The A3 Hindhead Tunnel was shut in both directions

A3 Hindhead Tunnel updates after road closed over 'technology issue' with heavy traffic - Surrey Live

Transport for London told The Mirror that fire crews are currently working to determine the cause of the smoke in the tunnel as video shows passengers streaming out of the busy station

Tottenham Court Road station evacuated over fire alert as smoke spotted in the tunnel - Mirror Online

National Highways is urging people to check their route before they travel.

Hindhead Tunnel re-opens after technology issue

Surrey: Hindhead Tunnel re-opens after technology issue closure - BBC News

After 100 years, a rail crossing between Spain and Morocco could finally come to fruition

The £6bn tunnel that could link Europe to Africa by 2030

According to information on the company&#x27;s website, Navayuga Engineering, the leading company under the Navayuga Group, is an engineering and core infrastructure firm. The company has also announced that it has constructed the Dhola-Sadia Bridge, which is India’s longest river bridge., India ...

Electoral Bonds Case: Electoral Bonds: Company Building Silkyara Tunnel That Collapsed, Trapped 41 Workers Donated Rs 55 Crore To BJP | India News - Times Now

Hyderabad: The existing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is shunned by those who fear going into the tunnel for the scan. Some also avoid it due to the high-decibel sounds it emanates. As a

Vijaya Diagnostic, FujiFilm Offer Tunnel-Free MRI for Claustrophobic

The machine is named after Buckinghamshire astronomer and astrophysicist, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.

HS2 tunnelling machine completes journey in Buckinghamshire

The second tunnel boring machine (TBM) building HS2 under the Chiltern Hills broke through at the twin tunnels’ northern portal on Thursday 21st March 2024.

Second Chilterns TBM breaks through

Tunnl

tunnl

Why is an SSH tunnel into AWS EC2 needed? Before I tell you why it's needed, I'd like to share why I had to do it. The answer is simple: to locally test things in our ML Codebase. Now, coming to why it's needed: Amazon DocumentDB is a managed database service that is designed to be secure. This simply means that the database is hosted privately onto something called Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC). In simple terms, I like to think of it as Amazon's own private internet. So DocumentDB can be directly accessed by any AWS service within the same VPC or any other with the required permissions. SSH tunneling is needed when we want to access DocumentDB resources from outside the cluster's VPC, here on our local machine. To access DocumentDB from your local machine, you typically need to go through a bastion host (EC2 instance) using SSH. This extra layer of security ensures that your database connection is not directly exposed to the internet, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. What is SSH Tunneling? SSH tunneling, also known as "port forwarding," is a technique used to secure and encrypt communication between two computer systems over an unsecured network, such as the Internet. It involves creating a secure channel (tunnel) through which data can be transferred between a local and a remote machine. In simple terms, it's establishing a VPN. In our context: The local machine is the one running your Python script. The remote machine is an EC2 instance in your AWS environment. The SSH tunnel allows secure communication between your local machine and the EC2 instance, providing a secure pathway for data to travel. Once the tunnel is established, you can use it to connect to DocumentDB securely, as if it were running on your local machine. Code Before diving into the code, you will need a few important constants. I suggest storing them as environment variables for security purposes. # SSH tunnel configuration
SSH_HOST=ec2-x-x-x-x.region.compute.amazonaws.com
SSH_USER=ec2-user
SSH_KEY_PATH=path to ec2-host-key-pair.pem file
LOCAL_BIND_PORT=3000 # any port of your choice

# MongoDB server configuration
MONGO_HOST=replica_db_name.*.*.docdb.amazonaws.com
MONGO_PORT=27017
MONGO_USERNAME=your_monogdb_username
MONGO_PASSWORD=your_monogdb_password

MONGO_DB_NAME=YOUR_DB_NAME
MONGO_COLLECTION_NAME=YOUR_DEFAULT_COLLECTION_NAME

# db parameters dict
DB_PARAMS = {
    "host": '127.0.0.1',
    "port": LOCAL_BIND_PORT,
    "username": MONGO_USERNAME,
    "password": MONGO_PASSWORD,
} : is the public IP for your EC2 instance running in the same VPC as your DocumentDB. SSH_HOST : path to your key-pair.pem file. This is used to authenticate your SSH connection to the EC2 instances. SSH_KEY_PATH NOTE: Whitelist your IP Address in your EC2 Security Groups before running the code. from pymongo import MongoClient
from sshtunnel import SSHTunnelForwarder


tunnel = SSHTunnelForwarder(
            (SSH_HOST, 22),
            ssh_username=SSH_USER,
            ssh_pkey=SSH_KEY_PATH,
            remote_bind_address=(MONGO_HOST, MONGO_PORT),
            local_bind_address=('127.0.0.1', LOCAL_BIND_PORT)
        )

# start the tunnel
tunnel.start()

# get mongo client
client = MongoClient(
                directConnection=True,
                **DB_PARAMS
        )

# do something
db = client[MONGO_DB_NAME]
collection = db[MONGO_COLLECTION_NAME]

documents = list(collection.find(some_query))
print(documents)

# stop the tunnel and close the client
client.close()
tunnel.stop()

client=None How does this work? Here is a simple picture to describe it: The figure presents a simplified overview of SSH tunneling. The secure connection over the untrusted network is established between an SSH client and an SSH server. This SSH connection is encrypted, protects confidentiality and integrity, and authenticates communicating parties. The SSH connection is used by the application (our Python code) to connect to the application server (Mongo/DocDB Server). With tunneling enabled, the application contacts a port (= 3000) on the local host ('127.0.0.1') that the SSH client listens on. The SSH client then forwards the application over its encrypted tunnel to the server (EC2 Instance). The server then connects to the actual application server (DocumentDB) - usually on the same machine or in the same data center as the SSH server. The application communication is thus secured without having to modify the application or end-user workflows. References - by ssh.com What is SSH Tunneling? AWS Docs: , , Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 StackOverflow Post Also published . here

SSH Tunneling to AWS EC2 and Connecting to DocumentDB with Python

Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CENTRAL SHAFT OF THE HOOSAC TUNNEL. here CENTRAL SHAFT OF THE HOOSAC TUNNEL. As many of our readers have evinced much interest and ingenuity on the question of the propriety of placing reliance upon the accuracy of dropping a perpendicular from the top to the bottom of a shaft 1,030 feet in depth, by means of an ordinary plummet, we take the earliest opportunity of settling the matter beyond dispute, by reporting the results lately obtained, through a series of experiments by the engineers in charge, for the ultimate purpose of laying down the correct line for the tunnel. The perpendicular line has, of course, been dropped many times, and the main result taken. The plummet used is made of steel, properly balanced and polished, in shape something like a pineapple, and of about the same size, weighing fifteen pounds. It was suspended, with the large end downwards, by a thin copper wire, one fortieth of an inch in diameter, immersed in water; and, after careful steadying with the hand, occupied about an hour in assuming its final position or motion, which, contrary to the expectation and theories of many, resulted in a circular motion around a fixed point, the diameter of the circle being a mean of one quarter of an inch. The suspending wire in these operations was not quite the entire length of the shaft, being only 900 feet; and before the plummet had settled, the wire had stretched nearly twenty feet. The suspension of the plummet in water was not considered necessary for any other reason than that water was continually trickling down the wire, and dropping on the plummet. The experiments so far have not been of the perfect character it is determined to attain, when the final alignment is made, as, until the headings east and west of the shaft have advanced to a considerable distance, any slight error would be of no account. A neat and ingenious instrument has been constructed for determining the variation of the plummet, and will be used when great accuracy is desired; the plummet will also be suspended in oil. The bearing of the tunnel is about S. 81° E.; but, independently of its near approach to the line of revolution described by the earth, it is not considered necessary to take into account any motion it may derive from this cause. In fact, the opinion is, that the motion of the earth will not practically have any effect. On the whole, after the still imperfect experiments which have been made, enough is established to show there is no difficulty to be encountered, other than the accurate and delicate manipulation of the plummet and its attachments. The shaft headings are progressing favorably. The rock is not so hard or varied as that met with at the west end markings. Already nearly 300 feet have been taken out, and with the proved energy of the contractors, this great task will doubtless be prosecuted steadily and surely to completion, within the contract time expiring March 1, 1874. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19180/pg19180-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

CENTRAL SHAFT OF THE HOOSAC TUNNEL

Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Ventilation of the Liverpool Tunnel. here Ventilation of the Liverpool Tunnel. This tunnel, which forms an ascending incline of a mile and a quarter length from the terminal station in Lime-street London and N. W. Railroad, was worked until recently by a rope and stationary engine, to avoid fouling the air of the tunnel by the passage of locomotives; but the increase of the traffic having necessitated the abandonment of the rope and the substitution of locomotives for bringing the trains up through the tunnel, it became requisite to provide some efficient means of ventilation for clearing the tunnel speedily of the smoke and steam after the passage of each train. A large exhausting fan has been designed by Mr. John Ramsbottom for this purpose, which works in a chamber situated near the middle of the length of the tunnel, and draws the air in from the tunnel, through a cross drift; discharging it up a tapering chimney that extends to a considerable hight above the surface of the ground over the tunnel. The fan is about thirty feet diameter, and is made with straight radial vanes; it revolves on a horizontal shaft at a speed of about forty-five revolutions per minute, within a brick casing, built concentric with the fan for the first half of the circumference, and afterwards expanding gradually for discharging into the base of the chimney, the air from the tunnel being drawn in at the center of the fan at each side, and discharged from the circumference of the fan by the revolution of the vanes. The engine driving the fan is started by telegraph signal at each departure of a train from the terminal station, and the fan is kept running until the discharge from it becomes quite clear, showing that no steam or smoke remains in the tunnel; this is usually the case in about eight minutes after the time of the train entering the lower end of the tunnel, the passage of the train through the tunnel occupying about three minutes. The fan draws air in at both ends of the tunnel simultaneously, and begins to clear the lower end immediately upon the train entering; the clearing of the upper end commences as soon as the train has passed out of the tunnel, and as the fan is situated nearer the upper end of the tunnel than the lower, the clearing of both lengths is completed almost simultaneously. The fan is so constructed as to allow an uninterrupted passage through it, for the air, whilst the fan is standing still; and the natural ventilation thus obtained by means of the large chimney is found sufficient for clearing the tunnel during the night and some portion of the day, without the fan being worked at those times. This natural ventilation is aided by the engine exhaust and the boiler discharging into the chimney. The fan has now been in regular operation for three-quarters of a year, and has been found completely successful. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American, Volume XXIV., No. 12, March 18, 1871. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19180/pg19180-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

Ventilation of the Liverpool Tunnel

Scientific American Supplement, No. 365, December 30, 1882 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . LOUIS FAVRE, CONSTRUCTOR OF THE ST. GOTHARD TUNNEL. here LOUIS FAVRE, CONSTRUCTOR OF THE ST. GOTHARD TUNNEL. It is now already a year that the locomotive has been rolling over the St. Gothard road, crossing at a flash the distance separating Basle from Milan, and passing rapidly from the dark and damp defiles of German Switzerland into the sun lit plains of Lombardy. Our neighbors uproariously fêted the opening of this great international artery, which they consider as their personal and exclusive work, as well from a technical point of view as from that of the economic result that they had proposed to attain—the creation of a road which, in the words of Bismarck, "glorifies no other nation." As regards the piercing of the Gothard, the initiative does, in fact, belong by good right to the powerful "Iron Chancellor," so we have never dreamed of robbing Germany of the glory (and it is a true glory) of having created the second of the great transalpine routes, that open to European products a new gate to the Oriental world. It seems to us, however, that in the noisy concert of acclamations that echoed during the days of the fêtes over the inauguration of the line, a less modest place might have been made for those who, with invincible tenacity and rare talent, directed the technical part of the work, and especially those 15 kilometers of colossal boring—the great St. Gothard Tunnel, which ranks in the history of great public works side by side with the piercing of the Frejus, and the marvelous digging of Suez and Panama. We recall just now the names of those who, during nearly ten years, have contributed with entire disinterestedness to the completion of this colossal work. Over all stands a figure of very peculiar originality—that of M. Louis Favre, the general contractor of the great tunnel, whose name will remain attached to the creation of this work through the Helvetian Alps, like that of Sommeiller to the great tunnel of the Frejus, and that of De Lesseps to the artificial straits that henceforward join the oceans. Having myself had the honor of occupying the position of general secretary of the enterprise under consideration, I have been enabled to make a close acquaintance with the man who was so remarkable in all respects, and who, after passing his entire life in great public works, died like a soldier on the field of honor—in the depths of the tunnel. I saw Favre, for the first time, in Geneva, in 1872, a few days after he had assumed the responsibility of undertaking the great work. He had been living since the war on his magnificent Plongeon estate, on the right bank of the lake. There was no need of dancing attendance in order to reach the contractor of the greatest work that has been accomplished up to the present time, for M. Favre was easy of access. We had scarcely passed five minutes together than we we were conversing as we often did later after an acquaintance of six years. After making known to him the object of my visit, the desire of being numbered among the of his enterprise, the conversation quickly took that turn of mirthfulness that was at the bottom of Favre's character. "This is the first time," said he to me, laughing, "that I ever worked with Germans, and I had not yet struck the first blow of the pick on the Gothard when they began to quibble about our contract of the 8th of last August. Ah! that agreement of August 8th! How I had to change and re-change it, later on. If this thing continues, we shall have a pretty quarrel, considering that I do not understand a word of the multiple interpretations of their . I ought to have mistrusted this. But you see I have remained inactive during the whole of this unfortunate war. I was not made for promenading in the paths of a garden, and I should have died of chagrin if such inaction had had to be prolonged. When one lives, as I have, for thirty years around lumber yards, it is difficult to accustom one's self to the sedentary and secluded life that I have led here for nearly two years." personnel charabia As he said, with just pride, Louis Favre had, indeed, before becoming the first contractor of public works in the world, lived for a long time in lumber yards. The years that so many other better instructed but less learned persons, who were afterward to gladly accept his authority, had given up to their studies, Favre had passed in the humble shop of his father, a carpenter at Chêne, a small village at a half league from Geneva. It soon becoming somewhat irksome for him in the village, he left the paternal workbench to start on what is called the "tour of France." He was then eighteen years of age. Three years afterward, he was undertaking small works. It was not long ere he was remarked by the engineers conducting the latter, and he was soon called to give his advice on all difficult questions. Between times, Favre had courageously studied the principal bases of such sciences as were to be useful to him. In the evening, he made up at the public school what was lacking in his early instruction; not that he hoped to make a complete study for an engineer, but only to learn the indispensable. He was, before all things, a practical man, who made up for the enforced insufficiency of his technical knowledge by a of surprising accuracy. Here it may be said to me that the piercing of the great St. Gothard Tunnel was accompanied by considerable loss. That is true, but it must be recalled also that this colossal work was accomplished amid the most insurmountable difficulties which ever presented themselves. In spite of this, the cost of the tunnel per running foot was also a third less than that of the great Mont Cenis Tunnel. coup d'œil When Favre undertook the St. Gothard, he already reckoned to his credit numerous victories in the domain of public works, especially in the construction of subterranean ones. The majority of tunnels of any length which, since the beginning of the establishment of railways, have been considered as works of some proportions (the Blaisy Tunnel, for instance), were executed by him, in addition to other open air works. So Favre reached the St. Gothard full of hope. The battle with the colossus did not displease him, and his courage and his confidence in the success of the work seemed to increase in measure as the circumstances surrounding the boring became more difficult. In the presence of the terrible inundation of the gallery of Airolo and the falling of aquiferous rocks, creating in the subterranean work so desperate a situation that a large number of very experienced engineers almost advised the abandonment of the works, Favre remained impassive. Amid the general apprehension, which, it may be readily comprehended, was felt in such a situation he made his confident and cheerful voice heard, reviving the ardor of all, and speaking disdainfully of "that insignificant Gothard, which would come out all right." The of the enterprise were not the only ones, however, who were uneasy over the constantly occurring difficulties in the way of the work, for the company itself and the Swiss Federal Council made known to Favre their fears that the execution of the work would be delayed. He, however, calmed their fears, and exposed his projects to them, and the seances always ended by a vote of confidence in the future of the undertaking. Favre certainly did not dissimulate the difficulties that he should have to conquer, but he execrated those who were timorous and always tried to put confidence into those who surrounded him. But, singular phenomenon, he ended by deceiving himself and, at certain times, it would not have been easy to prove to him that the St. Gothard was not the most easy undertaking in the world. Those who have lived around him know the jokes that he sometimes made at the expense of poor Gothard, which paid him back with interest, however, and did not allow itself to be pierced so easy after all. personnel Such confidence as existed in the first years, however, was not to exist for ever. The tunnel advanced, the heading deepened, but at the price of what troubles, and especially of how many expenses! Day by day one could soon count the probable deficit in the affair and the silent partners began to get a glimpse of the loss of the eight millions of securities that had had to be deposited with the Swiss Federal Council. For Favre personally the failure of the enterprise would have been ruin for his fortune was not so large as has been stated. To fears which Favre possessed more on account of the associates that he had engaged in the enterprise than for himself, came to join themselves those troubles with the Germans that he had spoken to me about on the first day. The St. Gothard Company, whose troubles are so celebrated, and whose inactivity lasted until the reconstruction of the affair, was seemingly undertaking to make Favre, who was directing the only work then in activity, bear all the insults that it had itself had to endure. And yet, amid these multiple cares, the contractor of the tunnel did not allow himself to become disheartened. Constantly at the breach he lived at his works, going from the gigantic adit of Goschenen to the inundated one of Anolo, constantly on the mountain, having no heed of the icy and perilous crossing, and passing days in the torrential rain that was flooding the tunnel. Who of us does not picture him in mind as he reached the inn at night, with his high boots still soaking wet, and his gray beard full of icicles to take his accustomed seat at the table, and, between courses, to tell some story full of mirth, some joke from the other works whence he had come, which made us laugh immoderately, and brought a smile to the faces of the German engineers. It is a singular coincidence that this confidence in his own work, despite all the struggles borne, was shared likewise by another man than Favre—by Germano Sommeiller, the creator of the Mont Cenis Tunnel. When the work of the first piercing of the Alps was yet in the period of attacks and incredulity, Sommeiller wrote his brother the following letter: "Always keep me posted my dear Leander, as to what the laughers are saying and remember the proverb that 'he will laugh well who laughs last!' The majority of the people, even engineers, are rubbing their hands in expectation of the colossal fiasco that awaits us, and it is for that that the envious keep somewhat silent. I will predict to you that as soon as success is assured everybody will mount to the house tops and say 'I told you so! It was an idea of my own!' What great geniuses are going to spring from the earth! I am in haste, so adieu, courage, energy, silence and especially cheerfulness! And especially cheerfulness!" Perhaps this cheerfulness of strong minds is the invincible weapon of those who, like Sommeiller and Favre, fight against apathy or the bad faith of their adversaries! Like Favre however Sommeiller had not the pleasure of being present at the consecration of his glory, for at the Mont Cenis banquet as at the St. Gothard the place reserved for the creator of the great work was empty. As disastrous as was the enterprise from a financial point of view what a triumph for Favre would have been the day on which he traversed from one end to the other that 15 kilometers of tunnel that he had walked over step by step since the first blow of the pick had struck the rock of the St. Gothard! But such a satisfaction was not to be reserved for him. Suddenly, on the 19th of July, 1879, less than seven years after the beginning of the work, and six months before the meeting of the adits, in the course of one of his visits to the tunnel Favre was carried off by the rupture of a blood vessel. A year before that epoch, I had left the enterprise, Favre having confided to me the general supervision over the manufacture of dynamite that he had undertaken at Varallo Pombia for the needs of his tunnel, but my friend M. Stockalper, engineer in chief of the Goschenen section, who accompanied Favre on his fatal subterranean excursion, has many a time recounted to me the sad details of his sudden death. For months before it must be said Favre had been growing old. The man of broad shoulders and with head covered with thick hair in which here and there a few silver threads showed themselves, and who was as straight as at the age of twenty years, had begun to stoop, his hair had whitened and his face had assumed an expression of sadness that it was difficult for him to conceal. As powerful as it was this character had been subjugated. The transformation had not escaped me. Often during the days that we passed together he complained of a dizziness that became more and more frequent. We all saw him rapidly growing old. On the 19th of July, 1879, he had entered the tunnel with one of his friends, a French engineer who had come to visit the work, accompanied by M. Stockalper. Up to the end of the adit he had complained of nothing, but, according to his habit, went along examining the timbers, stopping at different points to give instructions, and making now and then a sally at his friend, who was unused to the smell of dynamite. In returning he began to complain of internal pains. "My dear Stockalper," said he, "take my lamp, I will join you." At the end of ten minutes not seeing him return, M. Stockalper exclaimed, "Well! M. Favre, are you coming?" No answer. The visitor and engineer retraced their steps, and when they reached Favre he was leaning against the rocks with his head resting upon his breast. His heart had already ceased to beat. A train loaded with excavated rock was passing and on this was laid the already stiff body of him who had struggled up to his last breath to execute a work all science and labor. A glorious end, if ever there was one! Favre died in the full plenitude of his forces at less than fifty four years of age, and I can say, without fear of contradiction, that he was universally and sincerely regretted by all those who had worked at his side. Still at the present time when a few of us old colleagues of Goschenen, Airolo or Altorf meet, it is not without emotion that we recall the old days, the joyful reunions at which he cheered the whole table with his broad and genial laugh.— Maxime Helene, in La Nature. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American Supplement, No. 365, December 30, 1882. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18763/pg18763-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

LOUIS FAVRE, CONSTRUCTOR OF THE ST. GOTHARD TUNNEL

A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . THE EASTERN TUNNEL here CHAPTER XVI - THE EASTERN TUNNEL The next day was Tuesday, the 30th of June—and at six o'clock in the morning we resumed our journey. We still continued to follow the gallery of lava, a perfect natural pathway, as easy of descent as some of those inclined planes which, in very old German houses, serve the purpose of staircases. This went on until seventeen minutes past twelve, the precise instant at which we rejoined Hans, who, having been somewhat in advance, had suddenly stopped. "At last," cried my uncle, "we have reached the end of the shaft." I looked wonderingly about me. We were in the centre of four cross paths—somber and narrow tunnels. The question now arose as to which it was wise to take; and this of itself was no small difficulty. My uncle, who did not wish to appear to have any hesitation about the matter before myself or the guide, at once made up his mind. He pointed quietly to the eastern tunnel; and, without delay, we entered within its gloomy recesses. Besides, had he entertained any feeling of hesitation it might have been prolonged indefinitely, for there was no indication by which to determine on a choice. It was absolutely necessary to trust to chance and good fortune! The descent of this obscure and narrow gallery was very gradual and winding. Sometimes we gazed through a succession of arches, its course very like the aisles of a Gothic cathedral. The great artistic sculptors and builders of the Middle Ages might have here completed their studies with advantage. Many most beautiful and suggestive ideas of architectural beauty would have been discovered by them. After passing through this phase of the cavernous way, we suddenly came, about a mile farther on, upon a square system of arch, adopted by the early Romans, projecting from the solid rock, and keeping up the weight of the roof. Suddenly we would come upon a series of low subterranean tunnels which looked like beaver holes, or the work of foxes—through whose narrow and winding ways we had literally to crawl! The heat still remained at quite a supportable degree. With an involuntary shudder, I reflected on what the heat must have been when the volcano of Sneffels was pouring its smoke, flames, and streams of boiling lava—all of which must have come up by the road we were now following. I could imagine the torrents of hot seething stone darting on, bubbling up with accompaniments of smoke, steam, and sulphurous stench! "Only to think of the consequences," I mused, "if the old volcano were once more to set to work." I did not communicate these rather unpleasant reflections to my uncle. He not only would not have understood them, but would have been intensely disgusted. His only idea was to go ahead. He walked, he slid, he clambered over piles of fragments, he rolled down heaps of broken lava, with an earnestness and conviction it was impossible not to admire. At six o'clock in the evening, after a very wearisome journey, but one not so fatiguing as before, we had made six miles towards the southward, but had not gone more than a mile downwards. My uncle, as usual, gave the signal to halt. We ate our meal in thoughtful silence, and then retired to sleep. Our arrangements for the night were very primitive and simple. A traveling rug, in which each rolled himself, was all our bedding. We had no necessity to fear cold or any unpleasant visit. Travelers who bury themselves in the wilds and depths of the African desert, who seek profit and pleasure in the forests of the New World, are compelled to take it in turn to watch during the hours of sleep; but in this region of the earth absolute solitude and complete security reigned supreme. We had nothing to fear either from savages or from wild beasts. After a night's sweet repose, we awoke fresh and ready for action. There being nothing to detain us, we started on our journey. We continued to burrow through the lava tunnel as before. It was impossible to make out through what soil we were making way. The tunnel, moreover, instead of going down into the bowels of the earth, became absolutely horizontal. I even thought, after some examination, that we were actually tending upwards. About ten o'clock in the day this state of things became so clear that, finding the change very fatiguing, I was obliged to slacken my pace and finally come to a halt. "Well," said the Professor quickly, "what is the matter?" "The fact is, I am dreadfully tired," was my earnest reply. "What," cried my uncle, "tired after a three hours' walk, and by so easy a road?" "Easy enough, I dare say, but very fatiguing." "But how can that be, when all we have to do is to go downwards." "I beg your pardon, sir. For some time I have noticed that we are going upwards." "Upwards," cried my uncle, shrugging his shoulders, "how can that be?" "There can be no doubt about it. For the last half hour the slopes have been upward—and if we go on in this way much longer we shall find ourselves back in Iceland." My uncle shook his head with the air of a man who does not want to be convinced. I tried to continue the conversation. He would not answer me, but once more gave the signal for departure. His silence I thought was only caused by concentrated ill-temper. However this might be, I once more took up my load, and boldly and resolutely followed Hans, who was now in advance of my uncle. I did not like to be beaten or even distanced. I was naturally anxious not to lose sight of my companions. The very idea of being left behind, lost in that terrible labyrinth, made me shiver as with the ague. Besides, if the ascending path was more arduous and painful to clamber, I had one source of secret consolation and delight. It was to all appearance taking us back to the surface of the earth. That of itself was hopeful. Every step I took confirmed me in my belief, and I began already to build castles in the air in relation to my marriage with my pretty little cousin. About twelve o'clock there was a great and sudden change in the aspect of the rocky sides of the gallery. I first noticed it from the diminution of the rays of light which cast back the reflection of the lamp. From being coated with shining and resplendent lava, it became living rock. The sides were sloping walls, which sometimes became quite vertical. We were now in what the geological professors call a state of transition, in the period of Silurian stones, so called because this specimen of early formation is very common in England in the counties formerly inhabited by the Celtic nation known as Silures. "I can see clearly now," I cried; "the sediment from the waters which once covered the whole earth formed during the second period of its existence these schists and these calcareous rocks. We are turning our backs on the granite rocks, and are like people from Hamburg who would go to Lubeck by way of Hanover." I might just as well have kept my observations to myself. My geological enthusiasm got the better, however, of my cooler judgment, and Professor Hardwigg heard my observations. "What is the matter now?" he said, in a tone of great gravity. "Well," cried I, "do you not see these different layers of calcareous rocks and the first indication of slate strata?" "Well; what then?" "We have arrived at that period of the world's existence when the first plants and the first animals made their appearance." "You think so?" "Yes, look; examine and judge for yourself." I induced the Professor with some difficulty to cast the light of his lamp on the sides of the long winding gallery. I expected some exclamation to burst from his lips. I was very much mistaken. The worthy Professor never spoke a word. It was impossible to say whether he understood me or not. Perhaps it was possible that in his pride—my uncle and a learned professor—he did not like to own that he was wrong in having chosen the eastern tunnel, or was he determined at any price to go to the end of it? It was quite evident we had left the region of lava, and that the road by which we were going could not take us back to the great crater of Mount Sneffels. As we went along I could not help ruminating on the whole question, and asked myself if I did not lay too great a stress on these sudden and peculiar modifications of the earth's crust. After all, I was very likely to be mistaken—and it was within the range of probability and possibility that we were not making our way through the strata of rocks which I believed I recognized piled on the lower layer of granitic formation. "At all events, if I am right," I thought to myself, "I must certainly find some remains of primitive plants, and it will be absolutely necessary to give way to such indubitable evidence. Let us have a good search." I accordingly lost no opportunity of searching, and had not gone more than about a hundred yards, when the evidence I sought for cropped up in the most incontestable manner before my eyes. It was quite natural that I should expect to find these signs, for during the Silurian period the seas contained no fewer than fifteen hundred different animal and vegetable species. My feet, so long accustomed to the hard and arid lava soil, suddenly found themselves treading on a kind of soft dust, the remains of plants and shells. Upon the walls themselves I could clearly make out the outline, as plain as a sun picture, of the fucus and the lycopods. The worthy and excellent Professor Hardwigg could not of course make any mistake about the matter; but I believe he deliberately closed his eyes, and continued on his way with a firm and unalterable step. I began to think that he was carrying his obstinacy a great deal too far. I could no longer act with prudence or composure. I stooped on a sudden and picked up an almost perfect shell, which had undoubtedly belonged to some animal very much resembling some of the present day. Having secured the prize, I followed in the wake of my uncle. "Do you see this?" I said. "Well, said the Professor, with the most imperturbable tranquillity, "it is the shell of a crustaceous animal of the extinct order of the trilobites; nothing more, I assure you." "But," cried I, much troubled at his coolness, "do you draw no conclusion from it?" "Well, if I may ask, what conclusion do you draw from it yourself?" "Well, I thought—" "I know, my boy, what you would say, and you are right, perfectly and incontestably right. We have finally abandoned the crust of lava and the road by which the lava ascended. It is quite possible that I may have been mistaken, but I shall be unable to discover my error until I get to the end of this gallery." "You are quite right as far as that is concerned," I replied, "and I should highly approve of your decision, if we had not to fear the greatest of all dangers." "And what is that?" "Want of water." "Well, my dear Henry, it can't be helped. We must put ourselves on rations." And on he went. 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 (2006). A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/18857/18857-h/18857-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

THE EASTERN TUNNEL

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . THE ARABIAN TUNNEL here CHAPTER V: THE ARABIAN TUNNEL That same evening, in 21° 30′ N. lat., the floated on the surface of the sea, approaching the Arabian coast. I saw Djeddah, the most important counting-house of Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and India. I distinguished clearly enough its buildings, the vessels anchored at the quays, and those whose draught of water obliged them to anchor in the roads. The sun, rather low on the horizon, struck full on the houses of the town, bringing out their whiteness. Outside, some wooden cabins, and some made of reeds, showed the quarter inhabited by the Bedouins. Soon Djeddah was shut out from view by the shadows of night, and the found herself under water slightly phosphorescent. Nautilus Nautilus The next day, the 10th of February, we sighted several ships running to windward. The returned to its submarine navigation; but at noon, when her bearings were taken, the sea being deserted, she rose again to her waterline. Nautilus Accompanied by Ned and Conseil, I seated myself on the platform. The coast on the eastern side looked like a mass faintly printed upon a damp fog. We were leaning on the sides of the pinnace, talking of one thing and another, when Ned Land, stretching out his hand towards a spot on the sea, said: “Do you see anything there, sir?” “No, Ned,” I replied; “but I have not your eyes, you know.” “Look well,” said Ned, “there, on the starboard beam, about the height of the lantern! Do you not see a mass which seems to move?” “Certainly,” said I, after close attention; “I see something like a long black body on the top of the water.” And certainly before long the black object was not more than a mile from us. It looked like a great sandbank deposited in the open sea. It was a gigantic dugong! Ned Land looked eagerly. His eyes shone with covetousness at the sight of the animal. His hand seemed ready to harpoon it. One would have thought he was awaiting the moment to throw himself into the sea and attack it in its element. At this instant Captain Nemo appeared on the platform. He saw the dugong, understood the Canadian’s attitude, and, addressing him, said: “If you held a harpoon just now, Master Land, would it not burn your hand?” “Just so, sir.” “And you would not be sorry to go back, for one day, to your trade of a fisherman and to add this cetacean to the list of those you have already killed?” “I should not, sir.” “Well, you can try.” “Thank you, sir,” said Ned Land, his eyes flaming. “Only,” continued the Captain, “I advise you for your own sake not to miss the creature.” “Is the dugong dangerous to attack?” I asked, in spite of the Canadian’s shrug of the shoulders. “Yes,” replied the Captain; “sometimes the animal turns upon its assailants and overturns their boat. But for Master Land this danger is not to be feared. His eye is prompt, his arm sure.” At this moment seven men of the crew, mute and immovable as ever, mounted the platform. One carried a harpoon and a line similar to those employed in catching whales. The pinnace was lifted from the bridge, pulled from its socket, and let down into the sea. Six oarsmen took their seats, and the coxswain went to the tiller. Ned, Conseil, and I went to the back of the boat. “You are not coming, Captain?” I asked. “No, sir; but I wish you good sport.” The boat put off, and, lifted by the six rowers, drew rapidly towards the dugong, which floated about two miles from the . Nautilus Arrived some cables-length from the cetacean, the speed slackened, and the oars dipped noiselessly into the quiet waters. Ned Land, harpoon in hand, stood in the fore part of the boat. The harpoon used for striking the whale is generally attached to a very long cord which runs out rapidly as the wounded creature draws it after him. But here the cord was not more than ten fathoms long, and the extremity was attached to a small barrel which, by floating, was to show the course the dugong took under the water. I stood and carefully watched the Canadian’s adversary. This dugong, which also bears the name of the halicore, closely resembles the manatee; its oblong body terminated in a lengthened tail, and its lateral fins in perfect fingers. Its difference from the manatee consisted in its upper jaw, which was armed with two long and pointed teeth which formed on each side diverging tusks. This dugong which Ned Land was preparing to attack was of colossal dimensions; it was more than seven yards long. It did not move, and seemed to be sleeping on the waves, which circumstance made it easier to capture. The boat approached within six yards of the animal. The oars rested on the rowlocks. I half rose. Ned Land, his body thrown a little back, brandished the harpoon in his experienced hand. Suddenly a hissing noise was heard, and the dugong disappeared. The harpoon, although thrown with great force; had apparently only struck the water. “Curse it!” exclaimed the Canadian furiously; “I have missed it!” “No,” said I; “the creature is wounded—look at the blood; but your weapon has not stuck in his body.” “My harpoon! my harpoon!” cried Ned Land. The sailors rowed on, and the coxswain made for the floating barrel. The harpoon regained, we followed in pursuit of the animal. The latter came now and then to the surface to breathe. Its wound had not weakened it, for it shot onwards with great rapidity. The boat, rowed by strong arms, flew on its track. Several times it approached within some few yards, and the Canadian was ready to strike, but the dugong made off with a sudden plunge, and it was impossible to reach it. Imagine the passion which excited impatient Ned Land! He hurled at the unfortunate creature the most energetic expletives in the English tongue. For my part, I was only vexed to see the dugong escape all our attacks. We pursued it without relaxation for an hour, and I began to think it would prove difficult to capture, when the animal, possessed with the perverse idea of vengeance of which he had cause to repent, turned upon the pinnace and assailed us in its turn. This manœuvre did not escape the Canadian. “Look out!” he cried. The coxswain said some words in his outlandish tongue, doubtless warning the men to keep on their guard. The dugong came within twenty feet of the boat, stopped, sniffed the air briskly with its large nostrils (not pierced at the extremity, but in the upper part of its muzzle). Then, taking a spring, he threw himself upon us. The pinnace could not avoid the shock, and half upset, shipped at least two tons of water, which had to be emptied; but, thanks to the coxswain, we caught it sideways, not full front, so we were not quite overturned. While Ned Land, clinging to the bows, belaboured the gigantic animal with blows from his harpoon, the creature’s teeth were buried in the gunwale, and it lifted the whole thing out of the water, as a lion does a roebuck. We were upset over one another, and I know not how the adventure would have ended, if the Canadian, still enraged with the beast, had not struck it to the heart. I heard its teeth grind on the iron plate, and the dugong disappeared, carrying the harpoon with him. But the barrel soon returned to the surface, and shortly after the body of the animal, turned on its back. The boat came up with it, took it in tow, and made straight for the . Nautilus It required tackle of enormous strength to hoist the dugong on to the platform. It weighed 10,000 lbs. The next day, 11th February, the larder of the was enriched by some more delicate game. A flight of sea-swallows rested on the . It was a species of the Sterna nilotica, peculiar to Egypt; its beak is black, head grey and pointed, the eye surrounded by white spots, the back, wings, and tail of a greyish colour, the belly and throat white, and claws red. They also took some dozen of Nile ducks, a wild bird of high flavour, its throat and upper part of the head white with black spots. Nautilus Nautilus About five o’clock in the evening we sighted to the north the Cape of Ras-Mohammed. This cape forms the extremity of Arabia Petraea, comprised between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Acabah. The penetrated into the Straits of Jubal, which leads to the Gulf of Suez. I distinctly saw a high mountain, towering between the two gulfs of Ras-Mohammed. It was Mount Horeb, that Sinai at the top of which Moses saw God face to face. Nautilus At six o’clock the , sometimes floating, sometimes immersed, passed some distance from Tor, situated at the end of the bay, the waters of which seemed tinted with red, an observation already made by Captain Nemo. Then night fell in the midst of a heavy silence, sometimes broken by the cries of the pelican and other night-birds, and the noise of the waves breaking upon the shore, chafing against the rocks, or the panting of some far-off steamer beating the waters of the Gulf with its noisy paddles. Nautilus From eight to nine o’clock the remained some fathoms under the water. According to my calculation we must have been very near Suez. Through the panel of the saloon I saw the bottom of the rocks brilliantly lit up by our electric lamp. We seemed to be leaving the Straits behind us more and more. Nautilus At a quarter-past nine, the vessel having returned to the surface, I mounted the platform. Most impatient to pass through Captain Nemo’s tunnel, I could not stay in one place, so came to breathe the fresh night air. Soon in the shadow I saw a pale light, half discoloured by the fog, shining about a mile from us. “A floating lighthouse!” said someone near me. I turned, and saw the Captain. “It is the floating light of Suez,” he continued. “It will not be long before we gain the entrance of the tunnel.” “The entrance cannot be easy?” “No, sir; for that reason I am accustomed to go into the steersman’s cage and myself direct our course. And now, if you will go down, M. Aronnax, the is going under the waves, and will not return to the surface until we have passed through the Arabian Tunnel.” Nautilus Captain Nemo led me towards the central staircase; half way down he opened a door, traversed the upper deck, and landed in the pilot’s cage, which it may be remembered rose at the extremity of the platform. It was a cabin measuring six feet square, very much like that occupied by the pilot on the steamboats of the Mississippi or Hudson. In the midst worked a wheel, placed vertically, and caught to the tiller-rope, which ran to the back of the . Four light-ports with lenticular glasses, let in a groove in the partition of the cabin, allowed the man at the wheel to see in all directions. Nautilus This cabin was dark; but soon my eyes accustomed themselves to the obscurity, and I perceived the pilot, a strong man, with his hands resting on the spokes of the wheel. Outside, the sea appeared vividly lit up by the lantern, which shed its rays from the back of the cabin to the other extremity of the platform. “Now,” said Captain Nemo, “let us try to make our passage.” Electric wires connected the pilot’s cage with the machinery room, and from there the Captain could communicate simultaneously to his the direction and the speed. He pressed a metal knob, and at once the speed of the screw diminished. Nautilus I looked in silence at the high straight wall we were running by at this moment, the immovable base of a massive sandy coast. We followed it thus for an hour only some few yards off. Captain Nemo did not take his eye from the knob, suspended by its two concentric circles in the cabin. At a simple gesture, the pilot modified the course of the every instant. Nautilus I had placed myself at the port-scuttle, and saw some magnificent substructures of coral, zoophytes, seaweed, and fucus, agitating their enormous claws, which stretched out from the fissures of the rock. At a quarter-past ten, the Captain himself took the helm. A large gallery, black and deep, opened before us. The went boldly into it. A strange roaring was heard round its sides. It was the waters of the Red Sea, which the incline of the tunnel precipitated violently towards the Mediterranean. The went with the torrent, rapid as an arrow, in spite of the efforts of the machinery, which, in order to offer more effective resistance, beat the waves with reversed screw. Nautilus Nautilus On the walls of the narrow passage I could see nothing but brilliant rays, straight lines, furrows of fire, traced by the great speed, under the brilliant electric light. My heart beat fast. At thirty-five minutes past ten, Captain Nemo quitted the helm, and, turning to me, said: “The Mediterranean!” In less than twenty minutes, the , carried along by the torrent, had passed through the Isthmus of Suez. Nautilus 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). Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/164/164-h/164-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

THE ARABIAN TUNNEL

The sexual wellness market is to double over the upcoming years from $62 billion today to $125 billion by 2026. expected As the sex-positive movement continues to change social norms and lift taboos worldwide, the adult industry is set for a surge of innovation, offering several opportunities for businesses and users along the way. Let's explore how disruptive new tech like blockchain can help the industry fight stereotypes and bias, add transparency, and ensure compliance, privacy, safety, and sustainability. Bumps in the road Despite several sexual revolutions we had in the past and the extremely high demand for sex-based content and products we see today, most of us still look at the adult industry through a negative prism. It's still considered to be something dirty, sleazy, bad, and shady – something to stay away from. Existing businesses within the adult ecosystem in the United States and many other countries are completely legal. Still, the industry is heavily undervalued and underserved due to bias and many unrecognized market segments. Some entrepreneurs have great ideas for sex products and services. Still, any entrepreneur in this industry will tell you that starting and running a business in this area is incredibly difficult. You cannot create a bank account, and most legal and recognized payment gateways will not work with you. PayPal and Stripe will absolutely not do business with anyone from the adult industry. Startups in the adult industry cannot promote their ads on most social media platforms like Facebook. Love hotels cannot advertise on Booking.com. There are so many judgments and stigmas out there that you really have to think twice before making an effort to tap into the industry. However, with the advancement and proliferation of blockchain technology, there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel for the industry. Blockchain as a "rescue ranger" Blockchain in the adult industry is all about security, empowerment, protection, and removing bias. Let's think of the adult industry as proof of concept. Blockchain allows us to transact securely in a decentralized peer-to-peer marketplace and behave under a pseudonym, with this added element of trust. Every market would want that. Data privacy and security are becoming increasingly important. As well as the ability to make transactions respectfully and confidentially. These unique blockchain attributes create interesting and thought-provoking implications for future use cases and scenarios. Blockchain allows telling people, " ." This helps create a robust and fair space for the future. Blockchain helps disintermediate the banks and payment gateways that are causing some big problems today and enables fixing the payment issues in the industry. the data is yours, and you can do with it whatever you want Numerous confirm that users don't want to use their credit cards to buy sex-related goods and services. But the "intimate token" can be the source of trust they crave to solve this layer of problems while lowering barriers to entry. studies Blockchain technology allows people to transact privately with built-in trust and transparency. Besides, blockchain helps facilitate and improve adult content creation and monetization, protect sex workers from discrimination and abuse, etc. Let's dive deep to see how decentralization helps the adult industry overcome its most significant obstacles. Blockchain in the adult industry: use cases Payment processing As mentioned above, most payment engines, including PayPal, do not work with adult products. As such, sex industry players have to overcome many barriers because they cannot use conventional payment systems. companies also have to pay almost twice as much processing costs as other non-adult businesses. SexTech Creating a payment processing system for SexTech platforms is a huge market opportunity. On the other hand, blockchain can be a default platform per se. The merger of sexual wellness products and blockchain will likely build a symbiotic relationship, allowing both adult entertainment and SexTech companies and consumers to access fast, low-fee, and anonymous payments. Moreover, blockchain allows adult content platforms to implement reward systems where consumers receive tokens they can redeem and use for purchases. For instance, is a startup that pioneers Ethereum-based payments for adult industry models and merchants. SpankChain Legends Room LV "the world's only bitcoin nightclub in Vegas" that handles payments in digital assets such as BTC or the club's local currency, LGD. By scanning temporary tattoos with a QR code located on the strip dancer's body, you can pay for any of their services. calls itself Allie Rae is a 37-year-old mother of three children who went from making about $84,000 a year as an ICU nurse in Boston to $1.3 million, thanks to her work on OnlyFans, . which has more than 130 million users Last summer, OnlyFans struggled with an advertising nightmare. After banks began flagging and rejecting transactions on the site, OnlyFans announced plans to ban sexually explicit content – its core product. This decision was met with such a backlash that OnlyFans reversed course within days. Rae felt "kicked to the curb" and never wanted to be put in that position again. So she took action and founded , a blockchain-powered adult entertainment platform, into which she has vowed to invest $1 million of her own money. As Rae it, "WetSpace will be a place where creators don't have to worry about "big banking restrictions and payouts." WetSpace describes "For people like me making millions of dollars, a thirty-day notice from OnlyFans would be the end of us. Crypto really feels like it's kinda it, otherwise, we're going to be controlled forever and who knows the kind of content they're going to continue to ban. They can turn you off tomorrow." Allie Rae Adult content creation and monetization Imagine that adult content creators could own both their media and content. Sex content creators need an infrastructure that would empower them to take control of their audience's data. This is the bright future of in the ever-growing adult content market. NFT Non-fungible tokens or NFTs are defined as cryptographic and visually distinct assets. These tokens on the blockchain reveal the ownership of a particular digital item. It's time for meaningful NFT utilities to be used by adult content creators. This is the industry that would benefit significantly from NFT marketplaces. The adult content sector is the market leader in technological solutions. Therefore, it is logical that this sector shows significant interest in the crypto community. One option for adult content creators to monetize their work is to sell video clips as NFTs. These marketplaces are familiar, and clips can be stored on the blockchain. Cryptocurrency allows secure transactions for buyers, especially when they want to make payments. NFT merchants can also make higher profits than many existing adult content platforms. The power of NFT comes from the connection between creator and consumer. Consumers of adult content value personal connections to their subjects of interest, which is why real-world adult clubs are so popular. NFTs introduce an element of exclusivity. Everyone wants a simple solution without paying fees with every transaction. This solution will consist of peer-to-peer transactions that are very careful on the blockchain. In this model, the production and consumption of such content are more ethical and safer. With NFT, you get something that can neither be damaged nor copied. In addition, you get access to an easily accessible market. "I see NFT's as an opportunity to navigate consent within our creative work and utility of how it will be used to innovate SexTech. SexTech has a trust management problem to manage with the current web2 /centralized system," SX Noir One of such adult NFT marketplaces is . It provides a blockchain space for creators to have full autonomy of their creations and an authentic fan experience for their admirers. Proof of Peach is the world's first NFT charity project. 144 Cryptotitties popped out on January 4th, 2018, and became the 19th oldest NFT in the world. It donated 100 ETH to –"the first all-inclusive nonprofit organization that creates community for survivors, previvors, thrivers, and carevivors, impacted by breast and gynecological cancers." Cryptotities TheBreasties.org It's an excellent example of how adult industry actors can indulge in meaningful social projects and make a difference. Safety and security of sex industry workers It is incredibly unfair when an entire industry suffers from a lack of transparency and security, isn't it? Due to the nature of the industry, sex workers do not receive the respect and dignity they deserve and are often taken advantage of or put under stress. Although adult female models earn more on average than their male counterparts, they still don't reap all the fruits of their work's value. Sex workers face discrimination, harassment, and other human rights violations. This is often the result of the lack of privacy and security but is also the result of a huge power imbalance in the workplace. As in many industries where the employer has all the cards, sex workers are often mistreated and underrespected. Although prostitution is legal in many countries, there's still a high risk of assault and violence against prostitutes, especially when strangers pick them up on the streets. Also, going with an unfamiliar escort is never safe as clients can be drunk or drugged and can do harm to a prostitute that remains unprotected. By verifying users, recording their transactions on the blockchain, ensuring maximum privacy, and at the same time connecting a reputation ranking system to their profiles, we can make the "world's oldest business" much safer. Solving the problem of human trafficking More than 20 million people are forced to work in the $150 billion illegal sex industry today. As such, it's a huge problem that must be addressed and solved. According to the UN , 79% of human trafficking involves sexual exploitation, with children accounting for 20% of all human trafficking. What does this have to do with blockchain? First, authorities worldwide say that human traffickers use crypto to conceal cash flows that could lead to their arrest. According to , Jamaican Deputy Superintendent of Police, " ." In Jamaica alone, about 7,000 men, women and children live in captivity and are sexually exploited regularly. Carl Berry They [human traffickers] are asking for payment in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which is a new factor that creates problems for law enforcement Privacy coins designed to prevent identity tracking (like Monero and Zcash) are among offenders' favorite forms of payment. Criminals have started to use coins like Zcash that encrypt real sender addresses, making it nearly impossible to find merchant data patterns when used across multiple transactions. While many cryptocurrency exchanges collect important data from the transactions they generate and seek to urgently solve the problems of anti-money laundering (AML) and modern slavery, some of the unique characteristics of cryptocurrency make it attractive to criminals who seek to hide their identity and cover their illegal actions. The pseudo-anonymity of cryptocurrency transactions, primarily through unregulated exchanges or peer-to-peer networks, can facilitate transactions not regulated by Know Your Customer (KYC) controls. Human traffickers use cryptocurrencies to buy ads or purchase premium memberships on review board sites. Some cryptocurrency community members specifically cater to human traffickers who advertise on Backpage and similar sites. Although blockchain facilitates transaction anonymity within human trafficking, it's also used to "fight fire with fire." While there are no personal identifiers, there are methods to identify the address owner, including analyzing blockchain activity for patterns that can give insight into a user's identity, using blockchain tracking tools, or using data obtained from regulated cryptocurrency exchanges that collect customer data under growing KYC and AML regulations. Using the information collected by crypto companies through advanced data analysis systems and artificial intelligence, we can better understand the scope, geography, and population of victims and combat modern slavery more effectively. Here's an example of how blockchain-based tools can be used to detect and prevent human trafficking. In 2019, a South Korean citizen for working on the "Welcome to Video" darknet marketplace – the largest child porn marketplace by content volume. "Welcome to Video" contains over 250,000 child porn videos and boasts over a million video downloads. A group behind this darknet website, including some South Korean officials and their relatives, offered these videos for sale in bitcoin. was arrested U.S. and South Korean investigators were able to trace the flow of funds on the blockchain to track bitcoin payments to the darknet website and identify wallets associated with the site's administrator. The investigation resulted in the arrest of 337 people worldwide. Wrapping up Stigma and taboos reinforce the lack of opportunities to protect people working in the adult industry. They are forced to do their business in the shadows and are exposed to personal safety and privacy risks. Blockchain technology and the adult industry make a great couple with the potential for legitimation and empowerment. And what's your take on this?

Blockchain in the Sex Industry: Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Blockchain en la industria del sexo: ¿Luz al final del túnel?

Blockchain dans l'industrie du sexe : la lumière au bout du tunnel ?

सेक्स उद्योग में ब्लॉकचेन: सुरंग के अंत में प्रकाश?

性産業におけるブロックチェーン: トンネルの終わりの光?

Blockchain na indústria do sexo: luz no fim do túnel?

Blockchain trong ngành công nghiệp tình dục: Ánh sáng cuối đường hầm?

性产业中的区块链：隧道尽头的光明？

Photo by on . Tom Dahm Unsplash The classic human error is assuming we’re doing a good job, because we have nothing better to compare ourselves to. Humans operate with small data sets and execute flawed analytical reports. Machines operate with far larger ones and are capable of carrying out advanced analysis, achieving far more accurate results. Thus, for example, far too often, we’ll see someone go to a certain college, get a certain degree, and then have a successful career and assume it will work for us as well. But in practice, our conclusion may be flawed, due to a number of reasons. Namely, humans can only contain and analyze a limited amount of data. Moreover, we aren’t always able to execute advanced analysis and remove bias, often leading us to skewed results or a failure to separate between correlation and causation. In the context of AI transformations, employees often don't see the urgent need for improving their workflow, because they are only seeing the data-context they have in front of them, not all the data they are missing, or, the larger data-context. In other words, the exponential creation rate of data, along with its natural vastness, mean that we can be so far behind, we aren't even capable of recognizing what we are missing. Lingering Negative Data-Habits: Analysts are inherently forced to filter out large amounts of data based on generic axioms because the alternative requires the analyst to work with an impossible amount of data. While the advantage of having a small data set is that the analyst can perform higher quality manual analysis, he often loses out on lots of information from the data he excludes. But the damage is greater than just that. Other than just missing out on specific data-points of value, the analyst may become unaware of full segments of data that have value, due to false assumptions. This creates an endless loop where in each subsequent tasks, the analyst continues to falsely pre-determine his segments based on past (unreliable) experiences and results, thus creating a fatal downwards spiral. This often nurtures a false sense of certainty as to the validity of the results with no substantial way of knowing what is falling between the cracks. Organizations end up with an over-developed sense of confidence in their data and draw conclusions which are only true for the small data-context they have in front of them. Similarly, as humans, analysts tend to be biased towards implementing filtration systems that output the data-set with the highest probability to contain value. This makes sense when there is no alternative to human-centric tasks. However, when we introduce machines into our workflow, it is critical to shake this underlying bias. If a machine is doing the work, purely from a business standpoint, the rate of non-valuable to valuable data-point is far less important. The only important metric becomes the net amount of valuable data alongside the cost of time required by any humans alongside the machine. In sum, Making machine-centric tasks more “humanly possible” in nature, is detrimental to our goals. Adjusting our Mindset for the age of Big Data: A human analyst may be able to segment data with 100% accuracy, while a machine may only be able to perform the same analysis with 85% accuracy after training. Despite that, what we, as humans, tend to ignore, is that 85% of 100X data which the machine is able to analyze may be more valuable and in fact, more accurate. Our initial response, as humans, tends to be opposing the use of the algorithm, thinking that only accurate results are of value. This is yet another human bias that needs to be removed once having introduced machines into a workflow.  Obviously, the quality of analysis is important, but when determining how to build a process, we need to remind ourselves that quantity actually creates higher quality. In other words, our instinctive definition of accuracy is skewed due to the small context in which we are seeing it. More importantly, casting a wide net of analysis on the larger data-set can provide a far more justified sense of confidence for organizations seeking credible conclusions. Creating a Symbiotic relationship between Humans and Machines: While the age where machines can do it all is not yet upon us, the age of human-machine teams has already arrived. There are many approaches to this, but to my mind, the most important success factor is building these systems in a manor that ensures that the value of each component’s work (human and machine) contributes to the other, symbiotically. For example, in a case where we require high quality data segmentation and analysis, a machine alone will likely fail us. However, having a machine segment data, with human in-depth review as a quality-control can solve this, allow for reviewing of more data, and in many cases, be more cost-effective than using a human analyst alone. Alternatively, even if we don’t trust the machine to do any of the data analysis, we can allow it to guide us in selecting the subset for human segmentation. Ironically, today, our first and most dangerous filtration is done by humans, usually not based on conclusive evidence. The key here is create systems that allow for the various elements of every task to be performed by the team component that is best suited for it. Leading Human Machine Teams: As managers and leaders, we have to train ourselves to look at the larger data context, and constantly suspect we are missing something. A failure to criticize, in this case, can be detrimental to an operation. None of this is to say that there is no place for human analysis, but rather, that human ability is far more effective when enriched with machine capabilities. We need to create human-machine analysis teams that work in conjunction with one another, not opposing one another. Looking ahead, it’s critical for managers to be able to separate between the role of the machine and the role of the human. Doing this well will allow humans and machines to work together, as “human-machine teams”, resulting in an outcome greater than it’s individual components. If in the past, one of the manager’s key responsibilities was to assign the most appropriate team member to every task, today, that role has expanded to include evaluating which part of each task should be human-centric, and which should be machine-centric. Those able to bridge the gap between the humanities-oriented task of putting these technologies into a human and business context with the technological know-how to guide their implementation, will be best positioned to lead a succesful transformation. We must always attempt to “know the unknowable”, even within our data. But the key to achieving that is first recognizing that our we all suffer from and in doing so, we can attempt to achieve human-machine symbiosis that will transform an operation. data-tunnel-vision

Avoiding Data-Tunnel-Vision and Achieving Human-Machine Symbiosis

One of the more convenient developer tools is an instant public URL for a website or app running locally on your dev machine. , , , and others dramatically simplified the process for exposing local servers to the public internet by tunneling through any NAT or firewall. Tools such as these are easy to use and have become invaluable for testing mobile apps, building webhook consumers, and demoing websites without deploying. Ngrok LocalTunnel Serveo One challenge that is becoming increasingly more common is that some organizations are not permitting stateful tunneling solutions. Why? Persistent tunnels may provide a mechanism to circumvent the firewall security policies, creating a security concern for I.T. teams. Systems behind the organization’s firewall can get exposed to the internet without I.T.’s knowledge. Part of the corporate risk portfolio associated with some other methods (e.g. SSH, VPN, PPTP, etc), is the possibility for data exfiltration, where the tunnel may hide unauthorized communications for malware and potentially increase risk in back tunneling (e.g. SSH back tunneling). Because of this, we are seeing companies blacklist solutions that expose local servers using these types of back tunnels. We decided to simplify these back tunneling solutions and create a stateless methodology for providing you with an instant secure public URL without the NetOps concerns. Vortex utilizes a stateless store-and-forward technique to remove the need for long-lived connections. Vortex allows you to create a custom, secure public URL to your localhost server without using stateful tunnels. SEE THE DOCS This means you can use a Vortex Instant Domain to build your MS Teams chatbot at your Fortune 500 company. Or for testing your mobile app with your offshore development team. Or for demoing websites at your dev school. We have customers using Vortex in these and a variety of other situations. To make things even a little easier on you, your Vortex URL is static—meaning we will not randomly change it every couple of hours. Your domain is yours. You can get started in just a couple of minutes. TRY IT OUT Try VORTEX free and let us know what you think! See vortexhub.io for more info. I am the founder of vortexhub.io

Introducing Vortex: A Stateless Tunneling Service

If you use a bastion server to access PostgreSQL or any other SQL database for that matter, you'll need to create an SSH tunnel to access it. Some DB clients handle this automatically for you, but if you want to interact with the database through the shell you'll need to create it yourself. What is an SSH Tunnel? Put simply, an SSH tunnel is a way to redirect requests to a port on localhost to a remote server. Creating the Tunnel Before creating the tunnel, you will need to know three things: the bastion server's hostname, your username on the bastion server, and the SQL server's hostname. You should also verify that you can ssh into the bastion server. To do this, run the following command and enter your password when prompted. ssh <username>@<bastion_server> Adding your Profile (Optional) You can add your SSH key to the bastion server so that you don't have to type in your password every time you connect. To do so, use the following command: ssh-copy-id <username>@<bastion_server> Open the Tunnel Now that you know you can connect to the bastion server, open the tunnel like this: ssh -L localhost:5433:<sql_server>:5432 <username>@<bastion_server> You should see the standard bash prompt that came up when you directly logged into the bastion server. Leave this window open to keep the tunnel open. Now when you connect to the port on , you'll actually be talking to the SQL server on port ! 5433 localhost 5432 To verify that your connection works, open a new terminal and execute: psql --port=5433 --host=localhost -c "SELECT * FROM pg_catalog.pg_tables" You should see a list of tables returned. Create SSH Config (Optional) Okay, I forget the command to open a tunnel all the time. Plus it's a pain to have to look up the hostname of two servers every time you want to connect to the database. To simplify things, you can create an SSH config with all of the tunnel settings. Edit your file and add the following entry: ~/.ssh/config Host bastion-production
  HostName <bastion_server> <username>
  LocalForward localhost:5433 <sql_server>:5432 User Now to create the tunnel, just run SSH bastion-production and it will behave the same as the previous command. Previously published at https://justwriteapps.com/connect-to-postgresql-through-ssh-tunnel/

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