Anarchast Ep. 124 Rafael of Bitangels: Bitcoin is Bigger than the Internet! – Video


Anarchast Ep. 124 Rafael of Bitangels: Bitcoin is Bigger than the Internet!
Jeff Interviews Rafael of BitAngels, topics include: Aristotle, Bitcoin as perfect Platonic money, Austrian economics, the eternal blockchain, Bitcoin volatility as price discovery, MaidSafe...

By: TheAnarchast

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Anarchast Ep. 124 Rafael of Bitangels: Bitcoin is Bigger than the Internet! - Video

Chinas Bitcoin Exchanges Pull Out of Summit After PBOC

Several of Chinas largest bitcoin exchanges pulled out of a planned global conference in Beijing this coming weekend after the central bank signaled further curbs on speculative trading of the virtual currency.

BTC China Co. said it and four other bitcoin trading platforms agreed to adopt stricter practices such as halting margin trading and short selling. They also agreed to not participate in bitcoin marketing conferences and gatherings, according to a statement posted yesterday on the website of BTC China, the oldest of the nations bitcoin operators.

BTC China, OKCoin and Huobi.com will no longer attend the Global Bitcoin Summit on May 10 as planned, BTC China Chief Executive Officer Bobby Lee said by phone yesterday. Speakers from the exchanges who were to appear at the conference were taken off an updated schedule sent to media yesterday by organizers.

We got together with a few exchanges and decided to coordinate some efforts in light of the perceived clampdown of the central bank, Lee said. Weve decided to stay more low-key and skip out of the conference this weekend.

The Peoples Bank of China began a crackdown on bitcoin in December, barring financial institutions and payment companies from dealing in the crypto-currency amid concern it could be used to launder money or skirt capital controls. Since then, the nations banks have closed the accounts of online trading platforms used to transfer money to bitcoin trading accounts.

A spokesman for the PBOCs media relations department declined to comment yesterday.

Bitcoin prices were volatile yesterday, falling as low as 2,590.02 yuan on BTC China after the exchange operator said it would stop accepting bank transfers of funds to customer trading accounts. They later rebounded to as high as 2,720 yuan.

Prices plunged almost 10 percent on March 27 after Caixin reported that PBOC ordered banks and payment companies to close accounts used to transfer money to bitcoin trading accounts at the exchanges. Bank of China Ltd. announced on its website on April 30 that it was banning the use of its bank accounts to charge trading accounts.

Chinese exchange users have decreased as increasingly strict policies cause concern, Leon Li, founder of Beijing-based trading platform Huobi.com, said in an April 26 interview.

About 600 people will probably take part in Chinas first international bitcoin conference, according to Hitters Xu, one of the organizers. About 15 percent of the attendees will be foreign nationals, he said.

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Chinas Bitcoin Exchanges Pull Out of Summit After PBOC

Beginner's guide to mining Litecoin, Dogecoin, and other Bitcoin variants

Who isnt curious about Bitcoin, the virtual currency whose origin story is rife withunderground marketplaces, instant millionaires, and massive scams? And the best way to learn more is to start participating yourself.

Sure, you could hit up an exchange and drop four hundred dollars or more on a single bitcoin, but you can also get in for free by mining the coins yourself. Bitcoin has become too hard for regular people to mine, but the world of bitcoin-like altcoins is still wide-open to hobbyist miners. Here's everything you need to know to get started mining altcoins.

This article assumes youve at least heard of Bitcoin, but you might not have heard of altcoins. Altcoin is a catch-all term for cryptocurrencies based on the Bitcoin system, which arent actually Bitcoin. Because Bitcoin is open-source software, anyone with some development experience can copy it and create their own currency.

The Dogecoin logo.

Of course, like Bitcoin, the value of any altcoin is equal only to how much someone will pay you for it. Some altcoins, such as Litecoin, Peercoin, and even Dogecoin have active communities and economiesyou can view a list of altcoins sorted by market cap herebut currently none are even a tenth as valuable as Bitcoins. Many altcoins have a devoted following, but be wary of anyone aggressively hyping a new altcoin or trying to convince you to get in on the ground floorit could just be a modern version of the pump and dump scam thats been around for decades.

The Bitcoin software works this way: Every time somebody spends a bitcoin, that transaction is recorded in a public ledger. For example, if you have 10 bitcoins in your wallet and send 7 to someone else, that transaction goes in the ledger, and everyone knows that your wallet only has 3 bitcoins now. If you try to send somebody else 5 bitcoins tomorrow, that transaction will be rejected because its a matter of public record that your wallet doesnt have the coins.

For the system to work, the public ledger has to be completely trustworthy. It has to be impossible for anyone to record a fraudulent transaction. Bitcoin accomplishes this using cryptography (hence the crypto in cryptocurrency), in a process that requires many computers, all connected in a single peer-to-peer network. In order to incentivize people to participate in this transaction-verifying network, bitcoins are periodically generated and awarded to the machines engaged in maintaining the public ledger.

As bitcoin values have soared over the last couple of years, bitcoin mining has become a very lucrative business. As a result, companies have designed chips solely for running the cryptographic algorithms bitcoin uses for mining. These chips, called ASICs, are so good at mining that its pretty much impossible for normal, general-purpose hardware to compete. Even the burliest desktop PC with huge gaming GPUs wont be able to generate enough money mining bitcoin to cover the cost of the electricity used in the process.

Its still possible to be successful at altcoin mining using traditional PC graphics cards, like AMDs Radeon R9-280.

Because altcoins are less popular, and because many altcoins use a different kind of mining algorithm called scrypt that cant be solved by the ASIC boards, you can still feasibly earn these altcoins by running the mining program on your personal computer. You can then spend the altcoins or swap them for bitcoins at a cryptocurrency exchange.Unlike most altcoins,bitcoins can be spent at a number of e-tailers like Overstock.com and Tiger Direct.

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Beginner's guide to mining Litecoin, Dogecoin, and other Bitcoin variants

Inner Workings of the AUD

May 6, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets Throughout the year, we've featured members from the Utica Comets staff who people may initially overlook; sometimes it's difficult for fans to realize how much work goes into a Utica Comets game day. But now it's time to sit down with perhaps the most crucial individuals responsible for the Utica Comets game day running smoothly - the Utica Memorial Auditorium's arena operations staff.

Together, Frank LaBella and Jerry Hendenberg operate and run all arena operations in "The AUD.' Putting in hours upon hours of work every day, it is somewhat of a miracle these two push through such long days of work.

"On a typical game day, we're here from about 8 in the morning to 11 at night," Frank LaBella, who has worked at "The AUD' full-time since 1979, explained.

Without any official training, Frank's knowledge comes solely from experience.

"We have to check the cables, check the gates and drill the holes for the marsh pegs." Jerry added, "It it's a busy schedule right up until the blocked ice slot for the Comets, we have to cram a lot into a very short period of time. That means making sure we have the proper staff - like Randy and Donnie - in on time to scrape the edges of the ice and then use the edger to trim 16-18 inches from the boards out that the zamboni doesn't get a chance to cut."

They both explained how much work and time goes into making the ice durable and enjoyable to play on.

"We always ask the officials, whether they be for Utica College or Utica Comets, how the ice is, and they all say it's easily the best ice in the league. That makes us happy because we know we're doing our job." Frank and Jerry are usually part of an eight-person staff on game night, whose responsibilities range from cleaning during intermissions to driving the zamboni to setting the nets in place. "Since you never know what's going on, you need the extra guys on staff," Frank said.

For Jerry Hendenberg, the return of AHL hockey to Utica meant leaving his position as the General Manager of the Myrtle Beach Speedway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to return to upstate New York.

"That was more of an office job," he said. "Here it's much more hands on. I like it a lot more."

When asked what his favorite part of working at The AUD is, Jerry did not hesitate. "It's gotta be the people. I get along really well with Frank and the rest of the guys on staff."

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Inner Workings of the AUD

Budget UAE Wins World Travel Award

The World Travel Awards were presented in Dubai. Photo via Wikipedia.

Budget Rent a Car won the UAEs Leading Car Rental Company award at the 21st World Travel Awards. The Middle East Gala Ceremony was the first round on the annual World Travel Awards Grand Tour winners qualify for the Grand Final to be held later this year.

Budget Rent a Car won the 'UAE's Leading Car Rental Company' award at the 21st World Travel Awards, which were presented at the J.W. Marriott Marquis Dubai.

Voted by travel professional worldwide, the award recognized Budget UAE's commitment to excellence. Budget scored above four other competitors that were nominated in the category.

Salim Damji, senior general manager at Budget Rent a Car UAE, and Paul Mitchell, regional director Middle East, Budget International, accepted the award.

"This award celebrates the successful implementation of our innovative strategies focused on putting the customer first," said Damji. "We are particularly thrilled to receive this recognition because it is based on votes of professionals from the global travel and tourism industry."

"We always take pride in keeping our finger on the pulse of customer preferences, as reflected in the recent addition of the new Chevrolet Trax to our fleet, as well as introducing the high-end Chevrolet Corvette and the Chevrolet Impala," added Damji.

The Middle East Gala Ceremony was the first regional round on the annual World Travel Awards Grand Tour winners qualify for the Grand Final to be held later this year.

Budget Rent a Car, a member company of the UAE-based Liberty Group, has 22 outlets across the UAE.

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Budget UAE Wins World Travel Award

Unlicensed stem cell doctor slapped with charges over patient's death

Charges of syndicated estafa, illegal medical practice and murder were filed on Tuesday against Dr. Zoharina Antonia Pedrera Carandang, also known as Dr. Antonia Carandang-Park, for practicing stem cell therapy on 23-year-old cancer patient Katherine Kate Tan. The treatment was alleged to have caused the Tan's death.

The charges were filed by Kate's father Bernard Tan before the Tagaytay Municipal Fiscal's Office. Aside from Carandang, owner and operator of Tagaytay-based Green & Young Health and Wellness Center, also charged were Joy Dimaranan, Estrella Maranan, Bebot Maranan and several other employees of the wellness center.

Tan also filed on Tuesday a separate administrative complaint against Park before Tagaytay's Office of the City Administrator, GMA News TV's Quick Response Team (QRT) reported.

According to the City Administrator's Office, Park had, in the past, applied for a permit to operate a medical clinic but was denied for failing to present the necessary documents, such as a Department of Health (DOH) certification.

Park, was, however, granted a permit to operate a massage clinic in 2012.

A caretaker at the wellness center, who received the copy of the criminal and administrative complaints, said Park had left the clinic Tuesday morning.

The Fiscal's Office also sent a letter to Park requiring her to respond to the complaint within two days, otherwise an investigation based only on the evidence presented by the Tans would be pursued.

The Office of the City Administrator also prohibited the wellness clinic from operating until a reply to the administrative complaint was filed.

Alternative treatment

In a separate complaint filed last month before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Tan alleged that Park was not licensed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to practice medicine in the Philippines.

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Unlicensed stem cell doctor slapped with charges over patient's death

Cedars-Sinai researchers identify how heart stem cells orchestrate regeneration

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

6-May-2014

Contact: Sally Stewart sally.stewart@cshs.org 310-248-6566 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

LOS ANGELES (EMBARGOED UNTIL NOON ET ON MAY 6, 2014) Investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute whose previous research showed that cardiac stem cell therapy reduces scarring and regenerates healthy tissue after a heart attack in humans have identified components of those stem cells responsible for the beneficial effects.

In a series of laboratory and lab animal studies, Heart Institute researchers found that exosomes, tiny membrane-enclosed "bubbles" involved in cell-to-cell communication, convey messages that reduce cell death, promote growth of new heart muscle cells and encourage the development of healthy blood vessels.

"Exosomes were first described in the mid-1980s, but we only now are beginning to appreciate their potential as therapeutic agents. We have found that exosomes and the cargo they contain are crucial mediators of stem cell-based heart regeneration, and we believe this might lead to an even more refined therapy using the 'active ingredient' instead of the entire stem cell," said Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and a pioneer in developing investigational cardiac stem cell treatments.

"The concept of exosome therapy is interesting because it could potentially shift our strategy from living-cell transplantation to the use of a non-living agent," he added. "Stem cells must be carefully preserved to keep them alive and functioning until the time of transplant, and there are some risks involved in cell transplantation. In contrast, exosome therapy may be safer and simpler and based on a product with a longer shelf life."

In lab experiments, the researchers isolated exosomes from specialized human cardiac stem cells and found that exosomes alone had the same beneficial effects as stem cells. Exosomes also produced the same post-heart attack benefits in mice, decreasing scar size, increasing healthy heart tissue and reducing levels of chemicals that lead to inflammation. Even when exosomes were injected in mice after heart attack scars were well-established, and traditionally viewed as "irreversible," they brought about multiple structural and functional benefits.

Exosomes transport small pieces of genetic material, called microRNAs, that enable cells to communicate with neighboring cells to change their behavior. The researchers pinpointed one such microRNA one that is especially plentiful in cardiac stem cell exosomes as responsible for some of the benefits. It is likely, they believe, that this and other microRNAs in the exosomes work together to produce the regenerative effects.

"The exosomes appear to contain the signaling information needed to regenerate healthy heart tissue, they are naturally able to permeate cells, and they have a coating that protects their payloads from degradation as they shuttle from cell to cell," said Marbn, senior author of an article in the May 6, 2014 Stem Cell Reports. "Injecting exosomes derived from specialized cardiac stem cells may be an attractive alternative to the transplantation of living cells."

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Cedars-Sinai researchers identify how heart stem cells orchestrate regeneration

SAU Andrews Christian Spirituality Lecture Series: Becoming Multicultural 4-14-14 Pt 2 – Video


SAU Andrews Christian Spirituality Lecture Series: Becoming Multicultural 4-14-14 Pt 2
Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier presents her lecture, "Becoming Intercultural: Work Out Your Salvation", on Monday, April 14, 2014 at 7:00pm.

By: Spring Arbor U

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SAU Andrews Christian Spirituality Lecture Series: Becoming Multicultural 4-14-14 Pt 2 - Video

Live ISS HD Stream: Nasa Launches Incredible View Of Earth Below The Space Station

Red Dwarf Star

Artist's depiction of the powerful flare that erupted from the red dwarf star EV Lacertae in 2008.

Unlike Earth, Venus lacks a magnetic field to deflect powerful solar outbursts -- as can be seen in this NASA-created image, a still from the video "Dynamic Earth: Exploring Earth's Climate Engine."

This vertigo-inducing, false-color image from NASA's Cassini mission highlights the storms at Saturn's north pole. The angry eye of a hurricane-like storm appears dark red while the fast-moving hexagonal jet stream framing it is a yellowish green. Low-lying clouds circling inside the hexagonal feature appear as muted orange color. A second, smaller vortex pops out in teal at the lower right of the image. The rings of Saturn appear in vivid blue at the top right.

This Hubble photo is of a small portion of a large star-birthing region in the Carina Nebula. Towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula.

This computer simulation shows gas from a tidally shredded star falling into a black hole. Some of the gas also is being ejected at high speed into space.

This image of Asia and Australia at night is a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012.

In this composite image, visible-light observations by NASAs Hubble Space Telescope are combined with infrared data from the ground-based Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona to assemble a dramatic view of the well-known Ring Nebula.

A delicate ribbon of gas floats eerily in our galaxy. A contrail from an alien spaceship? A jet from a black-hole? Actually this image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is a thin section of a supernova remnant caused by a stellar explosion that occurred more than 1,000 years ago.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope caught Jupiter's moon Ganymede playing a game of "peek-a-boo." In this crisp image, Ganymede is shown just before it ducks behind the giant planet.

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Live ISS HD Stream: Nasa Launches Incredible View Of Earth Below The Space Station