n Crypto markets are mostly green, with Bitcoin holding just below ,500 and most major coins seeing little change, capped within a 2 percent rangen
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Bitcoin Uses Similar Molecular Movement as Stirred Coffee to Secure Transactions
Stirring a cup of coffee gave a Stanford physicist insight into the way cybersecurity and bitcoin work, and how it may be improved.
Coffee Swirls Give Insight into the Workings of Cryptocurrency
Standford applied physics doctoral student William Gilpin described a parallel in the principal dynamics between a swirling liquid and transactions in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in a study published April 23 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Gilpin claims in the study that understanding the parallels between the natural processes at work with fluid dynamics and the mathematical functions that power cryptocurrency may lead to advances in digital security.
Focusing on a principle called Chaotic Mixing he found that if creamer was stirred into coffee in precisely the same way, with the spoon at the same angle, stirring at the same rate then the swirling creamer would create the same pattern each time. Each unique stir would create a unique swirl unlike any other.
The unique patterns in the swirls reminded Gilpin of the way cryptocurrencies function. To be more precise the way that cryptographic operations called hash functions will always “mathematically transform digital information into a unique output that disguises the input.”
Just as an exact stirring motion will always create the same swirling effect in coffee, exact input will always create the same output with hash functions. Similarly, as the smallest changes in the stirring technique created different swirls in the coffee, the smallest changes in the input will likely create very different outputs with hash functions.
Additionally, as the swirl in the coffee gave no information about how it was created; the speed of stir or the placement of the spoon – a hash function changes its input information so that it is impossible to identify.
Computations exist in the Natural World
Gilpin was quoted in the Stanford News as saying
“Having an actual physical model and showing that this is a naturally occurring process might open up new ways to think about those functions,”
As the application of crypto-based operations for everything from legal documents to personal finance grows research into the way hash functions operate will be expanding and Gilpin sees applied physics contributing to the creation of more secure ways of protecting digital information.
The study shows that computations are not only human devised abstractions but exist in the natural world. As Gilpin said “Something as ordinary as a fluid is still performing computations. It’s not something only humans tell computers to do. It’s something that nature does and it shows up in the structure of how things form.”
The post Bitcoin Uses Similar Molecular Movement as Stirred Coffee to Secure Transactions appeared first on NewsBTC.
Chinese #Metoo Movement Turns to Ethereum to Evade Censorship
Inspired by the #metoo movement, students in China are coding messages into the ethereum blockchain to escape Chinese internet censorship.
CoinDesk
Playboy Joins Cryptocurrency Movement
Playboy Enterprises, the “American men’s lifestyle and entertainment” company, most known for its adult material, has announced it will start taking cryptocurrencies in exchange for its products.
Playboy Develops Online Payment Wallet
The adult entertainment company founded by the late Hugh Heffner is developing an online payment wallet, which people can use to pay for its online content and games.
Available by the end of 2018, the decision to accept cryptocurrency payments latest attempt to adjust to the changing online landscape, where adult content is mostly free and in high supply.
Reena Patel, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Operations at Playboy Enterprises, stated that the decision follows the cryptocurrency hype worldwide;
“As the popularity of alternative payment methods continues to grow around the world, along with the reach of Playboy’s digital platforms, we felt it was important to give our 100 million monthly consumers increased payment flexibility. This innovation gives the millions of people who enjoy our content, as well as those in the future who participate in our casual gaming, AR and VR platforms, more choices with regard to payment and in the case of VIT, an opportunity to be rewarded for engaging with Playboy offerings”
Scott Flanders, Chief Executive Officer of the company in 2015, was very aware of the fundamental change in the porn industry and decided to stop publishing naked photographs in its print magazine. A decision that was ultimately reversed in 2017. “You’re now one click away from every sex act imaginable for free”, he told the New York Times.
The online payment wallet will accept a wide number of cryptocurrencies. Among them is the Vice Industry Token (VIT), a decentralized blockchain platform that monetizes adult videos while rewarding viewers for watching them. VIT wants to be the alternative to ad-supported porn websites that allow viewers to watch porn for free.
By integrating with VIT, visitors will be able to pay and earn tokens to view Playboy TV’s original content, as well as comment on and vote for content. The company also has plans to integrate cryptocurrency to its casual gaming, AR and VR initiatives in the future.
The Vice Industry Token argues:
“The original paradigm in mainstream and adult entertainment was that people paid for the content they consumed; whether by subscription or pay-per-view. With “tube” websites becoming popular, there was a shift toward free-viewing. While free content was certainly desirable, wouldn’t it be better if you could get paid for it, too?”
VIT has raised 24074.91 ETH so far.
In January, NewsBTC has reported the launch of Eroiy, a payment method for the adult entertainment industry based on the NEM protocol.
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World Economic Forum Bitcoin Discussions Validate the Movement
The World Economic Forum WEF has long been a lightning rod of global discussion on economic, social and political trends. This years gathering in Davos, Switzerland, was no exception.Blockchain technology emerged center stage last week as a key discussion theme, receiving praise from attendees for its cutting-edge potential. Bitcoin and the future of cryptocurrencies, too, were highly discussed topics at the forum, not just casually but also in an official session and a few panel discussions.
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Blockchain Developers Token Creation and Smart Contract Movement
New York entrepreneur Dean Anastos has a knack for creative ventures. He is a brain cancer activist known for the short films The Assignment and Dear John McCain, with several film projects in pre-production, such as Maria Canje as well as the novel version, to be released soon and Ohneka, a paranormal movie about a Native American vengeful spirit.Accordingly, he is currently leading the effort to curate a groundbreaking film called Rise of the ICO, which will provide viewers with a multiple-
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Blockchain Developers’ Token Creation and Smart Contract Movement
New York entrepreneur Dean Anastos has a knack for creative ventures. He is a brain cancer activist known for the short films “The Assignment” and “Dear John McCain,” with several film projects in pre-production, such as “Maria Canje” (as well as the novel version, to be released soon) and “Ohneka,” a paranormal movie about a Native American vengeful spirit.
Accordingly, he is currently leading the effort to curate a groundbreaking film called “Rise of the ICO,” which will provide viewers with a multiple-perspective look at how the crypto world is evolving.
Anastos also has a diverse background in the financial realm, having founded two companies dealing with mortgages in the secondary market.
Today, he is bringing together his skills as a full-stack developer to lead an ambitious development team in his latest business: Blockchain Developers. This startup, which specializes in token creation and smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, was recently launched to address the soaring demand for token creation and crowdsale services.
Blockchain Developers could best be described as a boutique site for token launches. The company’s skilled and experienced staff of developers can assist with getting a token project expediently launched on the blockchain. This includes all interfaces with the Ethereum blockchain, crowdsale protocol, online token and crypto publication promotion, and other key details necessary to launch a proprietary token. All of these projects follow the ERC20 token compliance standards and requirements set forth by the Ethereum Foundation.
“Our Solidity and DApp programmers can assist in creating a token and launching a crowdsale,” said Anastos. “We have specific coding capabilities in Java, PHP, Solidity, Native Android, SQL and Amazon Web Service.”
The target market for these services is enterprises seeking to set up and release their own initial coin offerings (ICOs). Blockchain Developers not only delivers support on the software side, but on the business development and marketing sides as well. Essentially, it assumes a role as the ICO or token launch division of these companies, helping them raise sufficient funding via the Ethereum blockchain.
The effort of Blockchain Developers comes on the heels of an unrelenting frenzy of ICO activity this year. Seen as the latest fad for startup fundraising, over 201 ICOs have collectively raised over billion in funding just this year, according to the tracking service Coinschedule. This unprecedented level of activity and the resultant high returns among investors have led to some concerns of a bubble and potential crash.
Anastos said that the services of Blockchain Developers are in high demand largely because the current ICO environment is complicated and exploding. This trend shows no signs of abating soon as new ICO ventures pop up every day, bringing new risk and speculation to the market.
According to Token Report, a popular online repository of token sales information, of 226 ICOs analyzed, only 20 – including Storj, Augur and TenX – are being utilized to run their networks. The remainder are purely being traded and act as speculative instruments.
Blockchain Developers has already experienced the complexities of helping companies navigate the intricacies of an ICO funding campaign. Just this year the team assisted a Macau company called Dragon Corp. in its efforts to raise 0 million through an ICO, to build a floating casino called the Dragon Pearl. Dragon plans to use these funds to erect this massive hotel concept by 2019 with the help of contractors from Norway.
“Our firm led the development of the tech and smart contracts for that ICO project,” said Anastos. “I’m also on its board of advisors.”
Anastos is particularly bullish about the future of smart contracts, which he said will result in a lot of industries and professions becoming extinct. He points to the film industry, one that he is very familiar with, as a prime space for disruption.
“Take movie ticket sales where these contracts allow for just-in-time payments the moment the ticket sale goes through,” he said. “At that point, those monies can be broken up into different pieces and distributed to the key stakeholders of the project.”
While his new venture has Anastos brimming with excitement, there is another cause that constantly remains front and center in his mind: the loss of his mom to glioblastoma, an extremely aggressive form of brain cancer. Even with how time-consuming his daily life is these days, Anastos said that he continues to pour his heart and soul into brain cancer awareness campaigns.
“No matter how many projects I take on, I will always make time to give back to the community in the form of promoting brain cancer awareness,” he said.
Anastos added that with so many safeguards and features coming up the pipeline for Ethereum-based smart contracts, this technology has nearly limitless potential.
“No doubt we’re seeing a frenzy in terms of ICO activity,” Anastos concluded. “Companies are seeking to adopt blockchain technology for numerous reasons, but primarily it is the ability to design their own token on the Ethereum blockchain that has them most excited. That is exactly what we can assist them with in a fast and efficient way.”
The post Blockchain Developers’ Token Creation and Smart Contract Movement appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.