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Yellow's purpose is to make life better for customers living in Africa. Through a digital technology platform, Yellow enables a distributed network of sales agents to serve rural households with life changing products and services.

Yellow

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Those travelling in areas affected by the yellow warnings are urged to check road conditions in advance of starting their journeys by car or bus and amend their plans if necessary.

Yellow weather warnings for rain and wind acoss UK - with travel disruption expected | UK News | Sky News

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Sussex on Saturday and Sunday (New Year’s Eve), December 30-31.

Yellow weather warning for Sussex – Met Office warns of strong winds causing disruption to travel and services

THE Met Office has issued a new yellow weather warning for snow and rain covering almost all of Scotland.

Scotland weather: Met Office issues yellow warning for snow and rain | The National

A yellow weather warning has been issued for Wiltshire with “strong and gusty winds” expected to hit the county.

Yellow weather warning in place for Wiltshire this weekend

A yellow weather warning for wind has been issued for Dorset

Met Office issues yellow wind warning for Dorset | Dorset Echo

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Pembrokeshire due to strong winds which will be in place on Saturday and Sunday (December 30…

Yellow weather warning issued for Pembrokeshire as winds of up to 75mph expected

A yellow weather warning for strong winds has been issued by the Met Office, with areas of Somerset set to be affected.

Yellow weather warning for wind issued in Somerset and Devon | Somerset County Gazette

In an enlightening conversation for the "Behind the Startup" series, Louis Bellet, the dynamic force behind Yellow Network, shares the intriguing story of its inception and its ambitious mission to redefine the cryptocurrency trading landscape. Born from the strategic merger of Openware.com and Yellow Trading, Yellow Network emerges as a groundbreaking solution, tackling the industry's pressing challenges head-on. With a focus on security, efficiency, and decentralization, Bellet details the innovative mechanisms and future-forward technologies that make Yellow Network a beacon of progress in the digital asset ecosystem. Revolutionizing Crypto Trade: Louis Bellet Unveils Yellow Network's Vision Ishan Pandey: Hi Louis, great to have you here for our "Behind the Startup" series. Can you share the story behind the founding of Yellow Network and what inspired you to start this venture? Louis Bellet: Yellow Network was born as a result of a collaboration of two established players in the industry. My journey began with Openware.com, where we built over 150 trading platforms, gaining unique insights into the pains and gains of both institutional and retail crypto businesses. Meanwhile, my partner Alexis, one of the founders of GSR and Yellow Trading, brought an in-depth perspective from the trading side. Our combined understanding of the industry's challenges led us to create Yellow Network. It represents our collaborative effort to innovate and solve persistent issues in the digital asset ecosystem, aiming to revolutionize the way digital assets are traded. Ishan Pandey: Can you elaborate on how Yellow Network aims to make cryptocurrency trading leaner, more efficient, and more secure in the current blockchain landscape? Louis Bellet: One of the main issues of the crypto industry today is the absence of the proper trading infrastructure. Yellow Network solves this by introducing a decentralized clearing system. It is designed to minimize reliance on a single market player with no separation of responsibilities, thus greatly reducing counterparty risks and removing potential points of failure. This approach connects brokers and exchanges across blockchains, enabling efficient and secure cross-chain trading and clearing. Yellow Network optimizes capital management through position netting, and streamlined settlement processes that consolidate a batch of trades into a single transaction. Ishan Pandey: How does Yellow Network utilize a P2P network and state channels to connect brokers across various blockchains? Louis Bellet: The P2P approach enables brokers to instantly connect to other network participants to match orders and execute trades directly with each other in a decentralized manner, bypassing the traditional centralized framework. State channels facilitate private, secure off-chain transactions between parties, ensuring privacy, scalability and efficiency without compromising the blockchain's integrity. In this way, we can bring ultra-high-frequency trading and minimize transaction costs, while also being able to trade assets cross-chain. Ishan Pandey: Could you explain in more detail how Yellow Network's automated smart clearing protocol and its significance in the context of cryptocurrency trading? Louis Bellet: Our core component is called ClearSyncTM; it is a protocol that automates the post-trade process, including the clearing and settlement of trades, through smart contracts. It handles all activities from the moment a transaction commitment is made until it is settled, similar to traditional finance clearing processes​​. Key features of ClearSyncTM include the ability to open and close trading channels, deposit collateral in various cryptocurrencies, and send high-frequency margin-calls requests off-chain. In addition, it offers the flexibility to request settlements using different methods, including atomic cross chain swaps, or even third-party custodians. It also handles disputes on a portofolio state to unlock the collateral, enhancing the security and reliability of the trading process​​. Essentially, ClearSyncTM reduces counterparty risk and eliminates the need for intermediaries, leading to a more streamlined and less costly trading process. Ishan Pandey: What features make Yellow Network an all-in-one Web3 solution, and how is it tailored for the global retail market? Louis Bellet: Yellow Network offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services tailored to the needs and expectations of a global crypto market. Features such as cross-chain liquidity access, decentralized identity management, and integrated wallet services serve well for both beginners and experienced traders. Among other things, the platform also features: Decentralized trading, allowing participants to trade using their nearest node; Scalable infrastructure: with the use of state channels to enable swift, efficient off-chain trading and clearing suitable for high-frequency trading​​; Enhanced liquidity access as opposed to traditional silos, offering seamless liquidity exchange across platforms and chains​​; Minimized counterparty risks with the automated netting and operates collateral and safety deposits for secure settlements​​; Capital efficiency for consolidating trades and lowering margin requirements, optimizing capital usage​​; A broker-dealer model that aligns with regulatory preferences and streamlines broker operations​​. Ishan Pandey: Can you provide insights into the decision to merge Openware and Yellow Trading to form Yellow Network? How has this merger contributed to the company's overall strategy? Louis Bellet: The decision to merge was strategic in nature and aimed at uniting our expertise in blockchain development and financial markets. When we first started working together with Alexis, we quickly realized that we have an aligned vision of the future of crypto and a similar outlook on how the main problems of the industry can be tackled. We have leveraged Openware's technical expertise in building infrastructure for exchanges with Yellow Trading's market insights, which created Yellow Network as we know it now. Ishan Pandey: Can you elaborate on Yellow Trading's role as a market maker and startup incubator within the Yellow Network ecosystem? Louis Bellet: Yellow Trading plays a dual role within Yellow Network. As a market maker, it provides liquidity, ensuring efficient and stable market operations. This is crucial in creating a fruitful trading environment, especially in emerging or less liquid markets. As a startup incubator, Yellow Trading nurtures innovative blockchain projects, providing them with the necessary resources, mentorship, and network support to succeed, further enriching and integrating them into the Yellow Network ecosystem. Ishan Pandey: How do you perceive the current state of blockchain adoption globally, and what role does Yellow Network play in driving adoption? Louis Bellet: The global adoption of blockchain is primarily focused on trading and speculation. However, most traders don't fully utilize the benefits of the blockchain; they simply can’t; due to the isolated nature of exchanges and scalability issues. Blockchains are not the complete solution for decentralizing trading, but rather a component of the infrastructure. Yellow Network bridges the gap between isolated trading platforms and chains, facilitating efficient, real-time cross-chain transactions. This innovative approach progresses blockchain usage beyond current limitations, positioning Yellow Network at the forefront of promoting broader blockchain adoption and transforming the cryptocurrency trading landscape. Ishan Pandey: Looking ahead, how do you anticipate the regulatory landscape for blockchain and cryptocurrency evolving, and what preparations is Yellow Network making for potential regulatory changes? Louis Bellet: The regulatory framework for blockchain and cryptocurrency is expected to evolve towards greater clarity and structure, much like in traditional finance. In traditional finance, separating responsibilities like custody, exchange, and clearing is standard practice for risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. We are anticipating and aligning with this trend by distributing these functions. Our broker-dealer model, part of the network's design, separates these roles, reducing the risk of having all operations centralized in one entity. Our goal is to remain adaptable and responsive to regulatory changes, ensuring the longevity and legitimacy of our platform. Don’t forget to like and share the story! This author is an independent contributor publishing via our brand-as-author program. Be it through direct compensation, media partnerships, or networking, the author has a vested interest in the company/ies mentioned in this story. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure:

Bridging Gaps in Crypto Trading: The Strategic Vision of Yellow Network

PARIS, France, December 20th, 2023/Chainwire/--Layer 3 Foundation Announces Testnet of Its P2P Yellow Clearing Network for Counterparty Risk Mitigation. Layer 3 Foundation, a pioneer in blockchain-based financial technology, has announced the launch of a testnet program for its Yellow Clearing Network, the first-ever decentralized clearing system. This initiative marks a significant step towards realising the foundation's mission of decentralizing clearing and settlement processes to scale trading using blockchain technologies. Founded by a team of experts in fintech, software architecture, cyber-security, and market making, Layer 3 Foundation has been at the forefront of leveraging blockchain to create innovative financial solutions. The $YELLOW token, central to Yellow Clearing Network, is a testament to the foundation's commitment to cutting-edge technology and a decentralized future. What To Expect In The Testnet The program will begin with Yellow’s closed beta testnet which will go live on Duckies, Yellow’s Canary Network, which utilizes $DUCKIES as the native token. The closed testnet will open on January 22nd, 2024, and continue till April of the same year and focus on testing key features of the trading terminal, including but not limited to: Opening and closing of clearing channels with counterparts; Off-chain market trading; Settlement of trades using blockchain escrow swaps; Deployment of broker nodes and mining liquidity; Testnet users will play a crucial role in evaluating the trading terminal's user experience, interface usability, Web3 signing flow, and overall system robustness. Layer 3 Foundation aims to gather valuable metrics, uncover vulnerabilities, and refine the platform for a wider audience. Applications for the closed beta can be submitted at yellow.org/canarynet. The company seeks blockchain-savvy individuals passionate about blockchain technology, trading, and finance. Successful candidates are expected to have a basic understanding of financial markets, experience in participating in testnets, and influence within small communities. Preference will be given to seasoned traders and technology enthusiasts who support the company’s mission. Yellow Clearing Network uses ClearSync, a protocol that frees traders from counterparty risk. It achieves this by verifying that all parties have sufficient collateral funding to fulfill trades. This ensures that traders do not exceed their capital limits, giving counterparties confidence that trades will be fully honored. Future Developments and Executive Insights Feedback from the closed testnet will be instrumental in preparing the platform for an open testnet phase and eventual general availability. says Louis Bellet, a core contributor at Layer 3 Foundation. "At Layer 3 Foundation, the imminent market introduction of our technology fills me with immense excitement! It's a game-changer in blockchain's evolution." Upcoming features include cross-chain settlements and enhanced security measures. The closed beta represents a critical phase in Layer 3 Foundation's roadmap to broader adoption and token listing. About Layer 3 Foundation The mission of Layer-3 Foundation is to develop a state channel-powered ecosystem as a Fintech scaling standard to support the evolution of the Internet towards Web 3.0. The company stands behind Yellow Clearing Network, a peer-to-peer solution for trading, clearing, and settlement. Operating as a Layer3 that utilizes state channels, Yellow Network provides a safer way for individuals and institutions to trade. With no requirement to lock assets, thanks to safety collateral, counterparties can transact safely within a liquid and fully compliant environment. Learn more: https://www.layer3.foundation/,  https://www.yellow.org/ About ClearSync Ltd. ClearSync Ltd. is a UK-based technology research center and a developer of the ClearSyncTM protocol, a set of automated smart contracts that allow participants to lock and unlock collateral through state channels to protect the clearing and settlement of assets. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to sell shares or securities. Contact Head of Biz Dev & Marketing Anastasiia Bobeshko ana@yellow.org This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here.

Layer 3 Foundation Announces Testnet Of P2P Yellow Clearing Network For Counterparty Risk Mitigation

The Big Four by Agatha Christie, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . THE YELLOW JASMINE MYSTERY IX. THE YELLOW JASMINE MYSTERY It was all very well for Poirot to say that we were acquiring information all the time and gaining an insight into our adversaries' minds—I felt myself that I required some more tangible success than this. Since we had come into contact with the Big Four, they had committed two murders, abducted Halliday, and had been within an ace of killing Poirot and myself; whereas so far we had hardly scored a point in the game. Poirot treated my complaints lightly. "So far, Hastings," he said, "they laugh. That is true, but you have a proverb, have you not: 'He laughs best who laughs at the end'? And at the end, mon ami, you shall see. "You must remember, too," he added, "that we deal with no ordinary criminal, but with the second greatest brain in the world." I forbore to pander to his conceit by asking the obvious question. I knew the answer, at least I knew what Poirot's answer would be, and instead I tried without success to elicit some information as to what steps he was taking to track down the enemy. As usual he had kept me completely in the dark as to his movements, but I gathered that he was in touch with secret service agents in India, China, and Russia, and, from his occasional bursts of self-glorification, that he was at least progressing in his favourite game of gauging his enemy's mind. He had abandoned his private practice almost entirely, and I know that at this time he refused some remarkably handsome fees. True, he would sometimes investigate cases which intrigued him, but he usually dropped them the moment he was convinced that they had no connection with the activities of the Big Four. This attitude of his was remarkably profitable to our friend, Inspector Japp. Undeniably he gained much kudos for solving several problems in which his success was really due to a half-contemptuous hint from Poirot. In return for such service Japp supplied full details of any case which he thought might interest the little Belgian, and when he was put in charge of what the newspaper called "The Yellow Jasmine Mystery," he wired Poirot, asking him whether he would care to come down and look into the case. It was in response to this wire that, about a month after my adventure in Abe Ryland's house, we found ourselves alone in a railway compartment whirling away from the smoke and dust of London, bound for the little town of Market Handford in Worcestershire, the seat of the mystery. Poirot leant back in his corner. "And what exactly is your opinion of the affair, Hastings?" I did not at once reply to his question; I felt the need of going warily. "It all seems so complicated," I said cautiously. "Does it not?" said Poirot delightedly. "I suppose our rushing off like this is a pretty clear sign that you consider Mr. Paynter's death to be murder—not suicide or the result of an accident?" "No, no; you misunderstand me, Hastings. Granting that Mr. Paynter died as the result of a particularly terrible accident, there are still a number of mysterious circumstances to be explained." "That was what I meant when I said it was all so complicated." "Let us go over all the main facts quietly and methodically. Recount them to me, Hastings, in an orderly and lucid fashion." I started forthwith, endeavouring to be as orderly and lucid as I could. "We start," I said, "with Mr. Paynter. A man of fifty-five, rich, cultured, and somewhat of a globetrotter. For the last twelve years he has been little in England, but suddenly tiring of incessant travelling, he bought a small place in Worcestershire, near Market Handford, and prepared to settle down. His first action was to write to his only relative, a nephew, Gerald Paynter, the son of his younger brother, and to suggest to him that he should come and make his home at Croftlands (as the place is called) with his uncle. Gerald Paynter, who is an impecunious young artist, was glad enough to fall in with the arrangement, and had been living with his uncle for about seven months when the tragedy occurred." "Your narrative style is masterly," murmured Poirot. "I say to myself, it is a book that talks, not my friend Hastings." Paying no attention to Poirot, I went on, warming to the story. "Mr. Paynter kept up a fair staff at Croftlands—six servants as well as his own Chinese body servant—Ah Ling." "His Chinese servant, Ah Ling," murmured Poirot. "On Tuesday last, Mr. Paynter complained of feeling unwell after dinner, and one of the servants was despatched to fetch the doctor. Mr. Paynter received the doctor in his study, having refused to go to bed. What passed between them was not then known, but before Doctor Quentin left, he asked to see the housekeeper, and mentioned that he had given Mr. Paynter a hypodermic injection as his heart was in a very weak state, recommended that he should not be disturbed, and then proceeded to ask some rather curious questions about the servants—how long they had been there, from whom they had come, etc. "The housekeeper answered these questions as best she could, but was rather puzzled as to their purport. A terrible discovery was made on the following morning. One of the housemaids, on descending, was met by a sickening odour of burned flesh which seemed to come from her master's study. She tried the door, but it was locked on the inside. With the assistance of Gerald Paynter and the Chinaman that was soon broken in, but a terrible sight greeted them. Mr. Paynter had fallen forward into the gas fire, and his face and head were charred beyond recognition. "Of course, at the moment, no suspicion was aroused as to its being anything but a ghastly accident. If blame attached to any one, it was to Doctor Quentin for giving his patient a narcotic and leaving him in such a dangerous position. And then a rather curious discovery was made. "There was a newspaper on the floor, lying where it had slipped from the old man's knees. On turning it over, words were found to be scrawled across it, feebly traced in ink. A writing-table stood close to the chair in which Mr. Paynter had been sitting, and the forefinger of the victim's right hand was ink-stained up to the second joint. It was clear that, too weak to hold a pen, Mr. Paynter had dipped his finger in the ink-pot and managed to scrawl these two words across the surface of the newspaper he held—but the words themselves seemed utterly fantastic: Yellow Jasmine—just that and nothing more. "Croftlands has a large quantity of yellow jasmine growing up its walls, and it was thought that this dying message had some reference to them, showing that the poor old man's mind was wandering. Of course, the newspapers, agog for anything out of the common, took up the story hotly, calling it the Mystery of the Yellow Jasmine—though in all probability the words are completely unimportant." "They are unimportant, you say?" said Poirot. "Well, doubtless, since you say so, it must be so." I regarded him dubiously, but I could detect no mockery in his eye. "And then," I continued, "there came the excitements of the inquest." "This is where you lick your lips, I perceive." "There was a certain amount of feeling evidenced against Dr. Quentin. To begin with, he was not the regular doctor, only a locum, putting in a month's work, whilst Dr. Bolitho was away on a well-earned holiday. Then it was felt that his carelessness was the direct cause of the accident. But his evidence was little short of sensational. Mr. Paynter had been ailing in health ever since his arrival at Croftlands. Dr. Bolitho had attended him for some time, but when Dr. Quentin first saw his patient, he was mystified by some of the symptoms. He had only attended him once before the night when he was sent for after dinner. As soon as he was alone with Mr. Paynter, the latter had unfolded a surprising tale. To begin with, he was not feeling ill at all, he explained, but the taste of some curry that he had been eating at dinner had struck him as peculiar. Making an excuse to get rid of Ah Ling for a few minutes, he had turned the contents of his plate into a bowl, and he now handed it over to the doctor with injunctions to find out if there were really anything wrong with it. "In spite of his statement that he was not feeling ill, the doctor noted that the shock of his suspicions had evidently affected him, and that his heart was feeling it. Accordingly he administered an injection—not of a narcotic, but of strychnine. "That, I think, completes the case—except for the crux of the whole thing—the fact that the uneaten curry, duly analysed, was found to contain enough powdered opium to have killed two men!" I paused. "And your conclusions, Hastings?" asked Poirot quietly. "It's difficult to say. It might be an accident—the fact that some one attempted to poison him the same night might be merely a coincidence." "But you don't think so? You prefer to believe it—murder!" "Don't you?" "Mon ami, you and I do not reason in the same way. I am not trying to make up my mind between two opposite solutions—murder or accident—that will come when we have solved the other problem—the mystery of the 'Yellow Jasmine.' By the way, you have left out something there." "You mean the two lines at right angles to each other faintly indicated under the words? I did not think they could be of any possible importance." "What you think is always so important to yourself, Hastings. But let us pass from the mystery of the Yellow Jasmine to the Mystery of the Curry." "I know. Who poisoned it? Why? There are a hundred questions one can ask. Ah Ling, of course, prepared it. But why should he wish to kill his master? Is he a member of a tong, or something like that. One reads of such things. The tong of the Yellow Jasmine, perhaps. Then there is Gerald Paynter." I came to an abrupt pause. "Yes," said Poirot, nodding his head. "There is Gerald Paynter, as you say. He is his uncle's heir. He was dining out that night, though." "He might have got at some of the ingredients of the curry," I suggested. "And he would take care to be out, so as not to have to partake of the dish." I think my reasoning rather impressed Poirot. He looked at me with a more respectful attention than he had given me so far. "He returns late," I mused, pursuing a hypothetical case. "Sees the light in his uncle's study, enters, and, finding his plan has failed, thrusts the old man down into the fire." "Mr. Paynter, who was a fairly hearty man of fifty-five, would not permit himself to be burnt to death without a struggle, Hastings. Such a reconstruction is not feasible." "Well, Poirot," I cried, "we're nearly there, I fancy. Let us hear what you think?" Poirot threw me a smile, swelled out his chest, and began in a pompous manner. "Assuming murder, the question at once arises, why choose that particular method? I can think of only one reason—to confuse identity, the face being charred beyond recognition." "What?" I cried. "You think—" "A moment's patience, Hastings. I was going on to say that I examine that theory. Is there any ground for believing that the body is not that of Mr. Paynter? Is there any one else whose body it possibly could be? I examine these two questions and finally I answer them both in the negative." "Oh!" I said, rather disappointed. "And then?" Poirot's eyes twinkled a little. "And then I say to myself, 'since there is here something that I do not understand, it would be well that I should investigate the matter. I must not permit myself to be wholly engrossed by the Big Four.' Ah! we are just arriving. My little clothes brush, where does it hide itself? Here it is—brush me down, I pray you, my friend, and then I will perform the same service for you." "Yes," said Poirot thoughtfully, as he put away the brush, "one must not permit oneself to be obsessed by one idea. I have been in danger of that. Figure to yourself, my friend, that even here, in this case, I am in danger of it. Those two lines you mentioned, a downstroke and a line at right angles to it, what are they but the beginning of a 4?" "Good gracious, Poirot," I cried, laughing. "Is it not absurd? I see the hand of the Big Four everywhere. It is well to employ one's wits in a totally different milieu. Ah! there is Japp come to meet us." 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. Agatha Christie (2023). The Big Four. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70114/pg70114-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

THE YELLOW JASMINE MYSTERY

THE YELLOW-WINGED SPHEX

The warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . WITH THE YELLOW MEN WITH THE YELLOW MEN Thuvan Dihn was not long in joining me; and, though we found the hooked weapon a strange and savage thing with which to deal, the three of us soon despatched the five black-bearded warriors who opposed us. When the battle was over our new acquaintance turned to me, and removing the shield from his wrist, held it out. I did not know the significance of his act, but judged that it was but a form of expressing his gratitude to me. I afterward learned that it symbolized the offering of a man’s life in return for some great favor done him; and my act of refusing, which I had immediately done, was what was expected of me. “Then accept from Talu, Prince of Marentina,” said the yellow man, “this token of my gratitude,” and reaching beneath one of his wide sleeves he withdrew a bracelet and placed it upon my arm. He then went through the same ceremony with Thuvan Dihn. Next he asked our names, and from what land we hailed. He seemed quite familiar with the geography of the outerworld, and when I said I was from Helium he raised his brows. “Ah,” he said, “you seek your ruler and his company?” “Know you of them?” I asked. “But little more than that they were captured by my uncle, Salensus Oll, Jeddak of Jeddaks, Ruler of Okar, land of the yellow men of Barsoom. As to their fate I know nothing, for I am at war with my uncle, who would crush my power in the principality of Marentina. “These from whom you have just saved me are warriors he has sent out to find and slay me, for they know that often I come alone to hunt and kill the sacred apt which Salensus Oll so much reveres. It is partly because I hate his religion that Salensus Oll hates me; but mostly does he fear my growing power and the great faction which has arisen throughout Okar that would be glad to see me ruler of Okar and Jeddak of Jeddaks in his place. “He is a cruel and tyrannous master whom all hate, and were it not for the great fear they have of him I could raise an army overnight that would wipe out the few that might remain loyal to him. My own people are faithful to me, and the little valley of Marentina has paid no tribute to the court of Salensus Oll for a year. “Nor can he force us, for a dozen men may hold the narrow way to Marentina against a million. But now, as to thine own affairs. How may I aid you? My palace is at your disposal, if you wish to honor me by coming to Marentina.” “When our work is done we shall be glad to accept your invitation,” I replied. “But now you can assist us most by directing us to the court of Salensus Oll, and suggesting some means by which we may gain admission to the city and the palace, or whatever other place we find our friends to be confined.” Talu gazed ruefully at our smooth faces and at Thuvan Dihn’s red skin and my white one. “First you must come to Marentina,” he said, “for a great change must be wrought in your appearance before you can hope to enter any city in Okar. You must have yellow faces and black beards, and your apparel and trappings must be those least likely to arouse suspicion. In my palace is one who can make you appear as truly yellow men as does Salensus Oll himself.” His counsel seemed wise; and as there was apparently no other way to insure a successful entry to Kadabra, the capital city of Okar, we set out with Talu, Prince of Marentina, for his little, rock-bound country. The way was over some of the worst traveling I have ever seen, and I do not wonder that in this land where there are neither thoats nor fliers that Marentina is in little fear of invasion; but at last we reached our destination, the first view of which I had from a slight elevation a half-mile from the city. Nestled in a deep valley lay a city of Martian concrete, whose every street and plaza and open space was roofed with glass. All about lay snow and ice, but there was none upon the rounded, domelike, crystal covering that enveloped the whole city. Then I saw how these people combated the rigors of the arctic, and lived in luxury and comfort in the midst of a land of perpetual ice. Their cities were veritable hothouses, and when I had come within this one my respect and admiration for the scientific and engineering skill of this buried nation was unbounded. The moment we entered the city Talu threw off his outer garments of fur, as did we, and I saw that his apparel differed but little from that of the red races of Barsoom. Except for his leathern harness, covered thick with jewels and metal, he was naked, nor could one have comfortably worn apparel in that warm and humid atmosphere. For three days we remained the guests of Prince Talu, and during that time he showered upon us every attention and courtesy within his power. He showed us all that was of interest in his great city. The Marentina atmosphere plant will maintain life indefinitely in the cities of the north pole after all life upon the balance of dying Mars is extinct through the failure of the air supply, should the great central plant again cease functioning as it did upon that memorable occasion that gave me the opportunity of restoring life and happiness to the strange world that I had already learned to love so well. He showed us the heating system that stores the sun’s rays in great reservoirs beneath the city, and how little is necessary to maintain the perpetual summer heat of the glorious garden spot within this arctic paradise. Broad avenues of sod sewn with the seed of the ocher vegetation of the dead sea bottoms carried the noiseless traffic of light and airy ground fliers that are the only form of artificial transportation used north of the gigantic ice-barrier. The broad tires of these unique fliers are but rubber-like gas bags filled with the eighth Barsoomian ray, or ray of propulsion—that remarkable discovery of the Martians that has made possible the great fleets of mighty airships that render the red man of the outer world supreme. It is this ray which propels the inherent or reflected light of the planet off into space, and when confined gives to the Martian craft their airy buoyancy. The ground fliers of Marentina contain just sufficient buoyancy in their automobile-like wheels to give the cars traction for steering purposes; and though the hind wheels are geared to the engine, and aid in driving the machine, the bulk of this work is carried by a small propeller at the stern. I know of no more delightful sensation than that of riding in one of these luxuriously appointed cars which skim, light and airy as feathers, along the soft, mossy avenues of Marentina. They move with absolute noiselessness between borders of crimson sward and beneath arching trees gorgeous with the wondrous blooms that mark so many of the highly cultivated varieties of Barsoomian vegetation. By the end of the third day the court barber—I can think of no other earthly appellation by which to describe him—had wrought so remarkable a transformation in both Thuvan Dihn and myself that our own wives would never have known us. Our skins were of the same lemon color as his own, and great, black beards and mustaches had been deftly affixed to our smooth faces. The trappings of warriors of Okar aided in the deception; and for wear beyond the hothouse cities we each had suits of the black- and yellow-striped orluk. Talu gave us careful directions for the journey to Kadabra, the capital city of the Okar nation, which is the racial name of the yellow men. This good friend even accompanied us part way, and then, promising to aid us in any way that he found possible, bade us adieu. On parting he slipped upon my finger a curiously wrought ring set with a dead-black, lusterless stone, which appeared more like a bit of bituminous coal than the priceless Barsoomian gem which in reality it is. “There had been but three others cut from the mother stone,” he said, “which is in my possession. These three are worn by nobles high in my confidence, all of whom have been sent on secret missions to the court of Salensus Oll. “Should you come within fifty feet of any of these three you will feel a rapid, pricking sensation in the finger upon which you wear this ring. He who wears one of its mates will experience the same feeling; it is caused by an electrical action that takes place the moment two of these gems cut from the same mother stone come within the radius of each other’s power. By it you will know that a friend is at hand upon whom you may depend for assistance in time of need. “Should another wearer of one of these gems call upon you for aid do not deny him, and should death threaten you swallow the ring rather than let it fall into the hands of enemies. Guard it with your life, John Carter, for some day it may mean more than life to you.” With this parting admonition our good friend turned back toward Marentina, and we set our faces in the direction of the city of Kadabra and the court of Salensus Oll, Jeddak of Jeddaks. That very evening we came within sight of the walled and glass-roofed city of Kadabra. It lies in a low depression near the pole, surrounded by rocky, snow-clad hills. From the pass through which we entered the valley we had a splendid view of this great city of the north. Its crystal domes sparkled in the brilliant sunlight gleaming above the frost-covered outer wall that circles the entire one hundred miles of its circumference. At regular intervals great gates give entrance to the city; but even at the distance from which we looked upon the massive pile we could see that all were closed, and, in accordance with Talu’s suggestion, we deferred attempting to enter the city until the following morning. As he had said, we found numerous caves in the hillsides about us, and into one of these we crept for the night. Our warm orluk skins kept us perfectly comfortable, and it was only after a most refreshing sleep that we awoke shortly after daylight on the following morning. Already the city was astir, and from several of the gates we saw parties of yellow men emerging. Following closely each detail of the instructions given us by our good friend of Marentina, we remained concealed for several hours until one party of some half dozen warriors had passed along the trail below our hiding place and entered the hills by way of the pass along which we had come the previous evening. After giving them time to get well out of sight of our cave, Thuvan Dihn and I crept out and followed them, overtaking them when they were well into the hills. When we had come almost to them I called aloud to their leader, when the whole party halted and turned toward us. The crucial test had come. Could we but deceive these men the rest would be comparatively easy. “Kaor!” I cried as I came closer to them. “Kaor!” responded the officer in charge of the party. “We be from Illall,” I continued, giving the name of the most remote city of Okar, which has little or no intercourse with Kadabra. “Only yesterday we arrived, and this morning the captain of the gate told us that you were setting out to hunt orluks, which is a sport we do not find in our own neighborhood. We have hastened after you to pray that you allow us to accompany you.” The officer was entirely deceived, and graciously permitted us to go with them for the day. The chance guess that they were bound upon an orluk hunt proved correct, and Talu had said that the chances were ten to one that such would be the mission of any party leaving Kadabra by the pass through which we entered the valley, since that way leads directly to the vast plains frequented by this elephantine beast of prey. In so far as the hunt was concerned, the day was a failure, for we did not see a single orluk; but this proved more than fortunate for us, since the yellow men were so chagrined by their misfortune that they would not enter the city by the same gate by which they had left it in the morning, as it seemed that they had made great boasts to the captain of that gate about their skill at this dangerous sport. We, therefore, approached Kadabra at a point several miles from that at which the party had quitted it in the morning, and so were relieved of the danger of embarrassing questions and explanations on the part of the gate captain, whom we had said had directed us to this particular hunting party. We had come quite close to the city when my attention was attracted toward a tall, black shaft that reared its head several hundred feet into the air from what appeared to be a tangled mass of junk or wreckage, now partially snow-covered. I did not dare venture an inquiry for fear of arousing suspicion by evident ignorance of something which as a yellow man I should have known; but before we reached the city gate I was to learn the purpose of that grim shaft and the meaning of the mighty accumulation beneath it. We had come almost to the gate when one of the party called to his fellows, at the same time pointing toward the distant southern horizon. Following the direction he indicated, my eyes descried the hull of a large flier approaching rapidly from above the crest of the encircling hills. “Still other fools who would solve the mysteries of the forbidden north,” said the officer, half to himself. “Will they never cease their fatal curiosity?” “Let us hope not,” answered one of the warriors, “for then what should we do for slaves and sport?” “True; but what stupid beasts they are to continue to come to a region from whence none of them ever has returned.” “Let us tarry and watch the end of this one,” suggested one of the men. The officer looked toward the city. “The watch has seen him,” he said; “we may remain, for we may be needed.” I looked toward the city and saw several hundred warriors issuing from the nearest gate. They moved leisurely, as though there were no need for haste—nor was there, as I was presently to learn. Then I turned my eyes once more toward the flier. She was moving rapidly toward the city, and when she had come close enough I was surprised to see that her propellers were idle. Straight for that grim shaft she bore. At the last minute I saw the great blades move to reverse her, yet on she came as though drawn by some mighty, irresistible power. Intense excitement prevailed upon her deck, where men were running hither and thither, manning the guns and preparing to launch the small, one-man fliers, a fleet of which is part of the equipment of every Martian war vessel. Closer and closer to the black shaft the ship sped. In another instant she must strike, and then I saw the familiar signal flown that sends the lesser boats in a great flock from the deck of the mother ship. Instantly a hundred tiny fliers rose from her deck, like a swarm of huge dragon flies; but scarcely were they clear of the battleship than the nose of each turned toward the shaft, and they, too, rushed on at frightful speed toward the same now seemingly inevitable end that menaced the larger vessel. A moment later the collision came. Men were hurled in every direction from the ship’s deck, while she, bent and crumpled, took the last, long plunge to the scrap-heap at the shaft’s base. With her fell a shower of her own tiny fliers, for each of them had come in violent collision with the solid shaft. I noticed that the wrecked fliers scraped down the shaft’s side, and that their fall was not as rapid as might have been expected; and then suddenly the secret of the shaft burst upon me, and with it an explanation of the cause that prevented a flier that passed too far across the ice-barrier ever returning. The shaft was a mighty magnet, and when once a vessel came within the radius of its powerful attraction for the aluminum steel that enters so largely into the construction of all Barsoomian craft, no power on earth could prevent such an end as we had just witnessed. I afterward learned that the shaft rests directly over the magnetic pole of Mars, but whether this adds in any way to its incalculable power of attraction I do not know. I am a fighting man, not a scientist. Here, at last, was an explanation of the long absence of Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak. These valiant and intrepid warriors had dared the mysteries and dangers of the frozen north to search for Carthoris, whose long absence had bowed in grief the head of his beautiful mother, Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium. The moment that the last of the fliers came to rest at the base of the shaft the black-bearded, yellow warriors swarmed over the mass of wreckage upon which they lay, making prisoners of those who were uninjured and occasionally despatching with a sword-thrust one of the wounded who seemed prone to resent their taunts and insults. A few of the uninjured red men battled bravely against their cruel foes, but for the most part they seemed too overwhelmed by the horror of the catastrophe that had befallen them to do more than submit supinely to the golden chains with which they were manacled. When the last of the prisoners had been confined, the party returned to the city, at the gate of which we met a pack of fierce, gold-collared apts, each of which marched between two warriors, who held them with strong chains of the same metal as their collars. Just beyond the gate the attendants loosened the whole terrible herd, and as they bounded off toward the grim, black shaft I did not need to ask to know their mission. Had there not been those within the cruel city of Kadabra who needed succor far worse than the poor unfortunate dead and dying out there in the cold upon the bent and broken carcasses of a thousand fliers I could not have restrained my desire to hasten back and do battle with those horrid creatures that had been despatched to rend and devour them. As it was I could but follow the yellow warriors, with bowed head, and give thanks for the chance that had given Thuvan Dihn and me such easy ingress to the capital of Salensus Oll. Once within the gates, we had no difficulty in eluding our friends of the morning, and presently found ourselves in a Martian hostelry. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1993). The warlord of Mars. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/68/pg68-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html. The lead image was generated using HackerNoon's Stable Disffusion Al Image Generator feature, via the prompt "Yellow Men".

WITH THE YELLOW MEN

This is by (source: ). Speiser is an entrepreneur. Twitter Thread Joe Speiser @jspeiser 12-14-2022 ChatGPT will do to Google what Google did to YellowPages. True or unnecessary panic? If you’re in any of these industries, here’s what you need to know: ChatGPT is an AI chatbot blowing up the internet. It hit 1M users in 5 days! People are predicting it will: • Eliminate jobs • Automate entire industries • And lead to the biggest innovation since the iPhone Here’s how I believe it will affect the following industries: Part 1: How AI will disrupt industries in the next 1-10 years (The shake up phase) AI accelerates creativity Creativity = linking unrelated ideas • Research • Song lyrics • Movie scripts Take anywhere from 3 days to 3+ years to complete. ChatGPT can complete a bulk of these tasks in seconds. It’s not replacing creativity. It’s making it faster. AI will simplify research I asked Open AI’s Playground for the tech specs of an iPhone 13 pro max. It got it 90% correct. Future models will improve accuracy drastically. Tedious hours of Google searches will be done in seconds. AI disrupts the coding landscape ChatGPT can already pump out entire pieces of mostly correct code. And provide solutions to one-off coding problems. As this tech develops: • Teams will be smaller • Less capital will be needed • Code will be completed faster AI will disrupt content marketing Future versions of ChatGPT will analyze social patterns better than humans. It will collect data from social media and use it to write: • amazing headlines • content optimized for retention Don't believe me? It wrote this thread’s headline AI will disrupt email marketing Give ChatGPT access to social media, It will understand a person's profile at light speed: a) Distill a brand into single insights b) Craft personable cold email with high open rates Stay at the front of this to make a fortune. How you can avoid AI disruption in the next 1-10 years: As more people and businesses begin to rely on algorithms, Consumers will turn to personal brands they trust. If you’ve been sleeping on brand, begin building today. How to profit from AI in the next 1-10 years: • Join the teams creating AI • Teach people how to use AI • Incorporate AI into your business systems Whether we like it or not, this tech is happening. Make use of it or be left behind. Part 2: How AI will REPLACE industries in 10+ years: Will your job be replaced? AI will replace Google It’s only a matter of time before it replaces the traditional Google search as we know it. Why would you waste your time searching Google, when an AI can do it in seconds? Given Microsoft and Bing’s Open AI backing, they’d love nothing more than this. AI replaces traditional school systems Learning how to: • Write • Research • Calculate Will be of little use if it can be outsourced to AI. Once the algorithms produce quality work with 100% accuracy. The education system and what we teach will need to change. AI will replace personal brands Technology for deep fakes and CGI actors already exists. Imagine when AI can generate: hyper-realistic imaging and video realistic speech and scripts organic interactions Both fascinating and scary. AI will combine with robotics Disrupting work in the physical world. Labor positions are an obvious replacement, But some of our most coveted positions could also be outsourced: • Doctors • Lawyers • Psychologists Our scope of human-offered services will need to adapt. AI will dominate creative industries Such as: • Composing beautiful music • Writing perfect movie scripts • Creating jaw dropping CGI landscapes • Auto generating perfect characters (voice and image) If this happens, does that make AI better at being human than humans? A final crazy thought. The end game of AI tech: a) Replaces humans Humans could become obsolete with the combination of AI and robotics. b) Combines with humans Neuralink could combine AI with human biology to create a new species. Freaky. Only time will tell. Thanks for reading. AI is both fascinating and terrifying to me. If you found this valuable, please retweet. And follow me for more on startups and entrepreneurship. @jspeiser Feature image generated via Prompt of ‘Will ChatGPT Do to Google What Google Did to The Yellow Pages?’ HackerNoon Stable Diffusion

Will ChatGPT Do to Google What Google Did to The Yellow Pages?

Florence Githinji is the Regional Marketing Manager of YellowCard, a crypto company in Africa that enables its users to buy and sell crypto with various payment options. She has an extensive background working in Marketing and a deep understanding of the systems in place in the East African region. Coming from a background in Journalism, she has established herself as a Marketer and has notably worked for Microsoft as a Social Media Manager. In this episode of Founders Connect, Florence shares her background with me, her career history and trajectory, insights on marketing and specifically crypto marketing in Africa, and advice for women seeking to work in the tech industry. It’s incredibly amazing to see someone with this much capacity to create impact, and there is so much to learn from her. Watch the Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmy6If2Fa_Q Video timestamps - Background, Childhood, Growing Up 1:31 - Moving from Journalism to Marketing 3:53 - Key Milestones from Jobs done 4:49 - Most important lesson learned from Moving Jobs 6:17 - Leaving Ringier 7:07 - Working in Microsoft 7:37 - Main Takeaways from working at Microsoft experience 9:17 - Working at YellowCard 11:20 - The countries it operates in 12:24 - Day to Day as a Regional Marketing Manager 13:53 - Complexities of the East African Market 15:07 - Things that have made it easy for Florence to move across different roles and skillsets, from a Marketing background 17:56 - How she is helping people understand Crypto 20:00 - Advice for women who want to build a career in tech and marketing 22:46

#FoundersConnect: Florence Githinji, Regional Marketing Manager at YellowCard

Crypto resurfacing In the year of 2020 when Covid-19 was beginning and the world was moving into lock down, people were out of work. In every country across the world industries at mass scales were laying off workers at a never before seen rate. Families and people were left with only their savings and their hope it will end soon and maybe an alternative form of income will show itself. Then in the later half of 2020 the world experienced a crypto boom. To be specific the world experienced a massive BITCOIN boom. This is when bitcoin reached one of its highest prices ever of 26,000 USD per coin. A massive leap considering in the summer of 2010 one Bitcoin was worth 0.05 USD, according to Kai Sedgwick from news.bitcoin.com .The reason for this jump is simple. People’s revenue streams were closing at an accelerated rate, too fast for some to prepare for. People needed a new stream of revenue from a market that seemed promising, that seemed almost too good to be true. This is where Bitcoin enters. People bet their life savings, sold shares to buy it and even borrowed money from licit and illicit entities just to have a moonshot at crypto wealth. That is why so many different bitcoin and crypto platforms came out in western countries and in Asia. The boom presented a funny situation though, regardless of who made money off the boom or who lost, it was Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Australia who had the biggest stakes. All continents except Africa. Africa, too poor for crypto? YES. The answer to the question above is yes. African countries, except for a select few at this time, have no hat in the ring for crypto purely because the vast majority of African countries are impoverished. Many for different reasons others for the same reasons, does not matter. Broke is broke. No matter how you got broke you are still broke at the end of the day. Relative to the population of the continent and in comparison to the other continents, the African continent has the lowest household disposable income. This is not just common knowledge for Africans but backed by the study done by Christoph Lakner in 2013 under the title “ ” for the Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE). How do African incomes compare to the rest of the world? When already living in countries where it is tough to make money day to day, expendable income for luxuries is vigorously sought for and does not come easily. As such when it is attained it is carefully calculated and spent on necessities and solemnly on luxuries. A lot of western people saw crypto and by extension web3 space as a way to make expendable income to buy luxuries and even then the return on investment was initially sporadic, uncertain and given to chance. To go to a person in a third world country, in Africa, and to tell them they need to spend their rare very hard worked for extra bit of money on a currency that no one can see, that is in a virtual system, that return on investment is occasional at best and that they have a extremely rare chance at any sort of profit. That is something that is not viable for them. At all. At the time of the 2020 crypto boom in Africa you would have been scorned, ridiculed and bullied for even having the notion that it was a viable way to make money. Crypto being such an elusive concept to most poorer people, the subject would not be given the time to be learnt properly by most people. To add to that, Africans did not get involved due to seeing the fallout of people’s profits in the western world. They continuously lost large sums of money from these cryptos. The icing on the cake to this mass economic fallout was made worse by the now infamous brothers known as Ameer and Raees Cajee. The Cajee brothers both being from South Africa started the Fintech company called AfriCrypt in 2020. A bitcoin buying platform. At the time they were hailed as innovative and credited with “bringing financial freedom to Africa” by having an African founded company allowing Africans to finally buy crypto and opening the Web3 space to Africa. The celebrations soon turned sour. In April of 2021 the brothers stole all the bitcoin from their company by emptying out all of its users wallets, including that of the investors. 3.2 Billion dollars worth of bitcoin was stolen at that time. The brothers have still not been caught. The company initially gave hope to Africans but after it ended it left a cruel, bitter and unwanted taste of the crypto world in a lot of potential Africans considering using crypto or any blockchain, web3 technology. But then how long can this bitterness last? Will there be another company even better than Africrypt? Will Africans resist the future of Web3 just because of that bad experience? (left is Ameer Cajee and right is Raees Cajee) The entry of YellowCard (YellowCards Nigerian team with the YellowCard COO in the center) The bitterness people felt because of the Cajee brothers incident did not last long. There is a company better than AfriCrypt, and it is YellowCard.  YellowCard is simply a cryptocurrency buying platform. But it is currently Africa’s most prominent crypto exchange platform. It even came out earlier than AfriCrypt. YellowCard’s founding goes back to 2015. YellowCard was founded by Chris Maurice and Justin Pouriox with Chris being the company’s current CEO. Although the company is not founded by Africans this does not mean it cannot be for Africans. Most of their company is African operated and this is increasing gradually as they expand due to the increased funding they have received. After initially launching in Nigeria they are now in 13 more African countries for a total of 14 in total, this number is most likely soon to increase in the next few years as crypto aspirants throughout the continent are looking for apps like YellowCard and other Decentralised Finance apps to engage with. The countries Yellow Card is available in are almost all of the East African Community (EAC) countries except for Burundi, some of the Southern African Development Countries (SADC), A few of the Economic Community of West Africa countries (ECOWAS), A few of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) countries as well. Although only inhabiting 14 countries out of the 54 the 14 countries it inhabits almost every region of the continent. The company has recently attained a 15 million USD grant in series A funding by investors such as Block with CEO being co-founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey, Blockchain.com and CoinBase, just to name a few. All invested into this fintech company to increase YellowCards development, expansion and by extension continued normalisation of the DeFi, fintech and even web3 sphere to Africans. Since the start of Covid-19 in 2020 until now, the time of writing this, YellowCard has disclosed that their user pool has increased at least 30X times than what it previously was before 2020. They have yet to disclose the current daily or monthly user rate to the public but seeing as investors were privy to these fine details and still invested to grant them series A funding, then that is indicative that the  user rate is more than satisfactory for their rate of expansion thus more than reasonable for Jack Dorsey’s Block and other investors to invest in. In the current tech environment of Africa people are increasingly getting involved in different areas of the industry, specifically Web3, Fintech and DeFi. All in hopes to expand their expendable income or even their total income. YellowCard is a service that by design and execution is allowing and promoting this action. This is not to say everyone will profit or everyone will get rich or even that there wont be anyone who loses profit. YellowCard app is only as effective as the person using it. Even though they did not use excellent platforms like QuickNode to help build their app and scale it, like other tech startup companies have done. They have and are still well on their way to being an African tech powerhouse!

YellowCard, The Crypto Ambition of Africa

Blockchain has the potential to improve the lives of millions of people around the world. Despite the hype around Bitcoin, the potential use cases for this technology are often limited to the financial industry only and are only just diversifying. The potential of blockchain technology for the music industry is huge and is yet to be fully explored. In response, platforms such as , a leading NFT marketplace for music, ticketing, community tokens, and more has come in to fill this gap. which accepts crypto and credit card payments. Founded in 2017 by Josh Katz, an NYC-based music blockchain innovator and industry leader, YellowHeart has collaborated with major top-tier music artists including Kings of Leon, Maroon 5, and the late XXXTentacion. Prestigious names like Jerry Garcia, Julian Lennon, Kat Graham, Brandi Carlile, ZHU, and Burnley FC also make YellowHeart’s partnership list. YellowHeart In 2021, the company was responsible for some of the most significant music projects in the NFT space - including the groundbreaking first NFT album release with Kings of Leon. In addition to creating major music moments with notable music NFTs in 2021, the company also launched the YellowHeart Wallet App. This mobile crypto wallet replaces physical tickets with YellowHeart's hybrid Web3 Ethereum-based NFT ticketing platform and marketplace. Ticketing 3.0 YellowHeart's NFT ticketing system provides users with innovative digital engagements and content interactions. In addition to enhancing the fan experience, the platform offers new tools and information to event organizers and touring artists. Through tokenized access linked to , blockchain modifications can result in unique, optimized experiences. For example, they can create concert tickets, digital image changing color upon redemption, and instant upgrading. Fans can also gain special access by buying on-site products or scanning in/out of a concert, event, and activation area. IPFS Polygon-powered NFT tickets link to the rest of the YellowHeart ecosystem. This implies that fans can obtain unique access or partner possibilities if they have previously purchased an NFT. Such benefits apply to those who have links to an artist's tokenized network. They include discounts at certain establishments before/after a concert, admission to special events, VIP meets and greets, and more. In the music industry, this comes in handy as event organizers and artists can have an easier time issuing and tracking tickets for events. There is also transparency that comes with blockchain which raises their credibility. The BlockDown Festival The BlockDown Festival is the most recent addition to the marketplace. Three distinct NFT Tickets will serve as your ticket to the inaugural BlockDown Festival, with each design reflecting a new tier of offerings. Each ticket holds various benefits which will enhance attendees’ BlockDown experience. Scope Art Show - Miami Beach 2021 YellowHeart partnered with SCOPE Art Show to release the Miami Beach 2021 VIP NFT tickets to celebrate their 20th anniversary. SCOPE Art Show is one of the largest and most influential experiential art events in the world. Minted tickets for the event featured both unique and editioned artwork celebrating SCOPE's New Contemporary program, presenting 10 seminal SCOPE artists who define the art and cultural landscape across a variety of creative disciplines which included: performance art, music, film/video, and visual art. YellowHeart NFT Marketplace In 2021, YellowHeart made waves in the music business by changing the industry's understanding of NFTs. By teaming up with a long list of A-list artists from various genres, YellowHeart showcased how users (and artists alike) can leverage decentralized technology to produce new forms of content and interaction. Furthermore, it rewards music lovers and content creators with countless opportunities for engagement across different mediums. YellowHeart seeks to push the boundaries of what musicians can do with the addition of Web3 technology. With NFTs, artists can take the music industry to the next level by interacting with fans more directly. As they do this, they can also earn income from the sold pieces and earn passively when their NFT is resold. In a world where artists are often oppressed by middlemen, this is a huge step for the industry. Romero Britto X DJ White Shadow YellowHeart is exclusively offering the "Romero Britto" NFT visual album collection. This collection features ten original digital music masterpieces from GRAMMY Award-winning DJ White Shadow. Lennon Collection Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son, offered a collection of Beatles memorabilia from his private family collection as a set of non-fungible tokens (NFT). On February 7th, in partnership with Julien’s Auction House, the YellowHeart marketplace opened its auction, and the collection was among the most sought-after items, with one of the NFT items from the collection selling for $76,800. "Lennon Connection" featured several NFT offerings, including Paul McCartney's hand-written notes for "Hey Jude," one of the Beatles' most popular songs. Originally titled “Hey Jules,” McCartney wrote the song for Julian to console him following his parents John and Cynthia Lennon’s divorce. Other items in the collection include various items from John Lennon's film wardrobe, as well as instruments the artist donated to his son. The NFTs are audio-visual collectibles that come with Julian's narrative. Maroon 5 In the Summer of 2021, YellowHeart partnered with Maroon 5 to build the Maroon 5 NFT community. One of the offerings, the Animated JORDI Album Artwork, grants token holders access to exclusive perks, such as a band listening party. Other offerings included two portrait bundles created by longtime friend of the band,  Sage Vaughn. Community members also have the opportunity to join the Maroon 5 DAO by purchasing a “Seed”, “Sprout” and ultimately a “Living” NFT - which will evolve in real-time depending upon the changing carbon index. The Maroon 5 DAO “Sprout” Phase is now on sale, and will close on April 2. The YellowHeart Wallet The YellowHeart Wallet enables users to purchase and redeem NFT tickets for live events, which can be done using both credit card and crypto payments through Ethereum & Polygon integrations. Furthermore, the wallet connects seamlessly with concert-going experiences and on-site activations. "The YellowHeart Wallet is a major milestone for the live event industry. The App allows fans, artists, and venues to interact with Web3 marketplaces, greatly evolving the fan experience and creating long-term recurring revenue opportunities for artists, teams, and venues that don't adapt will get left behind," said Josh Katz, CEO of YellowHeart. The new YellowHeart software and wallet benefits artists and event organizers. For example, now they can sell tickets on an open-source blockchain. Also, they can monitor secondary market resale and potential 'scalping.' Both of these are opportunities for the industry to thrive even more with blockchain in integration. After the event, the ticket becomes is access to community and exclusive content. “For instance the day after the show the ticket-stub will give on-going access to exclusive content within the wallet such as performances or highlights from the event.” said Thomas Emmanuel, YellowHeart’s Chief Product Officer. Final Thoughts Essentially, non-fungible tokens ( ) enable tickets to serve as a direct link between artists or performances and fans. Traditional online ticket sales are usually under the control of a third party who would also be responsible for ticket distribution and monitoring ticket sales. However, NFT ticketing makes the ticketing process for fans much easier and more cost-effective by eliminating the third parties involved-which often means additional fees. An NFT ticket provides easy access for fans to the concert and also offers fans additional unique and exclusive content. NFTs YellowHeart uses the blockchain's potential to bulldoze the conventions of selling tickets and art. It strategically positions itself at the crossroads of crypto occurrences, art, and ticketing. Furthermore, it is developing an asset class allowing purchasers to trace the origin of a tradeable object indefinitely. Lastly, it helps creators obtain compensation for a percentage of all future revenues from trading their creations.

YellowHeart NFT Ticketing and Music Marketplace Aims to Revolutionize the Music Industry

the case for AR Navigation When I first sat down to write this article a couple years ago it was all about the idea of Reality and the real world safety features it comes with. It was just an idea back then, but since then, a number of companies have started working on some of these ideas. Therefore, in this article I want to showcase some of these solutions, bring these concepts to your attention and even ideate on some of the future directions we can take with AR Nav. Augmented navigation Paper The venerable paper map has been with us for centuries, helping us discover, explore and find our way home. It was once convenient and portable but as the digital world started taking hold two issues became clear. The first was that it was static: although we could carry it around, it was still just a pile of papers, thick, heavy and local. it only catered to one city or a general overlay of a country. The second problem was contextual: once you had pinpointed your location, you had to first understand the context of the map; then you had to look around and understand the context around you, i.e. the landmarks and streets; and then you had to create a model inside your head that would bring these two contexts together so you could proceed to make the calculations you would need to get to the next place. Digital Now you have one small device that can fit in your pocket. You can have all the maps in the world and it won’t get any heavier! But we haven’t completely solved the problem of context. The cognitive load is a lot smaller than it used to be: where back in the day you would need to pull over to the side of the road to reorient yourself and figure out the next part of your journey, now you just peer down at your phone, get the next instruction, and you’re golden. However, we’re still taking our eyes off the road!! Although it’s only a couple of seconds, those seconds can be fatal especially when going 100km/h (60mph) down the highway. We used to pull over to the side of the road because these cognitive calculations would take a minute or two; but now that it only takes a couple of seconds we’ve decided we can afford to do this while driving, and that can be fatal. Imagine this: you’re on your way to a doctor’s appointment. This being a new doctor you don’t know his address, so you enter his details into Google Maps and start driving. You know your way out of the city so you ignore the first few directions. This means you probably miss the first direction that you actually need, so you frantically press some buttons to get you back where you were supposed to start paying attention. You correct your course and then hear, “Left turn onto Highway 4” You have no clue what it’s talking about but a glance at the screen shows you that it really means “Princess Highway.” Who calls it Highway 4? But it’s a big road and you know where it is so you’re fine. Then as you come closer to your destination it ventures, “Slight Right onto Hop St.” Slight right? how slight are we talking? is it the same street curving or does it branch off? A quick look back onto the screen, then another one as you get closer just to confirm. Now you’re nearly there. “Left on Hilsborough Ln.” Okay, where is this street?.. and the street signs are so small and hard to read. You think you’re gonna have to get your glasses out for this one. You fumble with your bag, get your glasses out, put them on, and now you find yourself slowing down at every street just to read the street sign so you can turn into the correct street. Slowing down… speeding up… you look very unsure and unpredictable to the other drivers on the road. Does any of that sound familiar? Because the map in our GPS system lives in a different context and requires us to take our eyes off the road we use voice to help us out here. VUI (Voice User Interface) is great, it is the primary way we communicate with each other, but we use it in our GPS as a band-aid, a small patch to stop us looking down so much. We need to make the roads safer for everyone, but is this the the best we’ve got? What if we could get rid of most of these extra features and create a mapping system that is simple to follow, doesn’t require the constant mapping of the two worlds, reduces the cognitive load and allows us to effectively follow the {yellow} brick road? Enter AR. The king of context. HUDs and Glasses There are two main approaches of AR Navigation here. The first is a HUD or Head-Up Display. This comes in many flavours, from a Google Glass type of device to the very cool half a million dollar . Here we will talk about the more traditional windshield HUD. The second approach is a pair of AR Glasses that would be typically worn by the driver, a future iteration of something like the or glasses. F-35 HMD Hololens Meta There is a first wave of HUD displays coming out like the and the . These are mostly smaller transparent strips of plastic in front of the windshield that display your information. They allow you to see your navigation in front of you without have to take your eyes off the road, they’re kind of like Glass for our windshields. However you still have a cognitive load trying to map the directions and the actual road you are driving on together. Navdy Continental Combiner-HUD Navdy and Continentals products; Windshield HUDs inside their own context Then there’s the second wave. This is where glasses also jump in; it starts getting interesting and we begin to tackle the road in the real-world context. Here we have companies like , , and starting to release some interesting-looking concepts. We start to see the directions actually “painted” on the road. This completely gets rid of the mapping process that needs to go on in our head because we map it straight onto the world. We still have different icons and arrows plastered all over the place and it doesn’t feel completely fleshed out, but at least we are headed in the right direction. Ford Mini BMW WayRay follow the {yellow} brick road There is some that Tesla will replace the conventional dashboard with a HUD in the upcoming Model 3. This would put them firmly in the second wave of HUDs, as your directions wouldn’t be crammed onto a tiny plastic screen in front of the car but could take up the entire real estate of the windshield. This would plant the tech in front of the Model 3 firmly into AR space as you can’t project information in front of your eyes without being aware of the surrounding landscape. Tesla would need cameras on the outside of the car for this computer vision task — good thing they have these kind of sensors sitting around for their Autopilot features. speculation Pretty empty looking dashboard on the Tesla Model 3 Future directions Understanding the world around the Car When we start working in the context of the world, and cultivate more than just navigation, we can start thinking of new directions: We could augment your personal directions, detours and instructions onto the billboards that dot the highway today. Flash your speed onto the speed limit signs Highlight landmarks and areas of interest to you Project a ghost car on the pace that unpredicatable cars would be taking, like seeing if they will drift into your lane or seeing if a turning car will swipe your car Follow a virtual tour from the safety of your car Display your petrol status when you pass by a petrol station Silhouette hazards or cars on the side of the road, a sort of Augmented Waze where you could see the hazard from afar, and then maybe make a thumbs up to confirm that the hazard is still on the side of the road X-ray a mountain; using sensors in the car you would literally be able to see a car coming at you through the mountain or around a corner Night mode; street lamps and headlights just illuminate places with light. You could silhouette specific animals, cars or hazards without unnecessarily bothering others Weather on the road Once we move back into the real worlds context the possibilites for navigation in the car really become endless, but I am not just looking forward to when the GUI (Graphical User Interface) comes into real world world but I’m also very much looking forward to when VUI joins as well. I have a couple I’ve written on the of VUI and I think it’s going to be a huge area of potential in the next coming years. Now, without diving to deeply into VUI here these are some place I think voice can really set itself apart and move away from its job today of only voicing the next instruction. articles future Voice should become more conversational and less instructional Signalling that there is a car in your blindspot Conversation with the nav on the weather and the routes 3D sound replacing dashboard controls Alert to something that would either be blocked or easily missed on the screen ie. someone about to walk from behind a car, an animal crossing the street If I had to give one reason why I am so optimistic about AR and why I believe without a doubt that this is the next wave, it would be because AR will solve context, it’s really that simple. With Autonomous Cars and smart AR, where we are not just shoving visuals in front of our face, but designing placement and timing with care will not just lead to a safer road, but also a much safer world.

Follow the {yellow} brick road

Over the last several months I had the privilege of editing “False Alarm,” Todd Feathers’ nuanced, thought-provoking investigation into Wisconsin’s racially inequitable “dropout algorithm.” The Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS) assesses every incoming high schooler in Wisconsin and issues a numerical score as well as a color-coded label: green for low risk, yellow for moderate risk, or red for high risk of dropping out. Irrespective of race, DEWS is wrong nearly three quarters of the time when it predicts a student won’t graduate on time. But it was also designed to use factors like race, gender, income, and attendance, to cast a wide net—one that is ensnaring Black and Latino kids far more frequently. (You can read more of our takeaways and findings here.) I’ve been mulling over comments from the state’s education spokesperson, Abigail Swetz, who declined to answer detailed questions but emailed us this: “Is DEWS racist? No, the data analysis isn’t racist. It’s math that reflects our systems. The reality is that we live in a white supremacist society, and the education system is systemically racist. That is why the DPI needs tools like DEWS and is why we are committed to educational equity.” Here’s what she said in response to our findings and further questions: “You have a fundamental misunderstanding of how this system works. We stand by our previous response.” She did not explain what that fundamental misunderstanding was. In the week since we published Todd’s investigation, none of the facts of the story have been challenged. It’s difficult for me to square the underlying sentiment suggesting that because our world is racist, even the tools and systems attempting to achieve equity should be excused when they perpetuate that racism instead of correcting it. That leaves us trapped in a loop in which no one is directly accountable for harm. It’s like that meme with all the Spider-Mans pointing at each other. Young people of color featured in this investigation voiced that DEWS was just another way they felt dismissed, disregarded, and judged by the very educators tasked with caring for them and their futures. Kennise Perry, 21, attended Milwaukee Public Schools, which are 49 percent Black, before moving to the suburb of Waukesha, where the schools are only 6 percent Black. Perry told Todd her childhood was difficult, her home life sometimes unstable, and her schools likely considered her a “high risk” student. She summed up her school experience as “traumatic.” Here’s what else she shared: “But I feel that the difference between people who make it and people who don’t are the people you have around you, like I had people who cared about me and gave me a second chance and stuff. [DEWS] listing these kids high risk and their statistics, you’re not even giving them a chance, you’re already labeling them.” Labels stick around. I still remember every elementary school teacher who gave me a “U” for unsatisfactory in the self-control category on progress reports and how disappointed my mother always was. Or my fourth-grade teacher who told me my hair beads were too loud and asked me to get them removed. Or the hate mail Black students received on Valentine’s Day of my first year of high school. In response to racist incidents that they felt the school’s administration wasn’t properly addressing, Mia Townsend and Maurice Newton, the juniors in our lead image, took matters into their own hands and started Cudahy High School’s first Black Student Union. As Todd put it, the BSU students “organically provided the same kind of supportive interventions for each other that the state hoped to achieve through its predictive algorithms.” Newton persuaded Townsend, an honor roll student, to ask to enroll in AP English next year—she was initially planning to avoid these courses. There’s something both beautiful and tragic about kids stitching their own safety net, because they shouldn’t have to. School administrators should be the ones to make sure a student like Townsend believes she’s ready for AP. The community these students are building is a lifeline, but it’s a result of adults not fully considering their students’ experiences or well-being. The racial bias undergirding Townsend and Newton’s reason for founding the BSU, the inequity at the root of DEWS, the trauma Perry experienced throughout her schooling—none of that can or should be dismissed because our world is racist and anti-Black. If anything, it’s why we have to continuously challenge our biases, including the systems—from algorithms to academic settings—that perpetuate them. Sincerely, Ko Bragg Editor The Markup By Ko Bragg Also published here Photo by Andrés Canchón on Unsplash Over the last several months I had the privilege of editing “ False Alarm ,” Todd Feathers’ nuanced, thought-provoking investigation into Wisconsin’s racially inequitable “dropout algorithm.” False Alarm The Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS) assesses every incoming high schooler in Wisconsin and issues a numerical score as well as a color-coded label: green for low risk, yellow for moderate risk, or red for high risk of dropping out. Irrespective of race, DEWS is wrong nearly three quarters of the time when it predicts a student won’t graduate on time. But it was also designed to use factors like race, gender, income, and attendance, to cast a wide net—one that is ensnaring Black and Latino kids far more frequently. (You can read more of our takeaways and findings here. ) designed here. I’ve been mulling over comments from the state’s education spokesperson, Abigail Swetz, who declined to answer detailed questions but emailed us this: “Is DEWS racist? No, the data analysis isn’t racist. It’s math that reflects our systems. The reality is that we live in a white supremacist society, and the education system is systemically racist. That is why the DPI needs tools like DEWS and is why we are committed to educational equity.” Here’s what she said in response to our findings and further questions: “You have a fundamental misunderstanding of how this system works. We stand by our previous response.” She did not explain what that fundamental misunderstanding was. In the week since we published Todd’s investigation, none of the facts of the story have been challenged. It’s difficult for me to square the underlying sentiment suggesting that because our world is racist, even the tools and systems attempting to achieve equity should be excused when they perpetuate that racism instead of correcting it. That leaves us trapped in a loop in which no one is directly accountable for harm. It’s like that meme with all the Spider-Mans pointing at each other. Young people of color featured in this investigation voiced that DEWS was just another way they felt dismissed, disregarded, and judged by the very educators tasked with caring for them and their futures. Kennise Perry, 21, attended Milwaukee Public Schools, which are 49 percent Black, before moving to the suburb of Waukesha, where the schools are only 6 percent Black. Perry told Todd her childhood was difficult, her home life sometimes unstable, and her schools likely considered her a “high risk” student. She summed up her school experience as “traumatic.” Here’s what else she shared: “But I feel that the difference between people who make it and people who don’t are the people you have around you, like I had people who cared about me and gave me a second chance and stuff. [DEWS] listing these kids high risk and their statistics, you’re not even giving them a chance, you’re already labeling them.” Labels stick around. I still remember every elementary school teacher who gave me a “U” for unsatisfactory in the self-control category on progress reports and how disappointed my mother always was. Or my fourth-grade teacher who told me my hair beads were too loud and asked me to get them removed. Or the hate mail Black students received on Valentine’s Day of my first year of high school. hate mail In response to racist incidents that they felt the school’s administration wasn’t properly addressing, Mia Townsend and Maurice Newton, the juniors in our lead image, took matters into their own hands and started Cudahy High School’s first Black Student Union. As Todd put it, the BSU students “organically provided the same kind of supportive interventions for each other that the state hoped to achieve through its predictive algorithms.” Newton persuaded Townsend, an honor roll student, to ask to enroll in AP English next year—she was initially planning to avoid these courses. There’s something both beautiful and tragic about kids stitching their own safety net, because they shouldn’t have to. School administrators should be the ones to make sure a student like Townsend believes she’s ready for AP. The community these students are building is a lifeline, but it’s a result of adults not fully considering their students’ experiences or well-being. The racial bias undergirding Townsend and Newton’s reason for founding the BSU, the inequity at the root of DEWS, the trauma Perry experienced throughout her schooling—none of that can or should be dismissed because our world is racist and anti-Black. If anything, it’s why we have to continuously challenge our biases, including the systems—from algorithms to academic settings—that perpetuate them. Sincerely, Ko Bragg Editor The Markup By Ko Bragg By Ko Bragg Ko Bragg Also published here Also published here here Photo by Andrés Canchón on Unsplash Photo by Andrés Canchón on Unsplash Andrés Canchón Unsplash

How to Stitch Your Own Safety Net: Bonding Together

"How Many Colors Can the Human Eye See?": The Application

Chaotic Links Theory: Exploring the Intersection of Classical Cryptography and Quantum Potentiality

Left Curve

বাম বক্ররেখা

Linkskurve

Curva izquierda

Courbe gauche

बायां वक्र

左カーブ

왼쪽 곡선

Curva Esquerda

Левая кривая

Sol Eğri

Đường cong trái

左弯道

Authors:
(1) Aya Kherrour, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento;
(2) Marco Robol, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento;
(3) Marco Roveri, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento;
(4) Paolo Giorgini, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento. 5 Selection algorithm and example of execution Based on the insights derived from our experimental results, we propose the selection algorithm represented in Algorithm 1. The algorithm is designed to select the appropriate search algorithm based on various priorities alongside the characterization of the environment used. The selection algorithm emphasizes the desired priority first, which could manifest in various aspects of pathfinding tasks, including the path cost, memory usage, or the time taken to find a solution. The rational reason for emphasizing ”Priority” at the beginning of the selection algorithm is that, based on this user choice, different search algorithms may be considered to suit best the addressed problem. Thus, by tackling the ”Priority” upfront, The selected algorithm will eventually, cater to the main requirements of the task at hand. The algorithm takes as input the Grid that is of size NxN with the start and goal positions, the distance threshold, and the priority criterion. If we aim to minimize memory usage, path cost, or both (Line 2), the algorithm suggests using D* Lite. However, If minimizing the solving time is our primary concern (line 4), we should first calculate the Euclidean distance between the start and the goal using the function in line 12. If the distance is higher or equal to the threshold (in our experiments it is equal to 140), the algorithms suggest using RTAA*. If the distance is less, then the selection algorithm suggests using ARA*. 5.1 Example of execution To showcase the efficiency of our selection algorithm, we have designed an execution example that consists of generating a grid with random parameters i.e., choose a random grid size, obstacle density, and start to goal distance. After that, we generate an identical grid, however, we change only one parameter each time while keeping the other parameters as they were in the initial grid. We do the same for generating personalized grid environments, where we generate a grid with a random choice of wall number, and then we change the wall lengths. We run RTAA*, ARA*, and D*Lite algorithms on the generated grids (all obtained results are shown in table 1) alongside our selection algorithm, so that we can compare the obtained results with what the selection algorithm is suggesting to use for the given grid. It is essential to highlight that the randomly chosen values for the grid parameters are all within the range of the values used in the experiments, which ensures that the thresholds chosen are relevant. Also, the reason behind using only RTAA*, ARA*, and D*Lite in this execution example is because of their standout performance in our experiments. For each grid, we run our selection algorithm each time with a different priority, and it suggests using an algorithm that will perform the best given the selected priority. The highlighted values in the table refer to the outcomes derived from the suggested search algorithm by our selection algorithm. These highlighted values are notably the best that we can obtain for each grid given a certain priority except for the red one; yellow represents the most efficient paths, green represents the best values that we can obtain if we want to reduce memory consumption, and the values highlighted in purple indicates the best solving time. However, our algorithm failed in selecting the right algorithm to use in the fourth grid when prioritizing the solving time, where the shortest solving time was found by RTAA*, instead our algorithm suggested using ARA*. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. Authors: (1) Aya Kherrour, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento; (2) Marco Robol, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento; (3) Marco Roveri, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento; (4) Paolo Giorgini, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento. Authors: (1) Aya Kherrour, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento; (2) Marco Robol, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento; (3) Marco Roveri, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento; (4) Paolo Giorgini, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science University of Trento. 5 Selection algorithm and example of execution Based on the insights derived from our experimental results, we propose the selection algorithm represented in Algorithm 1. The algorithm is designed to select the appropriate search algorithm based on various priorities alongside the characterization of the environment used. The selection algorithm emphasizes the desired priority first, which could manifest in various aspects of pathfinding tasks, including the path cost, memory usage, or the time taken to find a solution. The rational reason for emphasizing ”Priority” at the beginning of the selection algorithm is that, based on this user choice, different search algorithms may be considered to suit best the addressed problem. Thus, by tackling the ”Priority” upfront, The selected algorithm will eventually, cater to the main requirements of the task at hand. The algorithm takes as input the Grid that is of size NxN with the start and goal positions, the distance threshold, and the priority criterion. If we aim to minimize memory usage, path cost, or both (Line 2), the algorithm suggests using D* Lite. However, If minimizing the solving time is our primary concern (line 4), we should first calculate the Euclidean distance between the start and the goal using the function in line 12. If the distance is higher or equal to the threshold (in our experiments it is equal to 140), the algorithms suggest using RTAA*. If the distance is less, then the selection algorithm suggests using ARA*. 5.1 Example of execution To showcase the efficiency of our selection algorithm, we have designed an execution example that consists of generating a grid with random parameters i.e., choose a random grid size, obstacle density, and start to goal distance. After that, we generate an identical grid, however, we change only one parameter each time while keeping the other parameters as they were in the initial grid. We do the same for generating personalized grid environments, where we generate a grid with a random choice of wall number, and then we change the wall lengths. We run RTAA*, ARA*, and D*Lite algorithms on the generated grids (all obtained results are shown in table 1) alongside our selection algorithm, so that we can compare the obtained results with what the selection algorithm is suggesting to use for the given grid. It is essential to highlight that the randomly chosen values for the grid parameters are all within the range of the values used in the experiments, which ensures that the thresholds chosen are relevant. Also, the reason behind using only RTAA*, ARA*, and D*Lite in this execution example is because of their standout performance in our experiments. For each grid, we run our selection algorithm each time with a different priority, and it suggests using an algorithm that will perform the best given the selected priority. The highlighted values in the table refer to the outcomes derived from the suggested search algorithm by our selection algorithm. These highlighted values are notably the best that we can obtain for each grid given a certain priority except for the red one; yellow represents the most efficient paths, green represents the best values that we can obtain if we want to reduce memory consumption, and the values highlighted in purple indicates the best solving time. However, our algorithm failed in selecting the right algorithm to use in the fourth grid when prioritizing the solving time, where the shortest solving time was found by RTAA*, instead our algorithm suggested using ARA*. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. This paper is available on arxiv under CC 4.0 license. available on arxiv

A Comprehensive Examination of Algorithmic Behaviors in Diverse Grid Settings

Python Bokeh is one of the best Python packages for data visualization. Today, we are going to see some Python Bokeh Examples. I have also provided the Python Bokeh project source code on GitHub. Learn this easy visualization tool and add it to your Python stack. What is Python Bokeh? Python is a data visualization tool, or we can also say Python Bokeh is used to plot various types of graphs. There are various other graph plotting libraries like matplotlib, but Python Bokeh graphs are dynamic in nature, which means you can interact with the generated graph. See the below examples… Bokeh Installation 💻: Python Bokeh can be easily installed using PIP. You can install the Python Bokeh easily by running the command: pip install bokeh Now everything is ready, let’s go through the examples 🏃‍♂️… 1. LinePlot from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
p = figure(title="{LinePlot Python Bokeh Example")
p.line(x, y, line_width=2)
output_notebook()
show(p) | | Live Preview Source Code 🌿 Contribute 2. Scatter Plot from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
p = figure(title="Scatter Plot Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.circle(x, y, size=10, color="navy", alpha=0.5)
output_notebook()
show(p) 3. Bar Chart from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
categories = ["A", "B", "C", "D", "E"]
values = [10, 15, 8, 12, 6]
p = figure(x_range=categories, title="Bar Chart Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.vbar(x=categories, top=values, width=0.9)
output_notebook()
show(p) 4. Histogram from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
import numpy as np
data = np.random.normal(0, 1, 1000)
p = figure(title="Histogram Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.hist(data, bins=30, color="navy", alpha=0.5)
output_notebook()
show(p) 5. Pie Chart from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
labels = ["A", "B", "C", "D"]
values = [10, 15, 8, 12]
p = figure(title="Pie Chart Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.wedge(x=0, y=0, radius=0.4, start_angle=0.6, end_angle=2.6, color=["red", "green", "blue", "yellow"], legend_label=labels)
output_notebook()
show(p) | | Live Preview Source Code 🌿 Contribute 6. Time Series Plot from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
start = datetime(2023, 1, 1)
end = start + timedelta(days=30)
x = [start + timedelta(days=i) for i in range((end-start).days)]
y = [10, 15, 8, 12, 6, 18, 9, 14, 7, 11, 5, 16, 8, 13, 6]
p = figure(x_axis_type="datetime", title="Time Series Plot Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.line(x, y, line_width=2)
output_notebook()
show(p) 7. Linked Brushing from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import ColumnDataSource
x1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y1 = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
x2 = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
y2 = [2, 4, 6, 8, 4]
source = ColumnDataSource(data=dict(x1=x1, y1=y1, x2=x2, y2=y2))
p1 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 1")
p1.circle('x1', 'y1', source=source)
p2 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 2 Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p2.circle('x2', 'y2', source=source)
output_notebook()
show(p1, p2) 8. Hover Tooltips from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import HoverTool
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
p = figure(title="Hover Tooltips Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.circle(x, y, size=15, fill_color="navy", line_color="white", alpha=0.5)
hover = HoverTool(tooltips=[("(x,y)", "(@x, @y)")])
p.add_tools(hover)
output_notebook()
show(p) 9. Annotations from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import Arrow, VectorRenderer, Label
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
p = figure(title="Annotations Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.circle(x, y, size=15, fill_color="navy", line_color="white", alpha=0.5)
arrow = Arrow(x_start=2, y_start=4, x_end=3, y_end=5, line_width=2, line_color="red")
label = Label(x=3, y=6, text="This is a label", render_mode='css', border_line_color='black', border_line_alpha=1.0, background_fill_color='white', background_fill_alpha=0.5)
p.add_layout(arrow)
p.add_layout(label)
output_notebook()
show(p) 10. Custom Glyphs from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models.glyphs import Asterisk
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
p = figure(title="Custom Glyphs Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.add_glyph(x, y, Asterisk(size=20, line_color="red", fill_color="yellow"))
output_notebook()
show(p) | | Live Preview Source Code 🌿 Contribute 11. Gridlines and Axes from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
p = figure(title="Gridlines and Axes Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", x_range=(0, 6), y_range=(0, 8))
p.grid.grid_line_color = "grey"
p.grid.grid_line_dash = [6, 4]
p.xaxis.axis_label = "X-axis"
p.yaxis.axis_label = "Y-axis"
p.line(x, y, line_width=2)
output_notebook()
show(p) 12. Legend from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
x1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y1 = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
x2 = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
y2 = [2, 4, 6, 8, 4]
p = figure(title="Legend Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.line(x1, y1, line_width=2, color="red", legend_label="Line 1")
p.line(x2, y2, line_width=2, color="blue", legend_label="Line 2")
p.legend.location = "top_left"
output_notebook()
show(p) 13. Categorical Plots from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
fruits = ["Apples", "Pears", "Nectarines", "Plums", "Grapes", "Strawberries"]
counts = [5, 3, 4, 2, 4, 6]
p = figure(x_range=fruits, title="Categorical Plots Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.vbar(x=fruits, top=counts, width=0.9)
p.xaxis.axis_label = "Fruit"
p.yaxis.axis_label = "Count"
p.xaxis.axis_label_text_font_size = "12pt"
p.yaxis.axis_label_text_font_size = "12pt"
output_notebook()
show(p) 14. Subplots from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.layouts import gridplot
x1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y1 = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
x2 = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
y2 = [2, 4, 6, 8, 4]
p1 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 1 Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p1.circle(x1, y1, size=10, color="navy", alpha=0.5)
p2 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 2 Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p2.circle(x2, y2, size=10, color="red", alpha=0.5)
grid = gridplot([[p1, p2]], plot_width=400, plot_height=400)
output_notebook()
show(grid) 15. Interactive Plots from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import ColumnDataSource, HoverTool, BoxSelectTool
import numpy as np
x = np.random.random(1000)
y = np.random.random(1000)
source = ColumnDataSource(data=dict(x=x, y=y))
p = figure(title="Interactive Plots Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", tools="hover,box_select")
p.circle('x', 'y', source=source, size=3, color="navy", alpha=0.5)
hover = HoverTool(tooltips=[("(x,y)", "(@x, @y)")])
p.add_tools(hover)
output_notebook()
show(p) | | Live Preview Source Code 🌿 Contribute 16. Linked Panning and Zooming from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import Range1d
x1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y1 = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
x2 = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
y2 = [2, 4, 6, 8, 4]
p1 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 1 Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", x_range=Range1d(0, 6), y_range=Range1d(0, 8))
p1.circle(x1, y1, size=10, color="navy", alpha=0.5)
p2 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 2 Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", x_range=p1.x_range, y_range=p1.y_range)
p2.circle(x2, y2, size=10, color="red", alpha=0.5)
output_notebook()
show(p1, p2) 17. Linked Axis Ranges from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import Range1d
x1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y1 = [4, 5, 5, 7, 3]
x2 = [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
y2 = [2, 4, 6, 8, 4]
p1 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 1", x_range=(0, 6), y_range=(0, 8))
p1.circle(x1, y1, size=10, color="navy", alpha=0.5)
p2 = figure(title="Scatter Plot 2", x_range=p1.x_range, y_range=p1.y_range)
p2.circle(x2, y2, size=10, color="red", alpha=0.5)
output_notebook()
show(p1, p2) 18. DateTime Axis from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
start = datetime(2023, 1, 1)
end = start + timedelta(days=30)
x = [start + timedelta(days=i) for i in range((end-start).days)]
y = [10, 15, 8, 12, 6, 18, 9, 14, 7, 11, 5, 16, 8, 13, 6]
p = figure(x_axis_type="datetime", title="Datetime Axis Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.line(x, y, line_width=2)
output_notebook()
show(p) 19. Heatmap from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
import numpy as np
data = np.random.rand(10, 10)
p = figure(title="Heatmap Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.image(image=[data], x=0, y=0, dw=10, dh=10, palette="Viridis256")
output_notebook()
show(p) 20. Streamgraph from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import ColumnDataSource
import numpy as np
# Generate some sample data
x = np.linspace(0, 10, 100)
y1 = np.cumsum(np.random.randn(100))
y2 = np.cumsum(np.random.randn(100))
y3 = np.cumsum(np.random.randn(100))
y4 = np.cumsum(np.random.randn(100))
y5 = np.cumsum(np.random.randn(100))
source = ColumnDataSource(data=dict(x=x, y1=y1, y2=y2, y3=y3, y4=y4, y5=y5))
p = figure(title="Streamgraph Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
p.area(x='x', y1='y1', y2='y2', y3='y3', y4='y4', y5='y5', source=source, line_color=None)
output_notebook()
show(p) | | Live Preview Source Code 🌿 Contribute 21. Polar Plot from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
import numpy as np
r = np.linspace(0.1, 1, 10)
theta = np.linspace(0, 2*np.pi, 10)
p = figure(title="Polar Plot Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", plot_width=600, plot_height=600, x_range=(-1.2, 1.2), y_range=(-1.2, 1.2), toolbar_location=None)
p.polar(r, theta, color="navy", alpha=0.5, line_width=2)
output_notebook()
show(p) 22. Donut Chart from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import ColumnDataSource
labels = ["A", "B", "C", "D"]
values = [10, 15, 8, 12]
source = ColumnDataSource(data=dict(labels=labels, values=values))
p = figure(title="Donut Chart Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", x_range=labels)
p.wedge(x=0, y=1, radius=0.4, start_angle=0.6, end_angle=2.6, color=["red", "green", "blue", "yellow"], legend_field="labels")
p.wedge(x=0, y=1, inner_radius=0.3, outer_radius=0.4, start_angle=0.6, end_angle=2.6, color="white")
p.axis.visible = False
p.grid.grid_line_color = None
output_notebook()
show(p) 23. Treemap from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import TreemapRenderer, ColumnDataSource
import pandas as pd

# Sample data
data = pd.DataFrame({
    'label': ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H'],
    'parent': ['', 'A', 'A', 'B', 'B', 'C', 'C', 'D'],
    'value': [10, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1]
})

source = ColumnDataSource(data)
p = figure(title="Treemap Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
treemap = TreemapRenderer(
    source=source,
    label='label',
    parent='parent',
    value='value',
    color_discrete_sequence=["#e6550d", "#3182bd", "#31a354", "#756bb1", "#636363", "#9e9ac8", "#de2d26", "#fd8d3c"],
)
p.add_layout(treemap)
output_notebook()
show(p) If you get any error, make sure you have installed Python pandas by using the “pip install pandas” command 24. Network Plot from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import ColumnDataSource, HoverTool, NodesAndLinkedEdges
import networkx as nx

# Sample data
nodes = ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F']
edges = [('A', 'B'), ('A', 'C'), ('B', 'D'), ('B', 'E'), ('C', 'F')]
G = nx.Graph()
G.add_nodes_from(nodes)
G.add_edges_from(edges)

node_positions = nx.spring_layout(G)
node_x = [node_positions[node][0] for node in G.nodes()]
node_y = [node_positions[node][1] for node in G.nodes()]
node_color = ['red', 'green', 'blue', 'yellow', 'purple', 'orange']

source = ColumnDataSource(data=dict(
    x=node_x,
    y=node_y,
    color=node_color,
    node=nodes
))

p = figure(title="Network Plot Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", x_range=(-1.1, 1.1), y_range=(-1.1, 1.1))
p.add_tools(HoverTool(tooltips=[("Node", "@node")]))
p.circle('x', 'y', size=15, color='color', source=source)

edge_x = []
edge_y = []
for start, end in edges:
    x0, y0 = node_positions[start]
    x1, y1 = node_positions[end]
    edge_x.append(x0)
    edge_x.append(x1)
    edge_x.append(None)
    edge_y.append(y0)
    edge_y.append(y1)
    edge_y.append(None)

p.multi_line(edge_x, edge_y, color="black", alpha=0.5, line_width=1)

output_notebook()
show(p) 25. Sankey Diagram from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import Sankey, ColumnDataSource

# Sample data
flows = [
    ('A', 'X', 5),
    ('B', 'X', 3),
    ('A', 'Y', 2),
    ('B', 'Y', 4),
    ('X', 'C', 4),
    ('X', 'D', 3),
    ('Y', 'C', 2),
    ('Y', 'D', 4)
]

source = ColumnDataSource(data=dict(
    source=[flow[0] for flow in flows],
    target=[flow[1] for flow in flows],
    value=[flow[2] for flow in flows]
))

p = figure(plot_width=800, plot_height=400, title="Sankey Diagram Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com")
sankey = Sankey(source=source, label_text_color="white", label_text_font_size="8pt")
p.renderers.append(sankey)

output_notebook()
show(p) | | Live Preview Source Code 🌿 Contribute 26. Chord Diagram from bokeh.plotting import figure, show, output_notebook
from bokeh.models import ColumnDataSource, CategoricalColorMapper
import numpy as np

# Sample data
nodes = ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F']
connections = [
    ('A', 'B', 0.5), ('A', 'C', 0.3), ('A', 'D', 0.2),
    ('B', 'C', 0.4), ('B', 'D', 0.3), ('B', 'E', 0.3),
    ('C', 'D', 0.2), ('C', 'E', 0.3), ('C', 'F', 0.5),
    ('D', 'E', 0.2), ('D', 'F', 0.3), ('E', 'F', 0.4)
]

source = ColumnDataSource(data=dict(
    start=np.array([con[0] for con in connections]),
    end=np.array([con[1] for con in connections]),
    value=np.array([con[2] for con in connections])
))

p = figure(title="Chord Diagram Python Bokeh Example by PratikPathak.com", plot_width=800, plot_height=800)
chord = p.chord(
    source=source, 
    start_angle=np.pi / 2,
    direction="clockwise",
    colors=CategoricalColorMapper(factors=nodes, palette="Spectral11")
)

output_notebook()
show(p) How to Contribute? Feel free to open a PR request on our GitHub repo. Steps to contribute: Fork the repo Make changes in the Forked repo and save Open a Pull Request That’s it 😄! 🌿 Contribute Conclusion In this Repo, I have shared 25+ Python Bokeh examples that can help you learn Python Bokeh. Feel free to contribute to our GitHub repo and keep it updated. Also published . here

Getting Started With Python Bokeh: 25+ Data Visualization Examples With Source Code

Object-Centric Models for ARC Grids: A Deeper Look

Ping Ping Ping That is the sound of my phone alerting me to overnight snowfall at the various Hokkaido ski resorts I monitor. While this sound brings me immense joy in January and February, in March, it brings only FOMO. I decamped from Hokkaido in early March for the past few ski seasons. My recent experience taught me that Mother Nature turns on the heat circa March 1st. I’m a primadonna skier who only likes the driest and deepest pow. However, this season, Gaia changed up big time. There was a brutal warm spell in February that rekt the snow back. The cold weather only returned towards the end of the month. But frigid temperatures came back in March, accompanied by 10 to 30cm dumps of freshie pow pow every night. Hence, the reason why my phone was blowing up. Sitting in various South East Asian hot and humid countries throughout March, I kept foolishly checking the app and ruing my decision to leave the slopes. The April thaw finally occurred in earnest, and with it, the end to my FOMO. As readers know, my ski experiences act as metaphors for my macro and crypto trading book. I previously wrote that the cessation of the US Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) on March 12th would cause a global market rout. The BTFP was cancelled, but a vicious sell-off in crypto specifically did not occur. Bitcoin broke $70,000 decisively and topped out around $74,000. Solana kept pumping alongside various doggie and kitty meme coins. My timing was wrong, but like the ski season, the unexpected favorable March conditions will not be repeated in April. While I love winter, summer brings joy as well. The onset of northern hemispheric summer brings sporting bliss as I reorient time towards playing tennis, surfing, and kiteboarding. Summer will usher in a renewed gusher of fiat liquidity due to the policies of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) and Treasury. I will briefly outline my mental map on how and why April will experience extreme weakness in risky asset markets. For those intrepid enough to short crypto, the macro setup is favorable. While I will not outright short the market, I have closed in profit several shitcoin and memecoin trading positions. From now until May 1st, I will be in a no-trade zone. I hope to return in May with dry powder ready to deploy to position myself for the bull market to begin in earnest. Tricksters The Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) ended a few weeks ago, but no US, non-Too-Big-to-Fail (TBTF) banks have subsequently faced any real stress. That is because high priests of fugazi finance have a bag of tricks they will use to surreptitiously print money in order to bail out the financial system. I will peek behind the curtain and explain how they are expanding the USD fiat money supply, which will underpin the general rise of crypto and stonks until the end of the year. While the end result is always money printing, the journey is not without periods where liquidity growth slows, providing a negative catalyst for risk markets. By going through the bag of tricks and estimating when the rabbit will be pulled from the hat, we can guestimate when there will be periods where the free market is allowed to operate. The Discount Window The Fed and most other central banks operate a facility known as the discount window. Banks and other covered financial institutions who are in need of funds can pledge eligible securities to the Fed in exchange for cash. By and large, the discount window, for now, only accepts US Treasuries (UST) and mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Assume that a bank is fucked because a bunch of Pierce & Pierce boomer muppets runs it. The bank holds a UST that was worth $100 when purchased but is currently worth $80. The bank is in need of cash to satisfy deposit outflows. Rather than declaring bankruptcy, the dogshit insolvent bank can tap the discount window. The bank swaps the $80 UST for $80 of dolla dolla bills because under the current rules the bank receives the market value of pledged securities. To deprecate the BTFP and remove the associated negative stigma without increasing the risk of bank failures, the Fed and US Treasury now encourage troubled banks to tap the discount window instead. However, under the current collateral terms, the discount window is not as attractive as the recently expired BTFP. Let’s go back to our example above to understand why. Remember that the UST’s value declined from $100 to $80, which means the bank has an unrealized loss of $20. Initially the $100 of UST was funded with $100 of deposits. But now the UST is worth $80; therefore, the bank would be short $20 if all the depositors fled. Under the BTFP rules, the bank receives par for underwater USTs. That means a UST worth $80, when delivered to the Fed, is swapped for $100 of cash. This restores the solvency of the bank. But the discount window only gives $80 for a UST worth $80. The $20 loss is still there, and the bank remains insolvent. Given that the Fed can unilaterally change the collateral rules to equalize the treatment of assets by the BTFP and discount window, by greenlighting the use of the discount window by the insolvent banking system, the Fed continued the stealth banking bailout. Therefore, the Fed has essentially solved the BTFP problem; the entire UST and MBS balance sheet of the insolvent US banking system (I estimate at $4 trillion) will be supported when needed by money printed to finance loans through the discount window. This is why I believe the markets haven’t forced any non-TBTF banks into bankruptcy post-March 12th, when the BTFP ended. Bank Capital Requirements Banks are often called upon to finance governments who offer bonds at yields less than nominal GDP. But why would private for-profit entities buy something that features a negative real yield? They do it because the banking regulators allow banks to purchase government bonds with little to no money down. When the banks, who hold an insufficient capital cushion against their government bond portfolio, inevitably blow up because inflation appears and bond prices fall as yields rise, the Fed allows them to use the discount window in the manner described above. As a result, banks would rather buy and hold government bonds than lend to businesses and individuals in need of capital. When you or I buy anything using borrowed money, we must pledge collateral or equity against potential losses. That is prudent risk management. But the rules are different if you are a vampire squid zombie bank. After the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the world’s banking regulators attempted to force banks globally to hold more capital, thus creating a more robust and resilient global banking system. The system of rules that codified these changes are called Basel III. The problem with Basel III is that government bonds are not treated as riskless. Banks must put a small amount of capital behind their gargantuan portfolio of sovereign bonds. These capital requirements have proven problematic during times of stress. During the COVID March 2020 market crash, the Fed decreed that banks could hold USTs with no collateral backing. This allowed banks to step in and warehouse trillions of dollars worth of USTs in a riskless fashion … at least in terms of their accounting treatment. When the crisis abated, the supplemental leverage ratio (SLR) exemption for USTs was reinstated. Predictably, as UST prices fell due to inflation, banks went bust due to an insufficient capital cushion. The Fed rode to the rescue with the BTFP and now the discount window, but that only covers losses from the last crisis. How can banks step up and slurp down more bonds at the current unattractively high prices? The US banking system loudly proclaimed in November 2023 that due to Basel III forcing them to hold more capital against their government bond portfolios, Bad Gurl Yellen could not stuff them with more bonds. Therefore, something had to give because the US government has no other natural buyers of its debt at these negative real yields. Below is the polite way the banks phrased their precarious situation. Demand for US Treasuries may have softened among several traditional buyers. Bank security portfolio assets have been declining since last year, with bank holdings of Treasuries down $154 billion compared to one year ago. Source: Report to the Secretary of the Treasury from the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee Again, the Fed – led by Powell – saved the day. Out of nowhere, at a recent , Powell proclaimed that banks would not be subject to higher capital requirements. Remember that many politicians called for banks to hold more capital so that the regional banking crisis of 2023 would not repeat itself. Obviously, the banks lobbied hard to nullify these higher capital requirements. They had a good argument –  if you, Bad Gurl Yellen, want us to buy dogshit government bonds, then we can only do it profitably with infinite leverage. Banks around the world run every flavour of government; the US is no different. US Senate Banking hearing The icing on the cake was a recent letter from the International Swaps Dealer Association (ISDA) advocating for an exemption of USTs from the SLR I spoke about earlier. In essence, banks can only hold USTs in the trillions of dollars needed to finance the US government deficit on a go-forward basis if they are required to put no money down. I expect as the US Treasury ramps up debt issuance, the ISDA proposal will be accepted. This excellent chart from clearly shows how wasteful the US Government is, as evidenced by the record-high deficit. The two recent periods where deficit spending was higher were due to the 2008 GFC and the boomer-led COVID lockdowns. The US economy is growing, but the government is spending money like it's an economic depression. Bianco Research Taken together, the relaxation of capital requirements and a likely future exemption of USTs from the SLR are a covert way of money printing. The Fed doesn’t print the money, rather the banking system creates the credit money out of thin air and purchases the bonds which then appear on their balance sheet. As always, the goal is to ensure that government bond yields do not rise to a level above the nominal GDP growth rate. As long as real rates remain negative, stonks, crypto, gold, etc., will continue advancing in fiat currency terms. Bad Gurl Yellen My essay “ ” spoke in depth about how the US Treasury, led by Bad Gurl Yellen, increased the issuance of short-term Treasury bills (T-bills) in an effort to drain the trillions of dollars locked in the Fed’s Reverse Repo Program (RRP). As expected, the RRP decline coincided with a rip higher in stonks, bonds, and crypto. But now that the RRP is down to $400 billion, the market is wondering what the next source of fiat liquidity will be that bolsters asset prices. Don’t you worry, Yellen ain’t done yet, shout ‘bout to booty drop. Bad Gurl RRP Balance (white) vs. Bitcoin (yellow) The flow of fiat funds I will discuss focuses on US tax payments, the Fed’s Quantitative Tightening (QT) program, and the Treasury General Account (TGA). The timeline in question is from April 15th (the day tax payments are due for the 2023 tax year) to May 1st. Let me provide a quick guide on their positive or negative impact on liquidity to help you understand the implications of these three things. remove liquidity from the system. That is because payers must remove cash from the financial system by selling securities for example, in order to pay their taxes. Analysts expect tax payments for the 2023 tax year to be on the high side because of the large amounts of interest income received and a solid performance in the stock market. Tax Payments removes liquidity from the system. As of March 2022, the Fed allows roughly $95 billion worth of UST and MBS to mature without reinvesting the proceeds. This causes the Fed’s balance sheet to fall, which we all know reduces dollar liquidity. However, we are not concerned about the absolute level of the Fed’s balance sheet but the pace at which it declines. Analysts, like Joe Kalish of Ned Davis Research, expect the Fed to reduce the pace of QT by $30 billion per month at its May 1st meeting. The reduction in the pace of QT is positive for dollar liquidity as the Fed’s balance sheet rate of decline slows. QT When the balance rises, it removes liquidity from the system, but when it falls, it adds liquidity to the system. When the Treasury receives tax payments, the TGA balance rises. I expect the TGA balance to swell well above the current ~$750 billion level as tax payments are processed on April 15th. This is dollar liquidity negative. Don’t forget it's an election year. Yellen’s job is to get her boss, US President , reelected. That means she must do all she can to juice the stock market to make voters feel rich and ascribe this great outcome to the slow “genius” of Bidenomics. When the RRP balances finally go to zero, Yellen will spend down the TGA, releasing, most likely, an additional $1 trillion of liquidity into the system, which will pump markets. TGA Jeo Boden The precarious period for risky assets is April 15th to May 1st. This is when tax payments remove liquidity from the system, QT rumbles on at the current elevated pace, and Yellen has yet to start running down the TGA. After May 1st, the pace of QT declines, and Yellen gets busy cashing checks to jack up asset prices. If you are a trader looking for an opportune time to put on a cheeky short position, the month of April is the perfect time to do so. After May 1st, it’s back to regular programming … asset inflation sponsored by Fed and US Treasury financial shenanigans. Bitcoin Halving The Bitcoin block reward is forecast to halve on April 20th. This is seen as a bullish catalyst for crypto markets. I agree that it will pump prices in the medium term; however, the price action directly before and after could be negative. The narrative of the halving being positive for crypto prices is well entrenched. When most market participants agree on a certain outcome, the opposite usually occurs. That is why I believe Bitcoin and crypto prices in general will slump around the halving. Given that the halving occurs at a time when dollar liquidity is tighter than usual, it will add propellant to a raging firesale of crypto assets. The timing of the halving adds further weight to my decision to abstain from trading until May. To date I took full profit on these positions, MEW, SOL, and NMT. The proceeds were placed into and staked to earn that phat yield. Before Ethena, I would have held USDT or USDC and earned nothing while Tether and Circle captured the entire T-bill yield. Ethena’s USDe Could the market defy my bearish inclinations and continue higher? Fuck yeah. I’m perennially long as fuck crypto, so I welcome being wrong. Do I really want to babysit my most speculative shitcoin positions while I’m two-stepping at Token2049 Dubai? Hell no. Therefore, I dump. There is no need to be upset. If the dollar liquidity scenarios I discussed above come true, I will have that much more confidence to ape into all manner of dogshit. If I miss a few percentage points of gains but definitely avoid losses for my portfolio and lifestyle, that is an acceptable outcome. With that, I bid you adieu. Please remember to put your dancing shoes on, and I will see you in Dubai for a celebration of the crypto bull market.

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