight before him that he showed his perfectly normal state of mind at the present. The young doctor concluded his “modest” testimony with some heat. “Bravo, doctor!” cried Mitya, from his seat, “just so!” Mitya, of course, was checked, but the young doctor’s opinion had a decisive influence on the judges and on the public, and, as appeared afterwards, every one agreed with him. But Doctor Herzenstube, when called as a witness, was quite unexpectedly of use to Mitya. As an old resident in the town who had known the Karamazov family for years, he furnished some facts of great value for the prosecution, and suddenly, as though recalling something, he added: “But the poor young man might have had a very different life, for he had a good heart both in childhood and after childhood, that I know. But the Russian proverb says, ‘If a man has one head, it’s good, but if another clever man comes to visit him, it would be better still, for then there will be two heads and not only one.’ ” “One head is good, but two are better,” the prosecutor put in impatiently. He knew the old man’s habit of talking slowly and deliberately, regardless of the impression he was making and of the delay he was causing, and highly prizing his flat, dull and always gleefully complacent German wit. The old man was fond of making jokes. “Oh, yes, that’s what I say,” he went on stubbornly. “One head is good, but two are much better, but he did not meet another head with wits, and his wits went. Where did they go? I’ve forgotten the word.” He went on, passing his hand before his eyes, “Oh, yes, spazieren.” “Wandering?” “Oh, yes, wandering, that’s what I say. Well, his wits went wandering and fell in such a deep hole that he lost himself. And yet he was a grateful and sensitive boy. Oh, I remember him very well, a little chap so high, left neglected by his father in the back yard, when he ran about without boots on his feet, and his little breeches hanging by one button.” A note of feeling and tenderness suddenly came into the honest old man’s voice. Fetyukovitch positively started, as though scenting something, and caught at it instantly. “Oh, yes, I was a young man then.... I was ... well, I was forty‐five then, and had only just come here. And I was so sorry for the boy then; I asked myself why shouldn’t I buy him a pound of ... a pound of what? I’ve forgotten what it’s called. A pound of what children are very fond of, what is it, what is it?” The doctor began waving his hands again. “It grows on a tree and is gathered and given to every one....” “Apples?” “Oh, no, no. You have a dozen of apples, not a pound.... No, there are a lot of them, and all little. You put them in the mouth and crack.” “Nuts?” “Quite so, nuts, I say so.” The doctor repeated in the calmest way as though he had been at no loss for a word. “And I bought him a pound of nuts, for no one had ever bought the boy a pound of nuts before. And I lifted my finger and said to him, ‘Boy, Gott der Vater.’ He laughed and said, ‘Gott der Vater.’... ‘Gott der Sohn.’ He laughed again and lisped, ‘Gott der Sohn.’ ‘Gott der heilige Geist.’ Then he laughed and said as best he could, ‘Gott der heilige Geist.’ I went away, and two days after I happened to be passing, and he shouted to me of himself, ‘Uncle, Gott der Vater, Gott der Sohn,’ and he had only forgotten ‘Gott der heilige Geist.’ But I reminded him of it and I felt very sorry for him again. But he was taken away, and I did not see him again. Twenty‐ three years passed. I am sitting one morning in my study, a white‐haired old man, when there walks into the room a blooming young man, whom I should never have recognized, but he held up his finger and said, laughing, ‘Gott der Vater, Gott der Sohn, and Gott der heilige Geist. I have just arrived and have come to thank you for that pound of nuts, for no one else ever bought me a pound of nuts; you are the only one that ever did.’ And then I remembered my happy youth and the poor child in the yard, without boots on his feet, and my heart was touched and I said, ‘You are a grateful young man, for you have remembered all your life the pound of nuts I bought you in your childhood.’ And I embraced him and blessed him. And I shed tears. He laughed, but he shed tears, too ... for the Russian often laughs when he ought to be weeping. But he did weep; I saw it. And now, alas!...” “And I am weeping now, German, I am weeping now, too, you saintly man,” Mitya cried suddenly. In any case the anecdote made a certain favorable impression on the public. But the chief sensation in Mitya’s favor was created by the evidence of Katerina Ivanovna, which I will describe directly. Indeed, when the witnesses à décharge, that is, called by the defense, began giving evidence, fortune seemed all at once markedly more favorable to Mitya, and what was particularly striking, this was a surprise even to the counsel for the defense. But before Katerina Ivanovna was called, Alyosha was examined, and he recalled a fact which seemed to furnish positive evidence against one important point made by the prosecution. 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. Fyodor Dostoyevsky (2009). The Brothers Karamazov. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/28054/pg28054-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 Medical Experts And A Pound Of Nuts

I recently Googled And IBM.com gave the top result. As it explains, smart contracts automate coded actions on a cryptocurrency platform (blockchain). So I’m thinking trader bots and escrow agreements. The result also says they can automate a workflow. So hourly, weekly, or monthly (cryptocurrency) payments to a payroll. OK. I guess there is something smart about smart contracts. Coz people usually handle the aforementioned tasks. Then I got to thinking, can smart contracts be as smart as artificial intelligence algorithms? Yes, I Googled. It’s not a thing. Every site talks of a smart contract combined with AI. I want it to become AI. I know, we all want things. If wishes were horses. Nonetheless, I have a few quirky similarities to share. Starting with the cover image. Notice how the Rootstock logo looks a lot like an Artificial Neural Network? I did. Bitcoin’s supply mechanics and the Boltzmann distribution Rootstock is a Bitcoin side chain which means at its heart, it is Bitcoin’s supply mechanics that govern the halving and the difficulty adjustment and more. The true engine of all its smart contracting. While Rootstock was chugging along its Bitcoin rails, on the other side of town, the Nobel Prize in Physics was being awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”- https://www.nobelprize.org/. Their work in machine learning led to GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers), a now famous architecture in major AI systems today. What’s interesting is that foundational to all Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), as mentioned in the Advanced information section of NobelPrize.org, is something called the Boltzmann Distribution. Below is its mathematical equation to capture the energy E of an ANN; Notice the similarity to the Bitcoin supply equation below (with 3 parameters too! Replace W_ij above with 210,000, S_j with 50, and S_i with 1/2^i) ; What can I say, there is something Bitcoin-like to AI. Both the Boltzmann distribution and the Bitcoin supply equation model an exponential decay/reduction. The former is generalized for the energy of a closed system with n particles, while the latter models the number of bitcoins available to be mined. This too is a closed system with n = number of halvings. The particles can be as many as they want to be (so whether Bitcoin is a planet-sized computational network or a modest network of a dozen PCs, doesn’t matter). But they will all decay in 32 halvings to mine all the bitcoins that can possibly be mined. Approximately 21 million. Now bitcoins are mined in a system that unlike standard computer systems, where linguistic logic coded by a programmer dictates the state of 0s and 1s, this machine changes when it is fed energy... - Sydney Bright, BitcoinMagazine. How smart are Rootstock smart contracts? We have seen that both Rootstock smart contracts and AI algorithms consume energy. So the question is, how well do they consume the energy? Well, both consume it pretty well to make some good money. They are both smart money algorithms in that regard. To see an instance of this, let’s put Rootstock next to ChatGPT in a certain way. Look at the below statistics. Of course, ChatGPT has more users, more money flowing in, and more employees worldwide. It is smart. We all know this. But pound for computational pound, Rootstock does hold its own. Let’s make some assumptions like a Physicist. For example, we can see that Rootstock.io has 261,406 monthly transactions. Assume they are from 261,406 different people. Meanwhile, ChatGPT has 800 million monthly users, generating billions of prompts (similar to transactions) every month. Let’s take their number of monthly users as equivalent to their monthly transactions. Now let’s divide market cap by these monthly figures (this is a made-up metric, but a good one): Rootstock’s “Market cap per monthly user” = $380,000,000 / 261,406 = $1453 ChatGPT’s “Market cap per monthly user” = $157,000,000,000 / 800,000,000 = $196 As you can see, ChatGPT is not doing better than Rootstock in this calculation! And if those 2740 RBTC pegged to BTC soon climb to $100k+ per RBTC (courtesy of the Trump Administration), you bet, ChatGPT will learn all about it. And OpenAI just might consider allying with a newly-unicorn Rootstock to provide paid ChatGPT services in RBTC. Bottom line similarity: Both Rootstock smart contracts and ChatGPT are smart money algorithms with good performance metrics. The former caters to a smaller clientele (Bitcoiners) with deep pockets, while the latter caters to a larger clientele (the world’s literate population) with relatively modest pockets. Speedsters In the Rootstock white paper, while the average confirmation time of BTC transactions is 10 minutes, Rootstock’s RBTC, which holds a 1:1 on-chain peg to BTC, takes only 30 seconds in average confirmation time. This implies that RBTC transactions are almost as fast as Bitcoin Lightning Network transactions, which are the fastest transactions in the world. Just as well, ChatGPT prompts are so fast that users can get replies in a few seconds for straightforward queries. So while superhuman digital intelligence zips across the world in seconds to make our minds smarter, digital capital zips across the world in seconds to quench wealth asymmetries and provide opportunity to us all. Fast money and Fast intelligence. My kind of speed. *** Miscellaneous: Two whales to inspire smarter smart contracts Given what is happening in the AI and Cryptocurrency/Bitcoin space, future Rootstock smart contracts would do well to peg to a fast-growing Bitcoin whale like MicroStrategy, or a technology whale like Nvidia. Why? Here’s Nvidia’s stock graph in October. And here’s MicroStrategy’s stock graph. MSTR did better than NVDA last month, but they are both going to the moon in the long run. Just like the Bitcoin and AI markets whose CAGR is looking at double digits all the way to 2030 (>20% for both as per Statista.com). For their sake, Rootstock smart contracts will be on these rocket rides. Then they just might become really smart smart contracts. I recently Googled And IBM.com gave the top result. As it explains, smart contracts automate coded actions on a cryptocurrency platform (blockchain). So I’m thinking trader bots and escrow agreements. The result also says they can automate a workflow. So hourly, weekly, or monthly (cryptocurrency) payments to a payroll. OK. I guess there is something smart about smart contracts. Coz people usually handle the aforementioned tasks. Then I got to thinking, can smart contracts be as smart as artificial intelligence algorithms? Yes, I Googled. It’s not a thing. Every site talks of a smart contract combined with AI. I want it to become AI. combined become I know, we all want things. If wishes were horses. Nonetheless, I have a few quirky similarities to share. Starting with the cover image. Notice how the Rootstock logo looks a lot like an Artificial Neural Network? I did. Bitcoin’s supply mechanics and the Boltzmann distribution Rootstock is a Bitcoin side chain which means at its heart, it is Bitcoin’s supply mechanics that govern the halving and the difficulty adjustment and more. The true engine of all its smart contracting. While Rootstock was chugging along its Bitcoin rails, on the other side of town, the Nobel Prize in Physics was being awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”- https://www.nobelprize.org/ . “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”- https://www.nobelprize.org/ Their work in machine learning led to GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers), a now famous architecture in major AI systems today. What’s interesting is that foundational to all Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), as mentioned in the Advanced information section of NobelPrize.org, is something called the Boltzmann Distribution. Advanced information Below is its mathematical equation to capture the energy E of an ANN; energy Notice the similarity to the Bitcoin supply equation below (with 3 parameters too! Replace W_ij above with 210,000, S_j with 50, and S_i with 1/2^i) ; What can I say, there is something Bitcoin-like to AI. Both the Boltzmann distribution and the Bitcoin supply equation model an exponential decay/reduction. The former is generalized for the energy of a closed system with n particles, while the latter models the number of bitcoins available to be mined. This too is a closed system with n = number of halvings. The particles can be as many as they want to be (so whether Bitcoin is a planet-sized computational network or a modest network of a dozen PCs, doesn’t matter). But they will all decay in 32 halvings to mine all the bitcoins that can possibly be mined. Approximately 21 million. Now bitcoins are mined in a system that unlike standard computer systems, where linguistic logic coded by a programmer dictates the state of 0s and 1s, this machine changes when it is fed energy... - Sydney Bright, BitcoinMagazine. unlike standard computer systems, where linguistic logic coded by a programmer dictates the state of 0s and 1s, this machine changes when it is fed energy ... - Sydney Bright, BitcoinMagazine . energy BitcoinMagazine How smart are Rootstock smart contracts? We have seen that both Rootstock smart contracts and AI algorithms consume energy. So the question is, how well do they consume the energy? Well, both consume it pretty well to make some good money. They are both smart money algorithms in that regard. To see an instance of this, let’s put Rootstock next to ChatGPT in a certain way. Look at the below statistics. Of course, ChatGPT has more users, more money flowing in, and more employees worldwide. It is smart. We all know this. But pound for computational pound, Rootstock does hold its own. Let’s make some assumptions like a Physicist. For example, we can see that Rootstock.io has 261,406 monthly transactions. Assume they are from 261,406 different people. Meanwhile, ChatGPT has 800 million monthly users, generating billions of prompts (similar to transactions) every month. Let’s take their number of monthly users as equivalent to their monthly transactions. Now let’s divide market cap by these monthly figures (this is a made-up metric, but a good one): Rootstock’s “ Market cap per monthly user ” = $380,000,000 / 261,406 = $1453 Market cap per monthly user ChatGPT’s “ Market cap per monthly user ” = $157,000,000,000 / 800,000,000 = $196 Market cap per monthly user As you can see, ChatGPT is not doing better than Rootstock in this calculation! And if those 2740 RBTC pegged to BTC soon climb to $100k+ per RBTC (courtesy of the Trump Administration), you bet, ChatGPT will learn all about it. And OpenAI just might consider allying with a newly-unicorn Rootstock to provide paid ChatGPT services in RBTC. Bottom line similarity: Both Rootstock smart contracts and ChatGPT are smart money algorithms with good performance metrics. The former caters to a smaller clientele (Bitcoiners) with deep pockets, while the latter caters to a larger clientele (the world’s literate population) with relatively modest pockets. Speedsters In the Rootstock white paper , while the average confirmation time of BTC transactions is 10 minutes, Rootstock’s RBTC, which holds a 1:1 on-chain peg to BTC, takes only 30 seconds in average confirmation time. Rootstock white paper This implies that RBTC transactions are almost as fast as Bitcoin Lightning Network transactions, which are the fastest transactions in the world . fastest transactions in the world Just as well, ChatGPT prompts are so fast that users can get replies in a few seconds for straightforward queries . users can get replies in a few seconds for straightforward queries So while superhuman digital intelligence zips across the world in seconds to make our minds smarter, digital capital zips across the world in seconds to quench wealth asymmetries and provide opportunity to us all. Fast money and Fast intelligence. My kind of speed. *** Miscellaneous: Two whales to inspire smarter smart contracts Given what is happening in the AI and Cryptocurrency/Bitcoin space, future Rootstock smart contracts would do well to peg to a fast-growing Bitcoin whale like MicroStrategy, or a technology whale like Nvidia. Why? Here’s Nvidia’s stock graph in October. And here’s MicroStrategy’s stock graph. MSTR did better than NVDA last month, but they are both going to the moon in the long run. Just like the Bitcoin and AI markets whose CAGR is looking at double digits all the way to 2030 (>20% for both as per Statista.com). For their sake, Rootstock smart contracts will be on these rocket rides. Then they just might become really smart smart contracts. really smart

What's With the Similarities Between Rootstock Smart Contracts and Artificial Intelligence

ما هي أوجه التشابه بين عقود Rootstock الذكية والذكاء الاصطناعي

Какво има в приликите между интелигентните договори на Rootstock и изкуствения интелект

রুটস্টক স্মার্ট চুক্তি এবং কৃত্রিম বুদ্ধিমত্তার মধ্যে মিলের সাথে কী আছে

Was ist mit den Ähnlichkeiten zwischen Rootstock Smart Contracts und künstlicher Intelligenz?

Τι υπάρχει με τις ομοιότητες μεταξύ των έξυπνων συμβάσεων Rootstock και της τεχνητής νοημοσύνης

¿Qué tienen en común los contratos inteligentes de Rootstock y la inteligencia artificial?

מה הקשר בין חוזים חכמים Rootstock לבין בינה מלאכותית

Ի՞նչ նմանություններ կան Rootstock խելացի պայմանագրերի և արհեստական ինտելեկտի միջև

Apa Persamaan Antara Kontrak Cerdas Rootstock dan Kecerdasan Buatan?

Rootstock スマート コントラクトと人工知能の類似点とは

Seo se lego ka go swana Magareng ga Dikonteraka tša Rootstock Smart le Bohlale bja Maitirelo

“Rootstock” akylly şertnamalary we emeli intellektiň arasyndaky meňzeşlikler näme

Next week, the US will hold a presidential election. At that time, we will vote not for a presidential candidate but for an impression of the candidate we see on TV and at campaign events, read about in newspapers and blogs, and hear about from our friends and family. Like Plato’s shadows on the cave wall, our impressions will reflect only whatever somebody chooses to show us. Modern politics overwhelms us with images crafted and cultivated to fit what we want to see rather than the truth. We latch onto the fragment of reality that we perceive. We never see the full picture. Outside of a few insiders, nobody has enough information to make an informed decision about anybody they vote for. I certainly don’t. Who’s good? Who’s bad? You may think the answers are obvious. Often, it’s not so easy to tell. The devil you don’t know or the other devil you don’t know For example, Congressman Tom Emmer, one of crypto’s most powerful advocates in Congress. He’s the guy who yelled at SEC Chairman Gary Gensler for missing the FTX fraud, among other grievances. Did you know FTX was one of the biggest donors to Tom Emmer’s campaign and gave almost $3 million to the GOP’s Congressional Leadership Fund while Emmer was in charge of it? Did you also know that Emmer was one of several Congresspeople who wrote a letter to Gensler asking him to stop investigating FTX (among other crypto entities)? If you support crypto and politicians, have you ever asked Emmer how he feels about protecting a scam? Taking money from a fraudster? Did he give the money back? Or, do you not care because Emmer says nice things about crypto and criticizes people you dislike? Because he shares your views? If you don’t support crypto and politicians, do you support Gensler’s nonsensical application of obsolete financial rules to stifle a new technology with arbitrary lawsuits and bizarre standards? Or, do you not care about people trying to build or use crypto, so you ignore it? Presidents don’t matter for your financial markets Why does market performance always seem disconnected from politics? The crypto market crashed more than 50% several times under Biden. It crashed more than 70% several times under Trump. Obama was even worse — multiple crashes of 80% or more. On the flip side, it went up 100% after Biden took office, 2,500% after Trump took office, and 5,500% after Obama took office. Seems fishy until you compare that with legacy assets. People make a big deal about the economy under one party or the other, but the economy — like crypto — seems to do whatever it wants regardless of who’s in office. Look at the stock market performance under Republicans and Democrats, adjusted for GDP. Red is Republican, blue is Democrat. Can you see any trend? Neither can I. You can extend this to the wider economy. Let’s do GDP. I counted the number of negative half-years in white: What about inflation? Same. What about employment? Same. What about budget deficits? For statistical consistency, we’ll calculate it as a percentage of GDP. Same. What about oil prices? Same. From a purely investing perspective, you get no advantage or disadvantage under Democrats and Republicans. On the whole, the US economy and its major assets perform as well or as poorly under one as the other. You can take these charts and move the boxes one or two years forward to account for the lag between a change of party and the results of their actions. You’ll get the same result. Know what matters Am I saying presidential elections don’t matter? No. They matter a lot. Every election carries high stakes for your business, employment opportunities, living standards, moral or religious beliefs, mental health, and many aspects of your life. But presidents can’t save your marriage, get you to lose that extra 10 pounds, or fix your financial problems. For people who work in crypto, you won’t find a better friend than Trump. That’s important for people trying to run businesses, build crypto apps, and create new tokens. What about the rest of us? Doesn’t matter. Sure, government policies can tinker around the edges, but crypto is a global asset. Prices come from buyers, sellers, and circumstances beyond any president’s control. The past two years saw a wave of innovation from non-US talent and US companies working abroad. Thousands of new projects have been launched. Hundreds more are waiting for market conditions to improve. Oddly enough, crypto is bigger under Biden now than Trump and Obama. Bitcoin’s hit three new all-time highs! For all those reasons, vote your conscience, not your crypto portfolio. If neither presidential candidate resonates with you, write somebody in. You can scribble “Bitcoin” on your ballot. Most likely, you live in a state where your presidential vote doesn't matter — any of the 43 states painted red or blue in the image below. Partisanship has already made your decision irrelevant. Why not vote for somebody or something you want? You have nothing to lose. I dive more deeply into this topic in a recent post, The US Presidential Election Matters for You, Not Your Crypto Portfolio. https://cryptoiseasy.beehiiv.com/p/the-us-presidential-election-matters-for-you-not-your-crypto-portfolio?embedable=true Mark Helfman publishes the Crypto is Easy newsletter. He is also the author of three books and a top Bitcoin writer on Medium and Hacker Noon. Learn more about him in his bio and connect with him on Tealfeed. Next week, the US will hold a presidential election. At that time, we will vote not for a presidential candidate but for an impression of the candidate we see on TV and at campaign events, read about in newspapers and blogs, and hear about from our friends and family. Like Plato’s shadows on the cave wall, our impressions will reflect only whatever somebody chooses to show us. Modern politics overwhelms us with images crafted and cultivated to fit what we want to see rather than the truth. We latch onto the fragment of reality that we perceive. We never see the full picture. Outside of a few insiders, nobody has enough information to make an informed decision about anybody they vote for. I certainly don’t. Who’s good? Who’s bad? You may think the answers are obvious. Often, it’s not so easy to tell. The devil you don’t know or the other devil you don’t know For example, Congressman Tom Emmer, one of crypto’s most powerful advocates in Congress. He’s the guy who yelled at SEC Chairman Gary Gensler for missing the FTX fraud, among other grievances. Did you know FTX was one of the biggest donors to Tom Emmer’s campaign and gave almost $3 million to the GOP’s Congressional Leadership Fund while Emmer was in charge of it? Did you also know that Emmer was one of several Congresspeople who wrote a letter to Gensler asking him to stop investigating FTX (among other crypto entities)? If you support crypto and politicians, have you ever asked Emmer how he feels about protecting a scam? Taking money from a fraudster? Did he give the money back? Or, do you not care because Emmer says nice things about crypto and criticizes people you dislike? Because he shares your views? If you don’t support crypto and politicians, do you support Gensler’s nonsensical application of obsolete financial rules to stifle a new technology with arbitrary lawsuits and bizarre standards? Or, do you not care about people trying to build or use crypto, so you ignore it? Presidents don’t matter for your financial markets Why does market performance always seem disconnected from politics? The crypto market crashed more than 50% several times under Biden. It crashed more than 70% several times under Trump. Obama was even worse — multiple crashes of 80% or more. On the flip side, it went up 100% after Biden took office, 2,500% after Trump took office, and 5,500% after Obama took office. Seems fishy until you compare that with legacy assets. People make a big deal about the economy under one party or the other, but the economy — like crypto — seems to do whatever it wants regardless of who’s in office. Look at the stock market performance under Republicans and Democrats, adjusted for GDP. Red is Republican, blue is Democrat. Can you see any trend? Neither can I. You can extend this to the wider economy. Let’s do GDP. I counted the number of negative half-years in white: What about inflation? Same. What about employment? Same. What about budget deficits? For statistical consistency, we’ll calculate it as a percentage of GDP. Same. What about oil prices? Same. From a purely investing perspective, you get no advantage or disadvantage under Democrats and Republicans. On the whole, the US economy and its major assets perform as well or as poorly under one as the other. You can take these charts and move the boxes one or two years forward to account for the lag between a change of party and the results of their actions. You’ll get the same result. Know what matters Am I saying presidential elections don’t matter? No. They matter a lot. Every election carries high stakes for your business, employment opportunities, living standards, moral or religious beliefs, mental health, and many aspects of your life. But presidents can’t save your marriage, get you to lose that extra 10 pounds, or fix your financial problems. For people who work in crypto, you won’t find a better friend than Trump. That’s important for people trying to run businesses, build crypto apps, and create new tokens. What about the rest of us? Doesn’t matter. Sure, government policies can tinker around the edges, but crypto is a global asset. Prices come from buyers, sellers, and circumstances beyond any president’s control. The past two years saw a wave of innovation from non-US talent and US companies working abroad. Thousands of new projects have been launched. Hundreds more are waiting for market conditions to improve. Oddly enough, crypto is bigger under Biden now than Trump and Obama. Bitcoin’s hit three new all-time highs! For all those reasons, vote your conscience, not your crypto portfolio. If neither presidential candidate resonates with you, write somebody in. You can scribble “Bitcoin” on your ballot. Most likely, you live in a state where your presidential vote doesn't matter — any of the 43 states painted red or blue in the image below. Partisanship has already made your decision irrelevant. Why not vote for somebody or something you want? You have nothing to lose. I dive more deeply into this topic in a recent post, The US Presidential Election Matters for You, Not Your Crypto Portfolio . The US Presidential Election Matters for You, Not Your Crypto Portfolio The US Presidential Election Matters for You, Not Your Crypto Portfolio The US Presidential Election Matters for You, Not Your Crypto Portfolio https://cryptoiseasy.beehiiv.com/p/the-us-presidential-election-matters-for-you-not-your-crypto-portfolio?embedable=true https://cryptoiseasy.beehiiv.com/p/the-us-presidential-election-matters-for-you-not-your-crypto-portfolio?embedable=true Mark Helfman publishes the Crypto is Easy newsletter. He is also the author of three books and a top Bitcoin writer on Medium and Hacker Noon . Learn more about him in his bio and connect with him on Tealfeed . Crypto is Easy Crypto is Easy Crypto is Easy Medium Medium Medium Hacker Noon Hacker Noon Hacker Noon bio bio Tealfeed Tealfeed

Trump or Harris? Won’t Matter for Your Crypto Portfolio

Ramp Network has announced the integration of Mexico's SPEI payment system into its platform, enabling instant cryptocurrency-to-peso conversions for Mexican users. The London-based fintech company's move expands its services in Latin America's growing cryptocurrency market. SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electrónicos Interbancarios), Mexico's interbank electronic payment system, processes an average of 80.9 million payments monthly. The integration allows users to convert cryptocurrencies to Mexican pesos and receive funds in their local bank accounts within 30 seconds. The development comes as Mexico establishes itself as a significant player in the global cryptocurrency landscape, ranking 16th in Chainalysis' crypto adoption index. Current data shows that 14% of Mexicans own cryptocurrency, while 40% of Mexican companies are exploring blockchain technology integration. The service features a flat 2.9% fee structure, which Ramp Network notes is lower than traditional MXN card fees. The system operates 24/7, including holidays, providing continuous access to crypto-to-peso conversions. Users need only provide their bank's CLABE number (Mexico's equivalent to IBAN), full name, and tax ID for their initial transaction. "We're incredibly proud to enhance our support for Mexican users with the integration of SPEI," said Szymon Sypniewicz, CEO of Ramp Network. "Now, people in Mexico can convert their crypto into fiat in seconds, with lower fees and reduced friction." SPEI's recent growth underscores the timing of this integration. The system set a record in March 2023 with 279.3 million transactions, averaging 6,257 payments per minute, and projects to double its transaction volume by 2027. The integration follows Ramp Network's earlier expansion into Brazil with PIX integration. The company plans to add SPEI support for purchasing cryptocurrencies in the coming weeks, further expanding its services in the region. This development adds to Ramp Network's existing support for over 35 local currencies globally, including the euro, US dollar, and British pound. The service aims to bridge traditional banking with digital assets in Mexico, where cryptocurrency adoption continues to grow, positioning the country as an emerging hub for financial technology innovation in Latin America. Don’t forget to like and share the story! Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Ramp Network has announced the integration of Mexico's SPEI payment system into its platform, enabling instant cryptocurrency-to-peso conversions for Mexican users. The London-based fintech company's move expands its services in Latin America's growing cryptocurrency market. SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electrónicos Interbancarios), Mexico's interbank electronic payment system, processes an average of 80.9 million payments monthly. The integration allows users to convert cryptocurrencies to Mexican pesos and receive funds in their local bank accounts within 30 seconds. The development comes as Mexico establishes itself as a significant player in the global cryptocurrency landscape, ranking 16th in Chainalysis' crypto adoption index. Current data shows that 14% of Mexicans own cryptocurrency, while 40% of Mexican companies are exploring blockchain technology integration. The service features a flat 2.9% fee structure, which Ramp Network notes is lower than traditional MXN card fees. The system operates 24/7, including holidays, providing continuous access to crypto-to-peso conversions. Users need only provide their bank's CLABE number (Mexico's equivalent to IBAN), full name, and tax ID for their initial transaction. "We're incredibly proud to enhance our support for Mexican users with the integration of SPEI," said Szymon Sypniewicz, CEO of Ramp Network. "Now, people in Mexico can convert their crypto into fiat in seconds, with lower fees and reduced friction." SPEI's recent growth underscores the timing of this integration. The system set a record in March 2023 with 279.3 million transactions, averaging 6,257 payments per minute, and projects to double its transaction volume by 2027. The integration follows Ramp Network's earlier expansion into Brazil with PIX integration. The company plans to add SPEI support for purchasing cryptocurrencies in the coming weeks, further expanding its services in the region. This development adds to Ramp Network's existing support for over 35 local currencies globally, including the euro, US dollar, and British pound. The service aims to bridge traditional banking with digital assets in Mexico, where cryptocurrency adoption continues to grow, positioning the country as an emerging hub for financial technology innovation in Latin America. Don’t forget to like and share the story! Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program . HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure: business blogging program business blogging program

Ramp Network Integrates Mexico's SPEI for Real-Time Crypto Conversions

Ramp Network integrerer Mexicos SPEI til realtidskryptokonverteringer

Ramp Network integra el SPEI de México para conversiones de criptomonedas en tiempo real

Ramp Network-ek Mexikoko SPEI integratzen du denbora errealeko kripto-bihurketetarako

Ramp Network がメキシコの SPEI を統合し、リアルタイムの暗号変換を実現

Ramp Network აერთიანებს მექსიკის SPEI-ს რეალურ დროში კრიპტო კონვერტაციისთვის

Réseau ya Ramp Esangisaka SPEI ya Mexique mpo na ba Conversions ya Crypto na tango ya solo

Ramp Network integreert Mexicaanse SPEI voor realtime cryptoconversies

Ramp Llika Méxicopa SPEI kaqninta Chiqa pacha Cripto Tikraykunapaq Huñun

ራምፕ ኔትወርክ ንናይ ሜክሲኮ SPEI ንሓቀኛ ግዜ ክሪፕቶ ምቕያር የወሃህድ

Pinagsasama ng Ramp Network ang SPEI ng Mexico para sa Mga Real-Time na Crypto Conversion

Ramp Network, Gerçek Zamanlı Kripto Dönüşümleri için Meksika'nın SPEI'sini Entegre Ediyor

I-Ramp Network Ihlanganisa I-SPEI yase-Mexico Yokuguqulwa Kwe-Crypto Yesikhathi Sangempela

How to improve team members' performance using information about mental fatigue

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