• UNHCR
    BERKASOVO, SERBIA - OCTOBER 10, 2015: Worker of the UNHCR, the United Nations Agency for refugees, standing in front of a crowd of refugees, including a baby, at the border between Serbia and Croatia (photo by BalkansCat / Shutterstock.com)
    Ethereum,  Technology

    United Nations turns to blockchain technology

    The international body casts a wide net in its experiments

    December 31, 2018 /

    The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime is reportedly planning to partner with telemedicine and telepsychology firm doc.com to provide free basic medical services in East Africa, where Focus Economics says three of the 10 poorest countries in the world are located.

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  • XRP & ETH
    XRP & ETH
    Commentary,  Ethereum,  XRP

    XRP and ETH fight for second place a preview for bigger battle

    Bear market battle between XRP and ETH exposes strengths and vulnerabilities of each token

    November 16, 2018 /

    Unfolding in the markets right now is a battle that has taken place several times over the past year: who will be listed at No. 2 in total market capitalization on the digital asset listing websites? Throughout most of 2018, the digital asset markets have been in a bear market tailspin. After hitting an all-time high of $1,538.13 for Ethereum’s ether and $3.92 for Ripple’s XRP (as reported by Live Coin Watch), the markets began falling just as fast as they went up. Looking back at the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, it is easy to see where investors were acting out of “fear of missing out”…

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  • Vitalik Buterin, Rachel Siegel, and Roger Ver
    Vitalik Buterin, Rachel Siegel, and Roger Ver because... nothing makes sense anymore.
    Bitcoin,  Ethereum,  Litecoin,  Media,  Ripple

    Forget environmental damage, this is the worst thing you’ll see about crypto in a long time

    Just a woman in XRP underwear writhing on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange

    November 9, 2018 /

    What a bunch of weirdos humanity is. We’re all out here trying to scratch together a living, and Rachel Siegel—the woman behind a truly remarkable new video “Top Six”—is no different. As crypto money continues to bring out our bizarre instincts, Siegel produced her rewritten version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” with a focus on the top six cryptocurrencies. “Oh / The runs and the dips / I’m holding tight / Your top six, your dipping under” The video has been making the rounds on Reddit, although Siegel explained it’s just a first attempt at building an audience with viral videos about cryptocurrency. “My thesis is: there’s no way to get a common consumer…

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  • bare trees
    With enough cryptomining, this is how our planet could look like (via Shutterstock)
    Bitcoin,  Commentary,  Ethereum

    The staggering environmental cost of blockchain

    With bitcoin using more power than Czech Republic, are mined coins sustainable?

    November 9, 2018 /

    Over the last couple of years an argument has ensued regarding the amount of electricity that the Bitcoin network consumes to produce (mine) a coin and ensure the security of its network. Though the electricity itself may be inexpensive in some countries, the environmental cost to produce that needed electricity is building towards insurmountable proportions. In recent testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Arvind Narayanan stated that assuming “all [Bitcoin] miners use the most energy efficient mining device available on the market” the total energy required by the Bitcoin network is “is slightly under 1% of world electricity consumption.” The key to this figure…

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