Sunchain

sunchain

Startups of The Year 2023 Winners: Europe

PIECHAIN Demo: Exploring a Practical Blockchain Interoperability Framework

পাইচেন ডেমো: একটি ব্যবহারিক ব্লকচেইন ইন্টারঅপারেবিলিটি ফ্রেমওয়ার্ক অন্বেষণ করা

PIECHAIN-Demo: Erkundung eines praktischen Blockchain-Interoperabilitätsrahmens

Demostración de PIECHAIN: Explorando un marco práctico de interoperabilidad de Blockchain

Démo PIECHAIN : Explorer un cadre pratique d'interopérabilité de la blockchain

PIECHAIN डेमो: एक व्यावहारिक ब्लॉकचेन इंटरऑपरेबिलिटी फ्रेमवर्क की खोज

PIECHAIN デモ: 実用的なブロックチェーン相互運用性フレームワークの探究

PIECHAIN 데모: 실용적인 블록체인 상호 운용성 프레임워크 탐색

Demonstração PIECHAIN: Explorando uma estrutura prática de interoperabilidade Blockchain

Демонстрация PIECHAIN: изучение практической структуры взаимодействия блокчейнов

PIECHAIN Demosu: Pratik Bir Blockchain Birlikte Çalışabilirlik Çerçevesini Keşfetmek

Bản trình diễn PIECHAIN: Khám phá Khung tương tác Blockchain thực tế

PIECHAIN 演示：探索实用的区块链互操作性框架

Debugging a Spring WebFlux application can be a challenging task, especially when dealing with complex reactive streams. Unlike traditional blocking applications, where the stack trace provides a clear indication of the root cause of an issue, reactive applications can be harder to debug. Issues such as blocking code, concurrency problems, and race conditions can all cause subtle bugs that are difficult to diagnose. Scenario When dealing with a bug it’s not always a code-related issue. It could be a set of factors, such as recent refactoring, team changes, hard deadlines and so on. In real life, it’s a common thing to end up troubleshooting large applications made by people who left the company a while back, and you just joined. Knowing a little about a domain and technologies isn't going to make your life easier. In the code example below, I wanted to imagine how a buggy code could look like for a person recently joined a team. Consider debugging this code more like a journey rather than challenge. The root cause could be obvious to find for those who are familiar with Reactive apps. However, some practices down below could be still very helpful to revise. @GetMapping("/greeting/{firstName}/{lastName}")
public Mono<String> greeting(@PathVariable String firstName, @PathVariable String lastName) {

    return Flux.fromIterable(Arrays.asList(firstName, lastName))
            .filter(this::wasWorkingNiceBeforeRefactoring)
            .transform(this::senselessTransformation)
            .collect(Collectors.joining())
            .map(names -> "Hello, " + names);
}

private boolean wasWorkingNiceBeforeRefactoring(String aName) {
    // We don't want to greet with John, sorry
    return !aName.equals("John");
}

private Flux<String> senselessTransformation(Flux<String> flux) {
    return flux
            .single()
            .flux()
            .subscribeOn(Schedulers.parallel());
} So, what this piece of code does is: It prepends “Hello, “ to the names provided as parameters. Your colleague John is telling you that everything works on his laptop. That’s true: > curl localhost:8080/greeting/John/Doe 
> Hello, Doe But when you run it like , you see the next stacktrace: curl localhost:8080/greeting/Mick/Jagger java.lang.IndexOutOfBoundsException: Source emitted more than one item
	at reactor.core.publisher.MonoSingle$SingleSubscriber.onNext(MonoSingle.java:134) ~[reactor-core-3.5.5.jar:3.5.5]
	Suppressed: reactor.core.publisher.FluxOnAssembly$OnAssemblyException: 
Error has been observed at the following site(s):
	*__checkpoint ⇢ Handler com.example.demo.controller.GreetingController#greeting(String, String) [DispatcherHandler]
	*__checkpoint ⇢ HTTP GET "/greeting/Mick/Jagger" [ExceptionHandlingWebHandler]
Original Stack Trace: <18 internal lines>
		at java.base/java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java) ~[na:na] (4 internal lines) Nice, neither of the traces leads to a code sample above. All it reveals is that 1) it occurred in the method, and 2) the client performed an `HTTP GET "/greeting/Mick/Jagger GreetingController#greeting .doOnError() First and the easiest thing to try out is to add `.doOnError()` callback to the end of the greeting chain. @GetMapping("/greeting/{firstName}/{lastName}")
public Mono<String> greeting(@PathVariable String firstName, @PathVariable String lastName) {

    return Flux.fromIterable(Arrays.asList(firstName, lastName))
            // <...>
            .doOnError(e -> logger.error("Error while greeting", e));
} Nice try, but logs don't show any improvement. Nonetheless, Reactor's internal stack trace: Here are some ways can/can’t be helpful during debugging: doOnError : You can use to log error messages and provide more context about what went wrong in your reactive stream. This can be especially helpful when debugging issues in a complex stream with many operators. Logging doOnError : can also be used to recover from errors and continue processing the stream. For example, you can use to provide a fallback value or stream in case of an error. Recovery doOnError onErrorResume : most probably won’t provide any better stacktrace except what you already saw in the logs. Don’t rely on it as a good troubleshooter. Debugging doOnError log() Next stop is to replace previously added by method call. As simple as it gets. observes all Reactive Streams signals and traces them into logs under INFO level by default. doOnError() log() log() Let’s see what additional info we see in logs now: We can see what Reactive methods have been called ( , and ). Additionally, knowing which threads (pools) these methods have been called from can be very useful information. However, it is not relevant to our case. onSubscribe request onError About thread pools Thread name stands for . Reactive methods and were executed on IO thread pool (scheduler). These tasks were executed immediately on a thread that submitted them. ctor-http-nio-2 reactor-http-nio-2 onSubscribe() request() By having inside we’ve instructed Reactor to subscribe further elements on another thread pool. That’s the reason why has been executed on thread. .subscribeOn(Schedulers.parallel()) senselessTransformation onError parallel-1 You can read more about thread pool . in this article method allows you to add logging statements to your stream, making it easier to track the flow of data and diagnose issues. If we were having more complex data flow with things like flatMap, subchains, blocking calls, etc., we would benefit much from having it all logged down. It’s a very easy and nice thing for daily use. However, we still don’t know the root cause. log() Hooks.onOperatorDebug() Instruction tells Reactor to enable debug mode for all operators in reactive streams, allowing for more detailed error messages and stack traces. Hooks.onOperatorDebug() According to the official documentation: When errors are observed later on, they will be enriched with a Suppressed Exception detailing the original assembly line stack. Must be called before producers (e.g. Flux.map, Mono.fromCallable) are actually called to intercept the right stack information. The instruction should be called once per runtime. One of the best places would be Configuration or Main classes. For our use case it would be: public Mono<String> greeting(@PathVariable String firstName, @PathVariable String lastName) {

    Hooks.onOperatorDebug();

    return // <...>
} By adding we can finally make progress in our investigation. Stacktrace is way more useful: Hooks.onOperatorDebug() And on line 42 we have call. single() Don’t scroll up, the looks next: senselessTransformation private Flux<String> senselessTransformation(Flux<String> flux) {
    return flux
            .single()  // line 42
            .flux()
            .subscribeOn(Schedulers.parallel());
} That’s the root cause. emits one item from Flux source or signals for a source with more than one element. That means flux in the method emits more than 1 item. By going up in the call hierarchy we see that originally there is a Flux with two elements . single() IndexOutOfBoundsException Flux.fromIterable(Arrays.asList(firstName, lastName)) Filtering method removes an item from a flux when it equals to . That’s the reason why the code works for a college named John. Huh. wasWorkingNiceBeforeRefactoring John can be particularly useful when debugging complex reactive streams, as it provides more detailed information about how the stream is being processed. However, enabling debug mode can impact the performance of your application (due to the populated stack traces), so it should only be used during development and debugging, and not in production. Hooks.onOperatorDebug() Checkpoints To achieve nearly the same effect as gives with minimum performance impact, there is a special operator. It will enable debug mode for that section of the stream, while leaving the rest of the stream unaffected. Hooks.onOperatorDebug() checkpoint() Let’s add two checkpoints after filtering and after transformation: public Mono<String> greeting(@PathVariable String firstName, @PathVariable String lastName) {

    return Flux.fromIterable(Arrays.asList(firstName, lastName))
            .filter(this::wasWorkingNiceBeforeRefactoring)
 /* new */  .checkpoint("After filtering")        
            .transform(this::senselessTransformation)
 /* new */  .checkpoint("After transformation")
            .collect(Collectors.joining())
            .map(names -> "Hello, " + names);
} Take a look at the logs: This checkpoints breakdown tells us that the error has been observed after our second checkpoint described as . It doesn’t mean that the first checkpoint hasn’t been reached during execution. It was, but the error started to appear only after the second one. That’s why we don’t see . After transformation After filtering You can also see two more checkpoints mentioned in the breakdown, from and . They were reached after the one we set, down to the call hierarchy. DispatcherHandler ExceptionHandlingWebHandler Besides description, you can force Reactor to generate a stacktrace for your checkpoint by adding as the second parameter to method. It’s important to note that the generated stacktrace will lead you to the line with a checkpoint. It won’t populate a stacktrace for the original exception. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense because you can easily find a checkpoint by providing a description. true checkpoint() Conclusion By following these best practices, you can simplify the debugging process and quickly identify and resolve issues in your Spring WebFlux application. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out with reactive programming, these tips will help you improve the quality and reliability of your code, and deliver better experiences for your users.

How to Debug a Spring WebFlux Application

Cómo depurar una aplicación Spring WebFlux

Comment déboguer une application Spring WebFlux

स्प्रिंग वेबफ्लक्स एप्लिकेशन को कैसे डिबग करें

Spring WebFlux アプリケーションをデバッグする方法

Como depurar um aplicativo Spring WebFlux

Cách gỡ lỗi ứng dụng Spring WebFlux

如何调试 Spring WebFlux 应用程序

Spring is a reactive, non-blocking web framework for building modern, scalable web applications in Java. It is a part of the Spring Framework, and it uses the Reactor library for implementing reactive programming in Java. WebFlux With WebFlux, you can build high-performance, scalable web applications that can handle a large number of concurrent requests and streams of data. It supports a wide range of use cases, from simple REST APIs to real-time data streaming and server-sent events. Spring WebFlux provides a programming model based on reactive streams, which allows you to compose asynchronous and non-blocking operations into a pipeline of data processing stages. It also provides a rich set of features and tools for building reactive web applications, including support for reactive data access, reactive security, and reactive testing. From the : official Spring doc The term, “reactive,” refers to programming models that are built around reacting to change — network components reacting to I/O events, UI controllers reacting to mouse events, and others. In that sense, non-blocking is reactive, because, instead of being blocked, we are now in the mode of reacting to notifications as operations complete or data becomes available. Threading model One of the core features of reactive programming is its threading model, which is different from the traditional thread-per-request model used in many synchronous web frameworks. In the traditional model, a new thread is created to handle each incoming request, and that thread is blocked until the request has been processed. This can lead to scalability issues when dealing with high volumes of requests, as the number of threads required to handle the requests can become very large, and thread context switching can become a bottleneck. In contrast, WebFlux uses a non-blocking, event-driven model, where a small number of threads can handle a large number of requests. When a request comes in, it is handled by one of the available threads, which then delegates the actual processing to a set of asynchronous tasks. These tasks are executed in a non-blocking manner, allowing the thread to move on to handle other requests while the tasks are executed in the background. In Spring WebFlux (and non-blocking servers in general), it is assumed that applications do not block. Therefore, non-blocking servers use a small, fixed-size thread pool (event loop workers) to handle requests. Simplified threading model of a classic Servlet Container looks like: While WebFlux request processing is slightly different: Under the hood Let’s go ahead and see what’s behind the shiny theory. We need a pretty minimalistic app generated by . The code is available in the . Spring Initializr GitHub repo All thread-related topics are very CPU-dependent. Usually, number of processing threads that handle requests is related to the number of For educational purposes you can easily manipulate count of threads in a pool by limiting CPUs when running Docker container: CPU cores . docker run --cpus=1 -d --rm --name webflux-threading -p 8081:8080 local/webflux-threading If you still see more than one thread in a pool - that’s ok. There might be set by WebFlux. defaults Our app is a simple fortune teller. By calling endpoint you will get 5 records with . Each adjustment is an integer number that represents a karma given to you. Yes, we are very generous because the app generates only positive numbers. No bad luck anymore! /karma balanceAdjustment Default processing Let’s start with a very basic example. Next controller method returns a Flux containing 5 karma elements. @GetMapping("/karma")
public Flux<Karma> karma() {
    return prepareKarma()
            .map(Karma::new)
            .log();
}

private Flux<Integer> prepareKarma() {
    Random random = new Random();

    return Flux.fromStream(
            Stream.generate(() -> random.nextInt(10))
                    .limit(5));
} method is a crucial thing here. It observes all Reactive Streams signals and traces them into logs under INFO level. log Logs output on curl is the following: localhost:8081/karma As we can see, processing is happening on the IO thread pool. Thread  name stands for . Tasks were executed immediately on a thread that submitted them. Reactor didn’t see any instructions to schedule them on another pool. ctor-http-nio-2 reactor-http-nio-2 Delaying and parallel processing The next operation is going to delay each element emitting by 100ms (aka database emulation) @GetMapping("/delayedKarma")
public Flux<Karma> delayedKarma() {
    return karma()
            .delayElements(Duration.ofMillis(100));
} We don’t need to add method here because it was already declared in the original call. log karma() In the logs we can see the next picture: This time only the very first element was received on the IO thread . Processing of the rest 4 were dedicated to a thread pool. reactor-http-nio-4 parallel Javadoc of confirms this: delayElements Signals are delayed and continue on the parallel default Scheduler You can achieve the same effect without delay by specifying anywhere in the call chain. .subscribeOn(Schedulers.parallel()) Using scheduler can improve performance and scalability by allowing multiple tasks to be executed simultaneously on different threads, which can better utilize CPU resources and handle a large number of concurrent requests. parallel However, it can also increase code complexity and memory usage, and potentially lead to thread pool exhaustion if the maximum number of worker threads is exceeded. Therefore, the decision to use thread pool should be based on the specific requirements and trade-offs of the application. parallel Subchain Now let’s take a look at a more complex example. Code is still pretty simple and straightforward, but the output is way more interesting. We are going to use a and make a fortune teller more . For each Karma instance it will multiply original adjustment by 10 and generate the opposite adjustments, effectively creating a balanced transaction that compensates for the original one. flatMap fair @GetMapping("/fairKarma")
public Flux<Karma> fairKarma() {
    return delayedKarma()
            .flatMap(this::makeFair);
}

private Flux<Karma> makeFair(Karma original) {
    return Flux.just(new Karma(original.balanceAdjustment() * 10),
                    new Karma(original.balanceAdjustment() * -10))
            .subscribeOn(Schedulers.boundedElastic())
            .log();
} As you see, Flux should be subscribed to a thread pool. Let’s check what we have in logs for the first two Karmas: makeFair’s boundedElastic Reactor subscribes first element with on IO thread balanceAdjustment=9 Then pool works on Karma fairness by emitting and adjustments on thread boundedElastic 90 -90 boundedElastic-1 Elements after the first one are subscribed on parallel thread pool (because we still have in the chain) delayedElements What is a boundedElastic scheduler? It is a thread pool that dynamically adjusts the number of worker threads based on the workload. It is optimized for I/O-bound tasks, such as database queries and network requests, and is designed to handle a large number of short-lived tasks without creating too many threads or wasting resources. By default, the thread pool a maximum size of the number of available processors multiplied by 10, but you can configure it to use a different maximum size if needed boundedElastic has By using an asynchronous thread pool like , you can offload tasks to separate threads and free up the main thread to handle other requests. The bounded nature of the thread pool can prevent thread starvation and excessive resource usage, while the elasticity of the pool allows it to adjust the number of worker threads dynamically based on the workload. boundedElastic Other types of thread pools There are two more types of pools provide by out-of-the-box class, such as: Scheduler : This is a single-threaded, serialized execution context that is designed for synchronous execution. It is useful when you need to ensure that a task is executed in order and that no two tasks are executed concurrently. single : This is a trivial, no-op implementation of a scheduler that immediately executes tasks on the calling thread without any thread switching. immediate Conclusion Threading model in Spring WebFlux is designed to be non-blocking and asynchronous, allowing for efficient handling of a large number of requests with minimal resource usage. Instead of relying on dedicated threads per connection, WebFlux uses a small number of event loop threads to handle incoming requests and distribute work to worker threads from various thread pools. However, it's important to choose the right thread pool for your use case to avoid thread starvation and ensure efficient use of system resources.

An Intro to Spring WebFlux Threading Model

স্প্রিং ওয়েবফ্লাক্স থ্রেডিং মডেলের একটি ভূমিকা

Eine Einführung in das Spring WebFlux Threading-Modell

Una introducción al modelo Spring WebFlux Threading

Une introduction au modèle de threading Spring WebFlux

स्प्रिंग वेबफ्लक्स थ्रेडिंग मॉडल का परिचय

Spring WebFlux スレッド モデルの紹介

Spring WebFlux 스레딩 모델 소개

Uma introdução ao modelo de encadeamento Spring WebFlux

Spring WebFlux İş Parçacığı Modeline Giriş

Giới thiệu về mô hình luồng Spring WebFlux

Spring WebFlux 线程模型介绍

ZK Rollups in 2023: From SNARK to STARK and Beyond

Paquetes acumulativos de ZK en 2023: de SNARK a STARK y más allá

ZK Rollups en 2023 : de SNARK à STARK et au-delà

2023 में ZK रोलअप: SNARK से STARK और परे

2023 年の ZK ロールアップ: SNARK から STARK まで、そしてその先へ

ZK Rollups em 2023: de SNARK a STARK e além

Bản tổng hợp ZK năm 2023: Từ SNARK đến STARK và hơn thế nữa

2023 年的 ZK Rollups：从 SNARK 到 STARK 及以后

**LONDON, United Kingdom, April 11th, 2024/Chainwire/--**Metacade, the leading blockchain gaming platform, takes a monumental leap forward with the integration of multi-chains into its ecosystem. This Omni-layer development provides universal application reach, resolving blockchain fragmentation and empowering builders across diverse chains. The rapid integration of the Metacade Tournament Platform with the Base Layer 2 Rollup within 12 hours showcases Metacade's technical prowess and underscores a commitment to delivering best-in-class solutions for partners and players. The decision to introduce multi-chain functionality highlights Metacade's vision to create the largest Web3 gaming platform, grounded in open market principles. "We recognize that speed and low transaction costs are crucial for builders. However, game development hinges on intricate blockchain solutions," states CEO Russell Bennett. "For Metacade to achieve genuine inclusivity, our success depends on an adaptable infrastructure, regardless of the blockchain utilized.” The multi-chain approach considers scalability for partner road maps, allowing existing projects to remain on their native chain while maintaining platform security through an optimistic-based rollup. What began as a vision to connect Web3 game developers with seasoned players has become an omni-layer movement to unify games across chains and provide fluid liquidity, expanding economic opportunities for builders and players alike. A multi-chain infrastructure will optimize liquidity access, mitigate inefficiencies, and simplify asset trading processes. It offers an efficient on-ramp for gaming partners to facilitate the use of their tokens regardless of where the core of their liquidity is situated. This pivotal development future proofs Metacade’s robust, diverse, and accessible ecosystem. For more information on Metacade and its multi-chain expansion, users can visit the new website: metacade.co. About METACADE Metacade is a seamless Web3 Gaming platform connecting developers and players through plug-and-play community initiatives. Providing an unfair advantage through early access, dev-player collaborations, and financial rewards. Contact Elly Bradbury Metacade marketing@metacade.co This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. **LONDON, United Kingdom, April 11th, 2024/Chainwire/--**Metacade, the leading blockchain gaming platform, takes a monumental leap forward with the integration of multi-chains into its ecosystem. This Omni-layer development provides universal application reach, resolving blockchain fragmentation and empowering builders across diverse chains. The rapid integration of the Metacade Tournament Platform with the Base Layer 2 Rollup within 12 hours showcases Metacade's technical prowess and underscores a commitment to delivering best-in-class solutions for partners and players. The decision to introduce multi-chain functionality highlights Metacade's vision to create the largest Web3 gaming platform, grounded in open market principles. Base Base "We recognize that speed and low transaction costs are crucial for builders. However, game development hinges on intricate blockchain solutions," states CEO Russell Bennett. "We recognize that speed and low transaction costs are crucial for builders. However, game development hinges on intricate blockchain solutions," states CEO Russell Bennett. "For Metacade to achieve genuine inclusivity, our success depends on an adaptable infrastructure, regardless of the blockchain utilized.” "For Metacade to achieve genuine inclusivity, our success depends on an adaptable infrastructure, regardless of the blockchain utilized.” The multi-chain approach considers scalability for partner road maps, allowing existing projects to remain on their native chain while maintaining platform security through an optimistic-based rollup. What began as a vision to connect Web3 game developers with seasoned players has become an omni-layer movement to unify games across chains and provide fluid liquidity, expanding economic opportunities for builders and players alike. A multi-chain infrastructure will optimize liquidity access, mitigate inefficiencies, and simplify asset trading processes. It offers an efficient on-ramp for gaming partners to facilitate the use of their tokens regardless of where the core of their liquidity is situated. This pivotal development future proofs Metacade’s robust, diverse, and accessible ecosystem. For more information on Metacade and its multi-chain expansion, users can visit the new website: metacade.co . metacade.co metacade.co About METACADE Metacade is a seamless Web3 Gaming platform connecting developers and players through plug-and-play community initiatives. Providing an unfair advantage through early access, dev-player collaborations, and financial rewards. Metacade Metacade Contact Elly Bradbury Metacade marketing@metacade.co This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here . here here

Metacade Unchains Web3 Gaming: Multi-Chain Integration Unites the Industry

North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CHAPTER XXIX. here CHAPTER XXIX. A RAY OF SUNSHINE. “Some wishes crossed my mind and dimly cheered it, And one or two poor melancholy pleasures, Each in the pale unwarming light of hope, Silvering its flimsy wing, flew silent by— Moths in the moonbeam!” Coleridge. The next morning brought Margaret a letter from Edith. It was affectionate and inconsequent like the writer. But the affection was charming to Margaret’s own affectionate nature; and she had grown up with the inconsequence, so she did not perceive it. It was as follows:— “Oh, Margaret, it is worth a journey from England to see my boy! He is a superb little fellow, especially in his caps, and most especially in the one you sent him, you good, dainty-fingered, persevering little lady! Having made all the mothers here envious, I want to show him to somebody new, and hear a fresh set of admiring expressions; perhaps, that’s all the reason; perhaps it is not—nay, possibly, there is just a little cousinly love mixed with it; but I do want you so much to come here, Margaret! I’m sure it would be the very best thing for Aunt Hale’s health; everybody here is young and well, and our skies are always blue, and our sun always shines, and the band plays deliciously from morning till night; and, to come back to the burden of my ditty, my baby always smiles. I am constantly wanting you to draw him from me, Margaret. It does not signify what he is doing; that very thing is prettiest, gracefullest, best. I think I love him a great deal better than my husband, who is getting stout, and grumpy—what he calls ‘busy.’ No! he is not. He has just come in with news of such a charming pic-nic, given by the officers of the Hazard, at anchor in the bay below. Because he has brought in such a pleasant piece of news, I retract all I said just now. Did not somebody burn his hand for having said or done something he was sorry for? Well, I can’t burn mine, because it would hurt me, and the scar would be ugly; but I’ll retract all I said as fast as I can. Cosmo is quite as great a darling as baby, and not a bit stout, and as ungrumpy as ever husband was; only, sometimes he is very, very busy. I may say that without love—wifely duty—- where was I?—I had something very particular to say, I know, once. Oh, it is this—Dearest Margaret!—you must come and see me; it would do Aunt Hale good, as I said before. Get the doctor to order it for her. Tell him that it’s the smoke of Milton that does her harm. I have no doubt it is that, really. Three months (you must not come for less) of this delicious climate—all sunshine, and grapes as common as blackberries, would quite cure her. I don’t ask my uncle”—(Here the letter became more constrained, and better written. Mr. Hale was in the corner, like a naughty child, for having given up his living.)—“because, I dare say, he disapproves of war, soldiers, and bands of music; at least, I know that many Dissenters are members of the Peace Society, and I am afraid he would not like to come; but, if he would, dear, pray say that Cosmo and I will do our best to make him happy; and I’ll hide up Cosmo’s red coat and sword, and make the band play all sorts of grave, solemn things; or, if they do play pomps and vanities, it shall be in double slow time. Dear Margaret, if he would like to accompany you and Aunt Hale, we will try and make it pleasant, though I’m rather afraid of any one who has done anything for conscience’ sake. You never did, I hope. Tell Aunt Hale not to bring any warm clothes, though I’m afraid it will be late in the year before you can come. But you have no idea of the heat here! I tried to wear my great beauty Indian shawl at a pic-nic. I kept myself up with proverbs as long as I could; ‘Pride must abide,’—and such wholesome pieces of pith; but it was no use. I was like mamma’s little dog Tiny with an elephant’s trappings on; smothered, hidden, killed with my finery; so I made it into a capital carpet for us all to sit down upon. Here’s this boy of mine, Margaret—if you don’t pack up your things as soon as you get this letter, and come straight off to see him, I shall think you’re descended from King Herod!” Margaret did long for a day of Edith’s life—her freedom from care, her cheerful home, her sunny skies. If a wish could have transported her, she would have gone off; just for one day. She yearned for the strength which such a change would give—even for a few hours to be in the midst of that bright life, and to feel young again. Not yet twenty! and she had had to bear up against such hard pressure that she felt quite old. That was her first feeling after reading Edith’s letter. Then she read it again, and, forgetting herself, was amused at its likeness to Edith’s self, and was laughing merrily over it when Mrs. Hale came into the drawing-room, leaning on Dixon’s arm. Margaret flew to adjust the pillows. Her mother seemed more than usually feeble. “What were you laughing at, Margaret?” asked she, as soon as she had recovered from the exertion of settling herself on the sofa. “A letter I have had this morning from Edith. Shall I read it to you, mamma?” She read it aloud, and for a time it seemed to interest her mother, who kept wondering what name Edith had given to her boy, and suggesting all probable names, and all possible reasons why each and all of these names should be given. Into the very midst of these wonders Mr. Thornton came, bringing another offering of fruit for Mrs. Hale. He could not—say rather, he would not—deny himself the chance of the pleasure of seeing Margaret. He had no end in this but the present gratification. It was the sturdy wilfulness of a man usually most reasonable and self-controlled. He entered the room, taking in at a glance the fact of Margaret’s presence; but after the first cold distant bow, he never seemed to let his eyes fall on her again. He only stayed to present his peaches—to speak some gentle kindly words—and then his cold offended eyes met Margaret’s with a grave farewell, as he left the room. She sat down silent and pale. “Do you know, Margaret, I really begin to like Mr. Thornton.” No answer at first. Then Margaret forced out an icy “Do you?” “Yes! I think he is really getting quite polished in his manners.” Margaret’s voice was more in order now. She replied, “He is very kind and attentive—there is no doubt of that.” “I wonder Mrs. Thornton never calls. She must know I am ill, because of the water-bed.” “I dare say, she hears how you are from her son.” “Still, I should like to see her. You have so few friends here, Margaret.” Margaret felt what was in her mother’s thoughts—a tender craving to bespeak the kindness of some woman towards the daughter that might soon be left motherless. But she could not speak. “Do you think,” said Mrs. Hale, after a pause, “that you could go and ask Mrs. Thornton to come and see me? Only once—I don’t want to be troublesome.” “I will do anything, if you wish it, mamma—but if—but when Frederick comes——” “Ah, to be sure! we must keep our doors shut—we must let no one in. I hardly know whether I dare wish him to come or not. Sometimes I think I would rather not. Sometimes I have such frightful dreams about him.” “Oh, mamma! we’ll take good care. I will put my arm in the bolt sooner than he should come to the slightest harm. Trust the care of him to me, mamma. I will watch over him like a lioness over her young.” “When can we hear from him?” “Not for a week yet, certainly—perhaps more.” “We must send Martha away in good time. It would never do to have her here when he comes, and then send her off in a hurry.” “Dixon is sure to remind us of that. I was thinking that, if we wanted any help in the house while he is here, we could perhaps get Mary Higgins. She is very slack of work, and is a good girl, and would take pains to do her best, I am sure, and would sleep at home, and need never come upstairs, so as to know who is in the house.” “As you please. As Dixon pleases. But, Margaret, don’t get to use these horrid Milton words. ‘Slack of work:’ it is a provincialism. What will your aunt Shaw say, if she hears you use it on her return?” “Oh, mamma! don’t try and make a bugbear of aunt Shaw,” said Margaret, laughing. “Edith picked up all sorts of military slang from Captain Lennox, and aunt Shaw never took any notice of it.” “But yours is factory slang.” “And if I live in a factory town, I must speak factory language when I want it. Why, mamma, I could astonish you with a great many words you never heard in your life. I don’t believe you know what a knobstick is.” “Not I, child. I only know it has a very vulgar sound; and I don’t want to hear you using it.” “Very well, dearest mother, I won’t. Only I shall have to use a whole explanatory sentence instead.” “I don’t like this Milton,” said Mrs. Hale. “Edith is right enough in saying it’s the smoke that has made me so ill.” Margaret started up as her mother said this. Her father had just entered the room, and she was most anxious that the faint impression she had seen on his mind that the Milton air had injured her mother’s health, should not be deepened—should not receive any confirmation. She could not tell whether he had heard what Mrs. Hale had said or not; but she began speaking hurriedly of other things, unaware that Mr. Thornton was following him. “Mamma is accusing me of having picked up a great deal of vulgarity since we came to Milton.” The “vulgarity” Margaret spoke of, referred purely to the use of local words, and the expression arose out of the conversation they had just been holding. But Mr. Thornton’s brow darkened; and Margaret suddenly felt how her speech might be misunderstood by him; so, in the natural sweet desire to avoid giving unnecessary pain, she forced herself to go forwards with a little greeting, and continue what she was saying, addressing herself to him expressly. “Now, Mr. Thornton, though ‘knobstick’ has not a very pretty sound, is it not expressive? Could I do without it, in speaking of the thing it represents? If using local words is vulgar, I was very vulgar in the Forest,—was I not, mamma?” It was unusual with Margaret to obtrude her own subject of conversation on others; but, in this case, she was so anxious to prevent Mr. Thornton from feeling annoyance at the words he had accidentally overheard, that it was not until she had done speaking that she coloured all over with consciousness, more especially as Mr. Thornton seemed hardly to understand the exact gist or bearing of what she was saying, but passed her by, with a cold reserve of ceremonious movement, to speak to Mrs. Hale. The sight of him reminded her of the wish to see his mother, and commend Margaret to her care. Margaret, sitting in burning silence, vexed and ashamed of her difficulty in keeping her right place, and her calm unconsciousness of heart, when Mr. Thornton was by, heard her mother’s slow entreaty that Mrs. Thornton would come and see her; see her soon; to-morrow, if it were possible. Mr. Thornton promised that she should—conversed a little, and then took his leave; and Margaret’s movements and voice seemed at once released from some invisible chains. He never looked at her; and yet, the careful avoidance of his eyes betokened that in some way he knew exactly where, if they fell by chance, they would rest on her. If she spoke, he gave no sign of attention, and yet his next speech to any one else was modified by what she had said; sometimes there was an express answer to what she had remarked, but given to another person as though unsuggested by her. It was not the bad manners of ignorance; it was the wilful bad manners arising from deep offence. It was wilful at the time; repented of afterwards. But no deep plan, no careful cunning could have stood him in such good stead. Margaret thought about him more than she had ever done before; not with any tinge of what is called love, but with regret that she had wounded him so deeply,—and with a gentle, patient striving to return to their former position of antagonistic friendship; for a friend’s position was what she found that he had held in her regard, as well as in that of the rest of the family. There was a pretty humility in her behaviour to him, as if mutely apologising for the over-strong words which were the reaction from the deeds of the day of the riot. But he resented those words bitterly. They rung in his ears; and he was proud of the sense of justice which made him go in every kindness he could offer to her parents. He exulted in the power he showed in compelling himself to face her, whenever he could think of any action which might give her father or mother pleasure. He thought that he disliked seeing one who had mortified him so keenly; but he was mistaken. It was a stinging pleasure to be in the room with her, and feel her presence. But he was no great analyser of his own motives and was mistaken, as I have said. 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. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (2003). North and South. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4276/pg4276-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

A RAY OF SUNSHINE.

CHRISTMAS STORMS AND SUNSHINE

What are Decentralized Social Networks, and What's the Connection to DAO? Decentralized social networks are innovative platforms that operate without a central authority, relying on blockchain and distributed ledger technology. These networks are built upon the principles of decentralization, transparency, and user empowerment. The connection to lies in their shared foundation of decentralized decision-making and community governance. DAOs play a vital role in shaping the rules and policies that govern these social networks, giving users a say in the platform's development and evolution. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) The Advantages of Decentralized Social Networks and How They Differ from Traditional Social Media Ownership and Data Control: In decentralized social networks, users retain ownership and control over their data. Unlike conventional social media, where data is often harvested and monetized by the platform, decentralized networks empower users to decide how their information is used. Censorship Resistance: Decentralized social networks resist censorship and content manipulation. By operating on a decentralized infrastructure, these platforms prevent a single entity from controlling or suppressing information, promoting free expression and diverse viewpoints. Incentivized Content Creation: Users in can be incentivized through token rewards for creating and curating valuable content. This encourages active community participation and fosters a vibrant ecosystem where creativity flourishes. decentralized social networks Enhanced Privacy and Security: Decentralized networks prioritize user privacy and security. By leveraging cryptographic protocols, users can interact and communicate without compromising their personal data, reducing the risk of data breaches and identity theft. Interoperability: Unlike traditional social media silos, decentralized networks aim for interoperability. Users can seamlessly connect and interact across various decentralized platforms, fostering a more connected and inclusive digital experience. Examples of Decentralized Social Networks Steemit: Steemit, one of the early pioneers, combines social media and blockchain to reward content creators and curators with its native cryptocurrency, STEEM. Users receive tokens based on the popularity of their posts and votes from the community. Mastodon: Mastodon operates on a federated model, where multiple interconnected servers (instances) form a decentralized network. Users can choose their preferred instance, and interactions occur across the entire Mastodon ecosystem. Peepeth: Peepeth is a decentralized microblogging platform running on the Ethereum blockchain. It allows users to post short messages, or "peeps," and rewards positive interactions while discouraging harmful behavior. Conclusion Decentralized social networks embody the spirit of autonomy, transparency, and user-centricity. By harnessing the power of blockchain and distributed technologies, these networks offer a compelling alternative to traditional social media. Users enjoy ownership of their data, resistance to censorship, and the opportunity to earn rewards for their contributions. While still in their nascent stages, decentralized social networks hold the promise of transforming the way we connect and share in the digital realm. So, why be confined to the walled gardens of centralized social media when you can join the decentralized revolution – where the memes are free, and the community is in control!

Unchaining Social Media: Exploring the World of Decentralized Social Networks

Unchaining the Potential: Exploring Philosophical Implications of Blockchain

Stories, News & Mentions about SUNCHAIN

Sunchain’s Stories on HackerNoon