Day: September 2, 2017

With the established ubiquity of tech giants such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, there have been many criticisms that these companies act like monopolies. On the other hand, one sees them standing up for net neutrality, citing citizens’ and businesses’ rights to unimpeded access to information. Notably, these companies have all called out the FCC, declaring that an end to net neutrality will be the death of free speech. So, are these companies the new guarantors of free speech? What happens if they dislike what you say?

Where Does Free Speech Really Live?

While the United States – and many other nations – enshrine the freedom of speech into their most fundamental laws, the responsibility of upholding and enforcing those rights seems to have shifted. Companies such as Google and other tech giants are currently championing net neutrality, citing freedom of speech as the main reason to keep net neutrality intact.

The logic for connecting net neutrality to free speech is readily apparent. Net neutrality treats all data the same, meaning ISPs cannot privilege “premium” websites, data, or content. This is what allows you to access YouTube and Netflix at the same speed as someone’s personal blog. However, without net neutrality laws in place, a company could – and likely would – be able to speed up or slow down connections to various parts of the internet. This would constitute a kind of censorship, because if an ISP disagreed with or were paid to disagree with some content, website, or other message, they could make it so slow to access that most people would give up. This is what Ajit Pai of the FCC is fighting for, a system that would allow such egregious violations of one’s rights.

With an American governmental organization – the FCC – attempting to bring down net neutrality, and thus free speech, does that mean tech companies now have our backs more so than the federal government? It appears so, at least.

The Problem with Companies Guaranteeing Your Freedom of Speech

While it is noble and commendable that thousands of companies including these tech giants are standing up for freedom of speech and net neutrality, having private companies guarantee your rights instead of legal institutions can be dangerous. Law is really the only truly binding way to preserve rights. Company missions and minds change, and do so a lot quicker than legislative and judicial bodies in the government.

Recently, a Gizmodo article surfaced alleging that Google has the power to stamp out ideas it dislikes. The author of the article claimed that while working with Google on a project, she discovered that if publishers did not provide a Google Plus “+1” option for sharing purposes, their standings in searches would suffer. The article went on to say that such content would get buried and eventually removed.

Whether or not these allegations are true is subject to a bit of debate. However, it is a useful cautionary tale of what could happen if we entrust freedom of speech to companies only. While it is good to have corporations’ voices backing up actual citizens, citizens themselves must demand better rights protections from their government and not rely on big business to safeguard them.

Cryptocurrency exchange has become unbelievably prevalent in the 21st century, but too often you hear of lack of security and inadequate safety measures on platforms. This results in a lot of stress, hardship and ultimately, a loss of money for the user. Subsequently, amongst the frustration here at Solomon Exchange, we decided to combat this and design … Continue reading Solomon Exchange ICO: SMNX ICO : Crowdsale Started: Get 15% Instant Bonus

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Snip announced this week that it will be launching a crowdsale to raise funds for the development of its decentralized, user-generated news platform. The blockchain startup in its press statement confirmed that the public sale of its institutionalized token, SnipCoin (SNP), will be held on September 29th, 2017. In the entire lifetime, the total supply … Continue reading Snip Announces Crowdsale for Censorship-Resistance News Platform

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Scientific developments come in many strange and unusual forms. One particular team of researchers has successfully used bacteria to ventilate sweaty clothing. It is an interesting development many people will appreciate. Then again, does anyone want to run around with a shirt full of bacteria to begin with? The answer to that question remains unknown for now, but it is certainly true this technology will not go by unnoticed.

Bacteria-laden Fabrics Remove Moisture While Sweating

It sounds like a very interesting idea to create clothing which does not get soaked with sweat. Whether you are exercising or reside in a humid climate, sweat is incredibly annoying to deal with. Getting rid of this moisture is quite problematic even though we have “breathable” garments at our disposal already. Scientists and researchers are always looking to take things one step further. It seems they may have come up with an ingenious solution, albeit one that will certainly gross out a lot of people as well.

A recent experiment shows how creating a shape-shifting bacteria can be quite valuable in this regard. Although shape-shifting bacteria are nothing new in science, their use cases are seemingly unlimited. This particular bacteria was created by Mining Yao and Wen Wang, and has been modified in such a way as to be introduced to clothing in order to get rid of excess moisture. This is achieved by attaching bacterial protein to a fabric, which turns it into moisture-sensitive material. As a result, your clothes have two layers: the fabric layer we wear on the skin and a protein layer on top of that.

While developing the bacteria protein was a big challenge in its own way, the researchers had to come up with a fabric that would allow the bacteria to be used to its full potential. The bacteria is designed in such a way that the top layer shrinks in response to dry conditions and the whole thing bends up. As we all know, sweat is created as a result of rising body temperature. Providing ventilation for that particular situation is not so straightforward. However, thanks to the ease with which these bacteria can be produced, the team has had a lot of room to experiment with various solutions.

Thanks to the help of a 3D printer, the team layered bacterial cells onto latex sheets, and the material swiftly curled toward the bacterial side of things. As that was not the desired outcome, they needed to change their strategy. They went ahead and printed bacteria on both sides of the fabric, which allowed the material to better respond to room conditions. Unfortunately, that was not the best idea either, as the material kept bending outward when it encountered moisture.

In the end, a triple-layer fabric had to be created. This resulted in responsive ventilation on the back of a shirt. After some thorough analysis, the vents opened up, allowing the sweat to successfully dissipate and the wearer’s body temperature to lower accordingly. The experience of wearing the fabric feels pretty natural, all things considered, as the air flow seemingly comes from the back of the garment. It cools the body and prevents the shirt from absorbing one’s sweat, which is significant. Evaporation of moisture is a far better solution compared to anything else.

It also appears the same team is developing a similar solution which will be applied to shoes, although that is still in the early prototype stages. Adding responsive vents to the sole of a shoe could help one’s feet to “breathe.” It will not necessarily repel large amounts of water when it is raining, but for sports purposes, it could prove to be an effective solution. Commercializing both of these products will still require time, though, and there is no official ETA as to when either of these products will come to market.

Transaction accelerators are nothing new in the world of Bitcoin. After all, they usually allow users to speed up unconfirmed transactions at no additional cost. It is quite interesting to note that there are very few such accelerators available today. Most people have heard of the ViaBTC accelerator, but another option is ConfirmTX. With SegWit recently activating on the Bitcoin network, one should not need accelerators. Still, they can prove to be quite useful in the long run.

ConfirmTX Does the job Just Fine

Until a few weeks ago, most people would have been baffled by the lack of Bitcoin transaction accelerators. Given the multiple incidents this year in which spam transactions clogged up the network and inflated the number of unconfirmed transactions in the mempool, more of these services would have been welcome. Unfortunately, all users had at their disposal was the VIABTC accelerator, which could handle around 100 transactions per hour. For a free service, it did the job pretty well, despite the transaction throughput limitation.

The Bitcoin developers have been working hard to introduce some features which could alleviate the problem of unconfirmed transactions as well. Replace-by-fee is perhaps one of the better-known solutions to rebroadcast transactions with higher fees. It does require users to pay more for their Bitcoin transactions, which is not always a good thing. However, it has been a powerful option to have at one’s disposal, especially when considering it was built into most of the prominent Bitcoin software wallets and clients.

Now that the Bitcoin network has officially received Segregated Witness, transaction backlogs should become a thing of the past once and for all. Unfortunately, things often do not work out that way and it remains to be seen if SegWit can prevent the mempool from clogging up. All it takes is one or two people sending large amounts of spam transactions again to push up network fees and fill up the mempool. Such attacks have taken place before and will likely occur again. Especially between now and the scheduled activation of SegWit2x, we may see such attacks occur on multiple occasions.

That is why new services such as ConfirmTX will always have their rightful place in the world of Bitcoin. It is an alternative transaction accelerator for main chain transactions. All transfers under 500 bytes in size can be sped up free of charge using this website. Larger transactions can also be accelerated, albeit at a one-time fee of US$4. Some people may claim that is an absurd amount, although other services charge even more money for this service. According to one Reddit user, paying US$30 to accelerate a transaction is not out of the question.

The goal here is to push transactions to multiple mining pools. This increases the chances of getting transactions confirmed faster as they are included in the next network block by Bitcoin miners. Any transaction not completed within 12 hours can apply for a refund, assuming the sender paid for the US$4 service. Cheap transaction fees are of less interest to miners, as they also get paid the TX fees associated with the block they create. Low fees mean a low priority on the Bitcoin network.

There is already a conspiracy theory associated with ConfirmTX. Reddit users are claiming it to be an overlay for the existing ViaBTC service – albeit one without an arbitrary hourly transaction limit, by the looks of things. Whether or not there is any truth to the claim remains to be seen. The company itself clearly believes otherwise. It will be interesting to see how this situation unfolds, though. More competition in the Bitcoin accelerator scene would be great, although it seems highly unlikely we will see more services popping up anytime soon.

Most ICOs serve to better help developers fill their pockets fast, an altcoin founder claims

If the owner sells his Bitcoin Cash and receives the 100 percent profit as capital gains income, it will be taxable.

Not too long ago, Chinese regulators voiced their concerns regarding cryptocurrency ICOs and the amount of money that companies have raised through those events. There is plenty of reason to be concerned over the lack of regulation, as most of these companies do not have a license to issue securities. It now appears the Chinese regulators are seeking to warn the public about the risks pertaining to ICOs. They are advising the general public to report any “suspicious” ICO activity to the police. Things are not looking good for ICOs in China.

China Continues to Scrutinize Cryptocurrency ICOs

Various governments around the world have not taken too kindly to the concept of cryptocurrency ICOs. Given the huge amount of money raised by projects without regulations or licenses in place, there is valid reason for concern. Some of these ICOs may pose a genuine risk to investors. Chinese regulators are very concerned about this way of raising a lot of money and want to address the hidden financial risks it presents.

According to Reuters, Chinese citizens are being asked to report suspected crimes to the police. In particular, they are instructed to report any “suspicious” ICO activity to the authorities as quickly as possible. It is a bit unclear what would classify an ICO as being suspicious, since virtually every project will run into some issues along the way. Sites get hacked, information is leaked, or deadlines are not met. All of those events are suspicious in nature, although it is difficult to hold companies accountable for their actions (or lack thereof).

Chinese regulators are preparing new rules on digital currency offerings. It is certainly possible cryptocurrency ICOs might be suspended in China altogether until the new regulations are in place.  No one knows for sure when that will happen exactly, though. Regulatory efforts like these can take anywhere from a few weeks to months or even years before they are fully implemented. With 65 ICOs organized in China to date and around US$400 million having been raised, these projects will face a lot of scrutiny from officials. They also highlight the dire need for proper ICO regulation in China and the rest of the world.

No one can deny these coin offerings have shaken up the financial industry quite a bit. They have disrupted the “economic order and created relatively large hidden risks,” according to a Chinese spokesperson. Those are some very serious comments which will hinder the growth of ICOs in China for the foreseeable future. Suspending such fundraising efforts will have a similar effect. China is known for focusing on regulation first and foremost, even at the cost of stifling innovation a bit. The same issues have affected Bitcoin exchanges recently.

Similarly to Bitcoin, ICO tokens are a legal gray area for the time being. Over in the United States, a lot of these tokens may be labeled as securities, which could spell disaster for companies conducting ICOs in the past, present, and future. For the time being, it is unclear what the future will bring for cryptocurrency ICOs in China, but things are not looking all that great. If ICOs were officially suspended in the country, raising funds would become a lot more difficult, to say the least.

Suspending ICOs across China will be very difficult, though. Companies could try to prevent Chinese users from contributing money, but those measures would be bypassed with relative ease. The same applies to projects barring U.S. investors, as all they do is introduce a short form and IP blocks. That block can easily be bypassed with a VPN or proxy connection, though. For the time being, raising funds with cryptocurrency is still somewhat legal in China, although things may change pretty quickly.

Ripple investors are looking forward to the collaboration between Ripple and China tackling the country’s Blockchain market.

Why National Internet Finance Association of China warns its members against dangers of ICOs.

Cryptocurrency tipbots have always been greatly appreciated by both novice and experienced users across social media platforms. Most of these tools have found a home on Reddit, which is still one of the go-to places to discuss various cryptocurrencies. One of the most famous tipbots of all time was DogeTipBot, though they use SoDogeTip after the DogeTipBot fiasco. It turns out Bitcoin Cash has its own tipbot, called Tippr.

Tippr is a Bitcoin Cash Tipbot for Reddit

It is good to see developers still pay close attention to tipbots. These tools can make it easy for others to reward people online for sharing ideas and solutions with the rest of the world. It can also be used as a donation system of sorts when people are genuinely trying to get some money together for good causes. Not all tipbots succeed in the long run, though, as DogeTipBot had to be shut down completely due to a lack of funds not too long ago.

One of the main tipping bots across social media platforms was acquired by a bigger company not too long ago. ChangeTip was a very popular service among Bitcoin users and provided many different use cases in the long run. Its built-in functionality across Twitter and a few other platforms certainly helped move things along as well. Unfortunately, ChangeTip is pulling the plug as the team will be focusing on bigger and better ventures moving forward. This means there are very few tipbots in the Bitcoin world right now.

One of those solutions goes by the name of Tippr and is designed to bring Bitcoin Cash to the masses. Whether or not that will be the most sensible approach remains to be seen, but it certainly makes a lot of sense right now. Bitcoin Cash is gaining traction and many people would like it to succeed. Having a dedicated tipbot on Reddit is one way to help that, but it is no guarantee for success. The project was launched not too long ago, and is now available to be used throughout all of Reddit.

The functionality of Tippr is the same as one would expect from any other type of online tipbot. Users can simply issue tips by the Reddit command “/u/tippr/ tip x BCC, where X represents the amount in numbers. It is a very simple and convenient way to reward community members for their efforts and knowledge. It may also introduce some more use cases for BCH moving forward. Although some people may not see the benefit of this project, Tippr can help bring Bitcoin Cash to the masses. Whether it will or not, remains to be determined.

Tippr is just a side project of the Rocketr project, which encompasses quite a few things related to Bitcoin Cash. Most of these features are still kept under wraps for the time being, but we expect more information to be released in the next few days and weeks. It is good to see a Bitcoin Cash tipbot make its way into the project, as it still provides a valuable service. The bigger question is whether or not this tipbot can bring Bitcoin Cash to the people outside of the BCH community moving forward.

So far, it appears the Bitcoin Cash community has taken a liking to Tippr. The comments indicate this bot works quite well and responds very quickly, which are two very important traits for this kind of bot. This tipbot may also push the Bitcoin Cash network quite a bit to include more transactions on the network. After all, the blocks on the network are not even near their full capacity right now. With a few hundred smaller transactions every single day thanks to Tippr, that situation may come to change pretty quickly. All things considered, Tippr is a more than valuable addition to the Bitcoin Cash ecosystem.