Project to Turn Bitcoin Into an All-Powerful Programming Language Raises $15M

A year ago, Vitalik Buterin was a teenaged college dropout dabbling in the bitcoin digital currency. Now, hes the founder of a futuristic programming project that just got backed to the tune of $15 million.

The project is called Ethereuman effort to transform the kind of technology used in bitcoin into something that can help you build, well, anythingand after a two-month Kickstarter-style crowdfunding campaign, it has raised 30,000 bitcoin, or close to $15 million at todays bitcoin prices. According to Buterin, Ethereum could represent the future of the blockchainthe cryptographically backed distributed public ledger that drives bitcoinand apparently, many others agree with him.

The tool is part of a sweeping movement to remake internet services using a blockchainsoftware thats controlled not by a central authority but by a worldwide network of machines. Developers are building everything from secure chat services to social networks, hoping to remove common tools from the control of big corporations like Google and Twitter. But Ethereum seeks to widen the scope of this effort even further.

Buterin and his cohorts will build their own blockchain, but instead of simply logging financial transactions, the Ethereum blockchain will support a variety of languages, including C++, Javascript, Python, & GO 1 that will let you do all kinds of fancy programming. You could write games, online storage services, or even algorithmically determined smart contracts. You can write anything that you would be able to write on a server and put it on to the blockchain, says Buterin. Instead of Javascript making calls to the server, you would be making calls to the blockchain.

Instead of Javascript making calls to the server, you would be making calls to the blockchain.

Buterin and crew have also funded the project in a unique way. Those who donated bitcoins to the project received something else in return: Ethers, the digital currency that will be mined by the Ethereum software when it officially goes online, sometime in the next few months.

Bitcoin are valuable because theyre both useful as a currency and in short supply. Only 21 million bitcoin will ever be created. Thats not the case with Ethers. Buterin and company plan to produce 15 million of them each year on their blockchain. Theres another important difference too. You will need to use Ethers in order to run software on the Ethereum network. Buterin calls it the platforms programming fuel. The 30,000 bitcoin sale is a bet that people will actually want to do this.

As far as Buterin is concerned, its also seed money for his new project. There are already about 20 core developers working on Ethereum, which is backed by eight founders some of them bitcoin-rich. Now, he is going to hire some more. We intend to spend the bulk of the money to work on the core code, he says.

Close to 200 other hackers are playing around with the Ethereum code. Theyve build software such as domain name registrars, online voting apps, crowd-sourcing platforms, and even simple computer games on an Ethereum test-bed. Those early test programs will get their chance to run on the real Etherium platform when the project starts mining its genesis block in the next few months.

1Correction: 14:45 EDT An earlier version of this story did not accurately explain all of the programming languages supported by Ethereum.

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Project to Turn Bitcoin Into an All-Powerful Programming Language Raises $15M

Comets are short on height, high on hopes

By Jeff Linder, The Gazette

For such a small team, the West Liberty Comets have a big, big dream. And theyre not afraid to share.

Molly Kelly was the first one to say it, said West Liberty Coach Ruben Galvan. After the way we played at summer camp and summer leagues, she said, This team has the potential to win a state championship.

That wont be determined for a couple months, but heres what we know now despite a lack of height, the Comets have backed down from nobody.

Class 3A ninth-rated West Liberty swept Wilton on Tuesday, improving to 12-0 overall, 2-0 in the River Valley Conference South Division. And the wins arent coming against schools its size.

The Comets claimed the title at the Muscatine Invitational tournament Saturday. Of their 12 wins, three have come against 5A foes, six against 4A teams.

Its not as if this comes as a surprise that are in volleyballs inner circle. More than one coach from the Wamac Conference mentioned before the season that the Comets were better than their ranking.

Now, about the height issue. West Liberty does not have a player taller than 5-foot-8. It hasnt presented a problem yet.

Weve been able to overcome it because we have a setter (Cassedi Simon) who is a threat herself, Galvan said. People have to focus on her, and it creates openings for other hitters.

Hailey Daufeldt leads the Comets with 3.46 kills per game, followed by Audra Bridenstine and Simon and 2.08 apiece. All three are juniors

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Comets are short on height, high on hopes

Workington Comets gain valuable point against Peterborough

Last updated at 10:59, Wednesday, 10 September 2014

PETERBOROUGH 42 COMETS 36: Workington Comets gained a valuable bonus point in their bid to reach the Premier League play-offs.

Impressive rides: Comet Joe Jacobs

It was especially valuable as their opponents Peterborough are also among the rivals to grab the last play-off berth and would have been looking for maximum home points.

In fact the Panthers, who were staging a double header, had to settle for just two points from them both as they only beat Glasgow 46-44 in the first meeting.

Workington were second on, and because of the curfew at the track, had to call it a result after 13 heats and as they trailed by six points could take home the bonus point.

Team manager Tony Jackson said: To be fair, if it had gone all the way to 15 I think they might have taken the extra point the way Ostergaard and Dryml were riding.

But I drove away feeling it was as good as a win, earning the bonus point against a team also striving for a top six place.

I think if we can get maximum points from our two home matches with Sheffield on Saturday we should make the play-offs.

The Comets actually earned their bonus point without either of their top two riders Josh Grajczonek and Rene Bach winning a race, a remarkable stat in itself.

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Workington Comets gain valuable point against Peterborough

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Housesitting: A Fun Way To Travel The World On A Dime

By Irene S. Levine, Next Avenue Contributor

When boomers want to escape the 9-to-5 workplace grind and the demands of caregiving for parents and/or kids wane, many dream of traveling. A recent survey found that 59% of retirees look forward to exploring new places during the second part of their lives.

But people soon realize the cost of traveling for extended periods can be daunting, especially when living on a reduced income. Thats why housesitting has become an increasingly popular way to live away from home without the steep pricetag.

(MORE: Boomer Travel Trend: Couchsurfing for Grown-Ups)

What is Housesitting?

Housesitting entails taking care of someone elses property (and possibly their pets) in exchange for your stay.

In the past, it typically took the form of informal arrangements between people who knew each other. Less commonly, individuals or couples were hired by professional agencies that employ housesitters at a salary, usually for long periods of time.

Over the past decade, though, technology has spawned a new model of unpaid housesitting, with websites connecting homeowners and potential sitters for jobs lasting weeks or months at a time.

(MORE: Home-Swapping: Slash Your Travel Costs and Live Like a Local)

This peer-to-peer model is part of the same sharing economy that laid the foundation for successful businesses such as Uber and Airbnb.

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Housesitting: A Fun Way To Travel The World On A Dime

Photos: Around the World in 40 Cakes

Pictured here is "Japan." Sweet-toothed jet setters don't even need their passports for this worldwide tour, as they can travel around the world in 40 cakes. Some of the world's most famous landmarks and cultures have been created by some of the best bakers, as featured in this month's edition of Cake Masters magazine.

Mimi Cafe Union/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "Paris."

Avalon Cakes/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "The North Pole."

McGreevy Cakes/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "Venice."

Callious Cakes/Mercury Press/Caters News

Pictured here is "Mexico." Some of the world's most famous landmarks and cultures have been created by some of the best bakers, as featured in this month's edition of Cake Masters magazine.

Little Cherry Cake Co/Mercury Press/Caters News

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Photos: Around the World in 40 Cakes

Stem Cell Institute Public Seminar on Adult Stem Cell Therapy Clinical Trials in San Antonio, Texas September 20th, 2014

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) September 11, 2014

The Stem Cell Institute, located in Panama City, Panama, will present an informational seminar about umbilical cord stem cell therapy on Saturday, September 20, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas at the La Cantera Hill Country Resort from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Stem Cell Institute Speakers include:

Neil Riordan PhD Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Clinical Trials for MS and Autism: Rationale and Clinical Protocols

Dr. Riordan is the founder of the Stem Cell Institute and Medistem Panama Inc.

Jorge Paz-Rodriguez MD Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy for Arthritis, Inflammation and Sports Injuries

Dr. Paz is the Medical Director at the Stem Cell Institute. He practiced internal medicine in the United States for over a decade before joining the Stem Cell Institute in Panama.

Special Guest Speaker:

Janet Vaughan, DDS, MS, Professional Dancer- Successful Stem Cell Therapy in Panama: A Patients Perspective

Dr. Vaughan is Board Certified in Orthodontics (Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics) and she is a Fellow in the International College of Dentistry.

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Stem Cell Institute Public Seminar on Adult Stem Cell Therapy Clinical Trials in San Antonio, Texas September 20th, 2014

Clinical Trial to Test Safety of Stem Cell-Derived Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes

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Newswise Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, in partnership with ViaCyte, Inc., a San Diego-based biotechnology firm specializing in regenerative medicine, have launched the first-ever human Phase I/II clinical trial of a stem cell-derived therapy for patients with Type 1 diabetes.

The trial will assess the safety and efficacy of a new investigational drug called VC-01, which was recently approved for testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The 2-year trial will involve four to six testing sites, the first being at UC San Diego, and will recruit approximately 40 study participants.

The goal, first and foremost, of this unprecedented human trial is to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of various doses of VC-01 among patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, said principal investigator Robert R. Henry, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at UC San Diego and chief of the Section of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. We will be implanting specially encapsulated stem cell-derived cells under the skin of patients where its believed they will mature into pancreatic beta cells able to produce a continuous supply of needed insulin. Previous tests in animals showed promising results. We now need to determine that this approach is safe in people.

Development and testing of VC-01 is funded, in part, by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the states stem cell agency, the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center and JDRF, the leading research and advocacy organization funding type 1 diabetes research.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a life-threatening chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow glucose to enter cells to produce energy. It is typically diagnosed during childhood or adolescence, though it can also begin in adults. Though far less common than Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin, Type 1 may affect up to 3 million Americans, according to the JDRF. Among Americans age 20 and younger, prevalence rose 23 percent between 2000 and 2009 and continues to rise. Currently, there is no cure. Standard treatment involves daily injections of insulin and rigorous management of diet and lifestyle.

Phase I/II clinical trials are designed to assess basic safety and efficacy of therapies never before tested in humans, uncovering unforeseen risks or complications. Unpredictable outcomes are possible. Such testing is essential to ensure that the new therapy is developed responsibly with appropriate management of risks that all medical treatments may present.

This is not yet a cure for diabetes, said Henry. The hope, nonetheless, is that this approach will ultimately transform the way individuals with Type 1 diabetes manage their disease by providing an alternative source of insulin-producing cells, potentially freeing them from daily insulin injections or external pumps.

This clinical trial at UC San Diego Health System was launched and supported by the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. The Center was recently created to advance leading-edge stem cell medicine and science, protect and counsel patients, and accelerate innovative stem cell research into patient diagnostics and therapy.

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Clinical Trial to Test Safety of Stem Cell-Derived Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes