Rare Sneaker App Switches From Ethereum to Hedera to Skip Blockchain Fees – CoinDesk – Coindesk

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SUKU, a blockchain startup that tracks luxury goods, among other things, is moving its high-end sneaker authentication system to Hedera Hashgraph because the fees on Ethereum became too high.

The first SUKU application to migrate to Hedera is called INFINITE, and it uses non-fungible tokens (NFTs), one-of-a-kind digital watermarks, to authenticate and enable easy secondary trading in limited-edition kicks, which tend to command prices of $2,000 and upward.

The sneaker authentication app has a physical NFT tag inside the shoe, combined with the unforgeable identity token. (Its not the first time rare and valuable sneakers have been crossed with NFTs.) The cost of creating an NFT on Ethereum at current gas prices is over $80, as opposed to $1 to mint a one-off token on Hedera, explained Yonathan Lapchik, CEO of Citizens Reserve, the creator of SUKU.

Dont get me wrong, we love Ethereum, said Lapchik. But now we are getting a lot of users of the app and we need to make those fees as low as possible, and on Ethereum it really wasnt possible to scale.

Lapchik said three sneaker authentication platforms, Legit Grails, Legit App and StockX, have been integrated into the INFINITE app. The secondary market in rare trainers is well established but it lacks the kind of digital titles that tend to accompany luxury watches, for example.

We are really tackling the issue of tags that authenticate sneakers that really dont work nowadays, said Lapchik. If you have a pair of sneakers and want to resell back to the platform you got them from, or to someone else, you need to get them authenticated again. What weve built is valuable for secondary marketplaces but also for brands.

The SUKU blockchain journey started some three and a half years ago, using a mix of Quorum, the privacy-centric fork of Ethereum designed by JPMorgan, as well as the public chain. SUKU continues to be enterprise-focused (its OMNI platform also does supply chain track-and-trace), and hence Hedera is well suited to the firms needs, said Lapchik.

Under the hood, Hedera uses a variation of distributed ledger technology that can handle very high transaction volume but isnt really blockchain. The network is governed by the Hedera Governing Council, which includes firms such as Google, IBM and LG running nodes.

A key part of the migration, SUKU will be the first firm to leverage Hederas Token Service in a way similar to the non-fungible ERC-721 token standard on Ethereum, Lapchik said.

We have created the same foundation that we have with ERC-721 and brought that to Hedera Token Service NFTs, he said.

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Rare Sneaker App Switches From Ethereum to Hedera to Skip Blockchain Fees - CoinDesk - Coindesk

Crypto Taxes Make Headlines, But Blockchain Might Be The Key To Real Time Reporting – Forbes

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Cryptocurrency tax issues may make the headlines, but an additional impact of blockchain may be revolutionizing the audit and reporting space.

getty

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the largest member association representing the accounting profession in the world, has published numerous whitepapers on the idea of a continuous auditing and reporting process. Blockchain might just be the missing piece of the technology puzzle that can make this desire a reality.

Accounting and auditing might not always make the same kind of headlines that cryptocurrency price swings do, nor capture the attention of market participants, but they play an important role in a well-functioning marketplace. Especially during this time of the year, tax season, cryptocurrency price volatility and associated tax liabilities can overshadow virtually every other blockchain and crypto headline. That said, looking a bit closer at the underlying issues reveals just how important a blockchain based audit will be, even for those individuals and institutions not directly involved in the audit or accounting space.

First things first, however, it is important to recognize and acknowledge the information asymmetry that exists with regards to what an audit means. Individuals and otherwise well- informed individuals and firms can have a misunderstanding as to what exactly an audit represents. Put simply, this incorrect perception can be that an audit involves a 100% review of transactions and other associated information; the reality is dramatically different. Obviously, the specifics will differ from engagement to engagement, but the audit itself usually only consists of a relatively small sample of entries and other data.

Once again, the market provides evidence that the global leaders - the Big 4 accounting firms - in the audit space understand the need for an improved audit process. All of these global multinational leaders in the accounting space have published multiple whitepapers on the subject. Audit effectiveness and efficiency are both at the center of this increased push toward addressing and resolving audit issues.

Even with this increased interest, however, making continuous auditing a reality has not yet occurred.

Compounding these issues is the time delay that is inherent with an audit, no matter how comprehensive the engagement is. Most publicly traded organizations in the United States have a fiscal year end of December 31st, but audited financial statements may not be finalized and issued until March and April. In a business landscape where headlines and trends can change in a moment, this delay of several months is unacceptable moving forward.

So, where does blockchain fit into this conversation? A blockchain augmented or blockchain connected audit tool and system can deliver several quantitative benefits for all parties involved. Lets take a look at several of these benefits.

More comprehensive audits. This is perhaps the most obvious benefit and upside related to blockchain-based or blockchain augmented audit tools. If an audit firm is a member of a private or permissioned blockchain, this firm and the employees of the firm can access transactional data as it is entered, as opposed to only performing tasks at certain predefined times. This deeper level of access and transparency will allow a larger percentage of transactions and information to be examined, tested, or otherwise factored into the audit itself.

Faster reporting. Financial markets, crypto affiliated or not, rely on a consistent and transparent flow of information to assist market participants with the decision-making process. The price volatility that has been underway in both the cryptocurrency sector as well as a certain few equity securities is, of course, a facet of the market itself, but are also potentially connected to the flow of information not being as accessible for all participants. In other words, getting higher quality data to all market participants on a more continuous basis is a universally good thing.

Improved reporting quality. Restatements are a part of the reporting process, but they do not have to occur nearly as often if the original reporting and disclosures are correct in the first place. Building on the previous point, combining the potential for faster and higher quality reporting will benefit every market participant. This includes regulators, investors, and the very organizations themselves; data is the lifeblood of business decision making and improving the quality of that data will only deliver benefits.

Blockchain has a wide range of applications and potential use cases, but one that can be overshadowed by price volatility and headlines is the more mundane task of auditing and reporting data correctly. Audits, for all of the issues that exist with this process, play an integral role in any well functioning marketplace. Blockchain technology can, and already is, improve the quality of the output of audits, help ensure participants have the high quality data required to make effective decisions, and potentially reduce the need of audit errors, restatements.

Cryptocurrency, and cryptocurrency tax issues might make the headlines and generate the conversation, but blockchain for audits might actually be the more impactful store in the long term.

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Crypto Taxes Make Headlines, But Blockchain Might Be The Key To Real Time Reporting - Forbes

Blockchain and Energy Innovation Marches On POWER magazine – POWER magazine

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Even in a pandemic, energy innovators are developing blockchain technology to implement powerful changes. From automating crude oil trading to amplifying the impact of renewable energy sources, innovations harnessing blockchain technology are likely to change the energy industry in profound ways. Inventors, enterprises, and investors who act today to obtain patent protection for their early blockchain-based inventions will find themselves in an enviable position tomorrow to capitalize on their early visions. This article explains some basics of blockchain technology, highlights two exciting applications of energy-related blockchain technology, suggests patenting strategies, and recognizes challenges to patentability and enforcement of such technologies.

Blockchain is a software-based technology used to track and secure a list of continuously growing data records (blocks) that are linked together (chain) using cryptography, over a network of computers (nodes). It was introduced along with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. However, innovators are now developing applications of blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrency.

Blockchain technology is often called distributed ledger technology to emphasize the distributed or decentralized nature of its list of records (that is, its ledger or database), in contrast to a traditional, centralized database. Conventionally, databases have been secured by entrusting them to third-party intermediaries having administrative privileges. However, blockchain technology secures a database, without the trusted third-party, through a combination of three core enabling technologies: peer-to-peer networks, digital signatures, and consensus algorithms.

Peer-to-peer computer networks account for the decentralized nature of blockchain technology. In a conventional client-server network, one central computer (server) stores data and responds to requests from numerous computers (clients). In contrast, each node in a peer-to-peer network can act as a server and a client. If a server fails, a client-server network fails. However, if a node fails, a peer-to-peer network continues to work.

Digital signatures provide the integrity and authenticity for transactions that make up a blockchain ledger through cryptographic hash functions and public-key encryption. Consensus algorithms allow the nodes in a blockchain network to agree on the current state of the ledger while making it virtually irreversible and tamperproof. Different types of consensus algorithmssuch as, Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stakeare being developed to better serve the needs of specific applications of blockchain technology.

Smart contracts allow agreements to be automated through terms and conditions preprogrammed into a blockchain. Smart contracts are where blockchain technology becomes unleashed from its cryptocurrency origins.

In the energy industry, blockchain technology is being developed to dramatically alter the supply, demand, and distribution of energy. For example, VAKT Global Ltd., a European company, is developing a blockchain-based energy commodity trading platform, with no cryptocurrency involved. As of April 8, 2020, the platform was in use in the North Sea BFOET crude oil market. The platform makes physical commodity markets more efficient by becoming a single source of truth for the trading parties and ecosystem participants: terminals, surveyors, agents, ship owners, brokers, banks, etc. By transforming conventional paper-based processingwhich tends to be slow, complicated, and error-proneinto a digital process that is fast, secure, immutable and private, VAKT intends to become the digital backbone of commodities trading within the energy industry and beyond.

Energy Web Foundation (EWF) is also developing an energy-specific blockchain called the Energy Web Chain (EW Chain), which uses a Proof-of-Authority consensus mechanism for reduced energy consumption. This blockchain aims to accelerate the global transition to a decentralized, democratized, decarbonized, and digitalized energy system. EWF has collaborated with Wirepas and Vodafone Business to combine blockchain technology with the Internet of Things (IoT) to develop systems for connecting renewable energy assets to energy grids. By providing the core digital infrastructure connecting utilities, distributed energy resources, and consumers, EWF sees itself as the digital backbone of the futures low-carbon electricity systems.

Importantly, such digital platforms are likely to exhibit network effects. That is, digital networks of energy providers and consumers are likely to become more valuable to their users as they gain more users and, at some point, an expanding energy network may prevent competitors from entering the market. Accordingly, pioneering energy platforms may have a head start to dominate energy-related industries through the power of network effects.

The database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) suggests that energy-related blockchain patent application filings have continued to increase since the first of such applications was filed in 2016. Nevertheless, the energy-related blockchain patent landscape is currently not a crowded one. Thus, the time is ripe for energy innovators to claim valuable patent rights. Patent owners may use patents defensively and offensively to gain an edge over competitors and realize significant business value.

A defensive approach to patenting allows patent owners to benefit without suing. For example, patents can deter competitors from copying and encourage them, instead, to seek a licensing agreement or focus their research efforts elsewhere. Furthermore, patents are considered assets of a company and therefore increase the companys valuation and provide leverage in negotiating business deals.

An offensive approach to patenting allows patent owners to enforce their rights through litigation in a federal district court, or at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Courts may award a successful patent owner litigant remedies including injunction, lost profits, reasonable royalties, andfor egregious intentional infringerspunitive/enhanced damages. As importantly, the ITC provides a quicker process than the courts and is able to stop patent infringers from importing infringing products or services into the U.S.

To adequately benefit from patent ownership, a patent application must be prepared to overcome the statutory hurdles to patentability, without giving up valuable scope of protection. Software-based technologies, like blockchain technology, are often rejected under the subject matter eligibility hurdle of the U.S. Patent Law (35 U.S.C. 101). To overcome this hurdle, care should be taken to ensure that the disclosure of the invention in the patent application emphasizes a practical, and advantageous, technological application of the invention to prevent the rejection of the patent application based on an unpatentable abstract ideasuch as, a mathematical concept, a method of organizing human activity, or a mental processand/or provides for additional elements amounting to an inventive concept beyond a mere abstract idea.

For example, patent claims describing a method of renewable energy trading using IoT sensors, processors, and memory to autonomously measure, record, and analyze energy supply and usage data through a blockchain ledger may be rejected by the USPTO based on the grounds that they are directed to a method of organizing human activity (that is, measuring, recording, and analyzing energy data may be considered as organizing human activity or a fundamental economic practice). Furthermore, the USPTO may reason that merely recording and analyzing energy-related data through a generic blockchain ledger provides no practical application of the fundamental economic practice and that the recitation of generic IoT sensors and computer hardware does not provide an inventive concept beyond the fundamental economic practice.

Such a rejection may be avoided altogether by drafting the application with a technological problem-solution emphasis and identifying how problems of existing approaches are overcome by the applicants invention. This approach would help ensure that the patent claims are not drafted to preempt all future technological improvements, but to focus more reasonably on the relevant technological area of invention. For example, claims incorporating features of an energy-specific data structure to be stored in a blockchain to improve the processing of transactions would likely remove the claims from the abstract idea realm, because the invention would not threaten to preempt virtually all applications of blockchain technology as applied to energy trading.

Furthermore, inventions that improve the functionality of blockchain technology itself may avoid or overcome a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101. That is, improvements to distributed storage, distributed processing, cryptography, security and authentication, data structures, and data exchange protocols would not likely be interpreted as being directed to an abstract idea. For example, proof-of-work consensus algorithms provide security for many cryptocurrencies, but they intentionally slow down processing and waste electricity. Accordingly, an invention involving an energy-specific consensus algorithm that provides adequate security with greater energy efficiency and faster processing would not likely be rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.

Additionally, patent claims should be drafted to facilitate investigation and the collection of facts to support an infringement allegation. For example, patent claims related to distributed renewable energy assets and linked via blockchain technology should allow for a finding of infringement by one infringer in one location, rather than requiring a series of steps to be performed by multiple parties in multiple jurisdictions.

While blockchain technology is in its infancy, choosing to invest and become a patent holder for early blockchain inventions could pay dividends as the technology matures to become widely popular and useful, particularly in energy-related industries. To benefit from the maximum scope of patent protection, it is important to seek out counsel with the experience and sufficient understanding of the legal and technical issues to handle the challenges associated with patenting software-related technologies.

Raymond R. Tabandeh and Kurt S. Prange are Intellectual Property attorneys with Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP.

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The Decade of Blockchain: What That Means for Industry – RTInsights

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Blockchain doesnt just improve existing industry applications, it overturns our very understanding of how those industries can operate.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency continue to occupy the top of the hype cycle, but what do you know about the full potential of blockchain? The underlying technology revolutionizing our concept of money is bringing rapid change to many areas of our lives we never thought needed to change, much less would.

See also: Blockchain, Unchained: 5 Key Use Cases

Deloitte expects that 2020 will mark the start of the Blockchain decade. Theres no reason to suspect otherwise. Everyone from banking to car sales is taking advantage of the technology that was the driving force upending our understanding of how currency even works.

Blockchain is a virtualledger. It processes enormous amounts of data by recording transactions in anearly corruption-proof format. Each transaction gets recorded into a blockof information and attached to the previous transaction before it. The ledgerremains unchanged in history but continually updates to reflect any newactions.

Bitcoin exploded thanks to blockchain, but entrepreneurs in other industries quickly noticed applications in other areas besides finance. Use cases are endless when were talking about a totally transparent, perfect record thats not easily falsified.

Now, everywhere youturn, industries are talking about it. Blockchain doesnt just improve existingindustry applications; it overturns our very understanding of how thoseindustries can operate. Skeptical? Here for the approval of Industry 4.0, Ipresent: Blockchains Great Upheaval.

Finance is reeling overthe possibilities, but what about other fields? Some exciting applications youmay not have considered are just on the horizon (if not already here).

Industrial IoT: Oh yes. Our newest industrial IoT phase is coming thanks to the telco edge, 5G, and a sprinkle of blockchain. In fact, it could be just the thing large enterprises need to manage truly large-scale IoT solutions to the ends of the earth.

Blockchain allowscommunication between incomprehensible amounts of devices. IBM and Samsung, forexample, are putting it to the test with the ADEPT network, allowing devices towork autonomously, managing things like software updates or energy management.

These use cases span arange of industries from energy companies to large scale agriculture or evenoil or natural gas. Blockchain provides solutions designed for autonomy,releasing these enterprises from the burden of centralized control.

Supply Chain Management: Blockchain enables a secure record of each stage of the production process. Much like purchasing or financial transactions, the supply chain is its own series of transactions.

Companies are lookingfor clearer and more efficient ways to check for compliance, sourcing, and manyother challenging aspects of operating in a global business world. Consumerswant to know not just where products are manufactured but where materials comefrom and when.

Blockchain might offersolutions to that issue. With blockchain records, the supply chain componentscould have transparent records that are nearly impossible to forge. Consumerscan check up on each portion of the production process themselves. Companieslike Walmart have joined IBMs Food Trust Network, a distributed ledger tracingfood origins.

Energy Management: Blockchain could provide distributed solutions to a historically centralized industry. Eliminating the middleman could bring down the cost of energy while providing better efficiency across the board.

It may also help solve challenges in delivering renewable energy. Two companies in Spain are experimenting with using blockchain to verify that power is clean, while a Brooklyn startup is using blockchain to allow consumers to buy and sell energy between neighbors.

Decentralizing energyopens up many options for providing energy and keeping down costs. Blockchainfacilitates many new ideas in the energy field that could also help energycompanies keep up with changing regulations, populations, and energyavailability.

Governance: Smart contracts. Verifiable transactions. Backgroundchecks. Businesses can use blockchain for a number of business applications.These ledgers provide compliance for contracts, ensure consistency, andfacilitate organization.

Blockchain can helpcompanies manage their entire workforce and operations with greatertransparency. The tool could also help companies overcome difficulties hiringworkers from overseas or overcoming border difficulties executing contracts orprojects from country to country.

Social purpose: Younger generations are forcing companies to reconciletheir actual business practices with their proposed mission statements.Blockchain could allow companies to verify their business practices and attractcustomer loyalty, a challenging prospect in the world of global eCommerce.

The fundamental shiftcould be a great thing. Consumers will have more control over the companiesthey support, choosing ones with missions that align with personal values.Companies will stand out in a crowd by offering records of things like sourcingor production methods.

Federal Mail: Yes, the post office could be up for an evolution. Adistributed ledger has the potential to reduce tracking costs and improvedelivery and streamline supply chain management. It could also streamline thefinancial side of the post office, helping a giant organization track thingslike money orders and verify customer identities.

In fact, the post office released a report back in 2016 outlining the potential of blockchain. The organization found numerous examples of

Blockchain is enablingcompanies to reach customers and empower them to operate without heavycentralization. Blockchain allows companies to make changes in their corebusiness models.

Beyond market forces,blockchain may contribute to the flexibility and transparency required forbusinesses to operate in a world of disruptions. Blockchain may also helpcompanies pivot and lean up operations, providing more customer-centricoperations in the process. Its exciting to see what will happen.

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The Decade of Blockchain: What That Means for Industry - RTInsights

Another Oil Giant Joins The Blockchain Bandwagon – OilPrice.com

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As oil majors rally from last years dip in demand and price, most are looking for new technologies to ensure the safety of their future. Driving down costs and enhancing green practices is at the top of these companies priority list going into the next decade, and blockchain is offering them a way to do this. The latest company to buy into blockchain technology is Norwegian firm Equinor. Equinor is 70 percent owned by the government, meaning oil production must go hand in hand with environmental policy. To this end, CEO Anders Opedal aims to make Equinor carbon-friendly, the first net-zero oil company by 2050.

Johan Sverdrup, Equinors new 300-foot-tall platform, incorporates cutting-edge blockchain technology, installed with sensors that track the drilling of new wells, the quantity of oil being produced, and many other core functions. The information is all being transmitted to a startup based in Houston, Data Gumbo, which compiles this vital information into its blockchain ledger GumboNet.

We are seeing more and more oil tech startups emerging in Houston, putting it at the forefront of the digital revolution of gas and oil. In 2020, many companies invested heavily in new technologies and digitalization as a means of modernizing to ensure cost-cuts and more efficient practices in the future.

Instead of relying on human input, monitoring, and evaluation to manage contracts with suppliers, the blockchain system allows for the use of smart contracts. The technology will indicate when suppliers have fulfilled their contracted work commitment, ensuring the work is being carried out as planned. It can also manage payment with digital currencies.

Following a pilot project in 2019, Equinor decided to invest $6 million in Data Gumbo, and expects to roll out its technology across 10 other projects following the initial success of Johan Sverdrup. To date, Equinor estimates savings of $20 million in its first year of operations.

Interest in blockchain technology grew in 2020, as several companies looked to adapt their practices to the digital era. The OOC Oil & Gas Blockchain Consortium, consisting of

10 companies including ConocoPhillips, Equinor, Exxon Mobil Corp, Repsol, and Royal Dutch Shell, tested Data Gumbos ability to automate payments for oilfield water-handling.

Companies found that the use of blockchain reduced the workflow process from 90-120 days to one to seven days by cutting nine steps. Other companies are expected to follow in Equinors footsteps after the success of the pilot scheme made it clear that companies can save both time and money using this technology.

Shell has already pledged to become an early adopter of blockchain technology to establish trust and security among others in the sector. Shell believes using blockchain to track equipment, parts and products will enable it to manage its supply chain better.

Related: A Glimmer Of Hope For Oil Markets

In addition to aiding supply chain management, supplier payment, and data security, blockchain can also monitor and evaluate carbon emissions. Instead of some of the current methods of estimation, blockchain technology can accurately evaluate the carbon footprint of an oilfield project.

The accuracy provided by blockchain could, therefore, allow for better certification processes going forward, as regulators push for stricter standards when it comes to carbon emissions. Moreover, understanding the current carbon footprint of a project will allow companies to be more transparent and work towards better environmental practices.

Seeing the clear success of Equinors first blockchain project, 2021 could be the year when several oil majors follow suit. After a decade of slow progress in this area, companies are finally starting to pick up the pace when it comes to digitalization, with blockchain offering a means of cutting costs, improving efficiency, and cutting carbon emissions.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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Another Oil Giant Joins The Blockchain Bandwagon - OilPrice.com

Government Will Explore Blockchain for Digital Economy, Union Minister Says About India’s Own Cryptocurre… – Gadgets 360

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The government will explore the use of blockchain technology for digital economy, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said in response to a question raised in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The comments from the Ministry of Finance come just days after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mentioned plans to bring a digital version of the Indian Rupee. The central bank stated that it was exploring the possibility as to whether there was a need for a digital version of fiat currency, and in case there was then how to operationalise it.

Thakur also reiterated that the government's current stance on Bitcoin and other crypto-based payment systems is that they are illegal: It was announced in the Budget Speech of year 2018-19 that the government does not consider cryptocurrencies legal tender or coins and will take all measures to eliminate use of these crypto-assets in financing illegitimate activities or as part of the payment system. He was responding to Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut on whether the government is considering the possibility of introducing India's own cryptocurrency.

In April 2018, the RBI had effectively banned cryptocurrency transactions via banks and e-wallets in the country. It was initially supported by the Supreme Court, though the top court later quashed the ban in March last year.

Earlier this week, the government listed a bill titled The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021 that is aimed to provide a framework for creation of an official digital currency to be issued by the RBI and prohibit all existing private cryptocurrencies. Experts, however, believe that it would take some time for the country to bring any changes.

Here is the full text of the question and answer between MoS Finance Anurag Thakur and Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut in Rajya Sabha.

Sanjay Raut:

Will the Minister of Finance be pleased to state:-

(a) whether Government is aware that many business companies are using cryptocurrency for international transactions during the last one year:

(b) if so, the details thereof and Government's response thereto:

(c) whether Government is considering the possibility of introducing India's own cryptocurrency; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and, if not, the reasons therefor?

Answer

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

Shri Anurag Singh Thakur

(a): No, Sir.

(b): In view of reply to part (a) above, the question does not arise.

(c) and (d): No, Sir. It was announced in the Budget Speech of year 2018-19 that the Government does not consider crypto-currencies legal tender or coins and will take all measures to eliminate use of these crypto-assets in financing illegitimate activities or as part of the payment system. The government will explore use of the block chain technology proactively for ushering in digital economy.

What will be the most exciting tech launch of 2021? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

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Government Will Explore Blockchain for Digital Economy, Union Minister Says About India's Own Cryptocurre... - Gadgets 360

Blockchain will revolutionize healthcare Just not any time soon – Cointelegraph

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Over the past decade, blockchain has surpassed the hype realm into a real transformative solution for industries. Several companies are investing billions of dollars on the network; it topped LinkedIns list of in-demand hard skills in 2020, and articles about its potential are now littered on every finance blog. Ask those who had experienced the early internet days, and they will certainly have a lot to tell you about the feeling of deja vu that has diffused the tech space.

Mainstream maximalist circles have touted blockchain as the magic solution for many industries healthcare probably being the neediest. Forbes report revealed that up to 112 million healthcare data records were either stolen, lost or compromised in 2015. While theres no telling how many wrecks this has caused, healthcare data is delicate, and every solution must be examined carefully.

Of course, blockchains potentials could unlock a different side to medicine and bring solutions to age-long problems in the profession. On the other hand, a lack of proper understanding of the pitfalls could massively hinder the potential locked up in this partnership. Lets highlight four crucial drawbacks to adopting blockchain in healthcare.

Stakeholders involved in healthcare patients, payers, care providers and researchers generate thousands of pieces of data every second, from background patient data to test results, images, medications and a host of other data that need to be constantly updated. Among all of this, confidentiality is at the very helm of medicine, and all health data must be carefully accounted for.

However, it is one thing to digitize health data, and another thing is to transfer tons of data to a publicly encrypted database. Dealing with different personnel and actual blockchain experts to transfer and update health data ironically leaves room for a massive data breach or improper documentation of health data. Besides that, the time required to arrange and update tons of health data systematically would be significantly alarming.

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, coined the term blockchain trilemma, a term that describes the infeasibility of getting all three desirable properties of any blockchain-based use case decentralization, security and scalability. In simpler terms, it is impossible to have all three components in one project. One has to be sacrificed for the other two. Considering blockchain is predicated (for the most part) on decentralization and security, it is quite glaring which one is the sacrificial lamb.

The degree of scalability dictates the capacity of any network and must be addressed before implementation. In an attempt to secure a blockchain network, the amount of data processed per second was limited by the developers. For blockchains exponentially growing, this has created a scalability problem as more people swarm the network. Poor blockchain scalability would mean healthcare stakeholders would be very limited in processing real-time data. Besides being unsuitable for emergency healthcare, the implication is that healthcare workers would have to do more with less.

In the long run, blockchain will ultimately save a lot of money for both patients and healthcare providers. For supply chains in pharmaceuticals, patient records and health insurance, healthcare costs will eventually be optimized. A BIS research suggests that blockchain would save up to $100 billion over an eight-year period.

However, blockchains early adoption in healthcare will certainly not come easy in terms of cost. The cost of building applications, reorientating stakeholders into a new system, security and maintenance is enormous. A blockchain network covering the entire United States healthcare system would cost hundreds of billions and would require patient investors and help from the government. However, optimal systems within a blockchain network can emerge with time and cut these potentially enormous fees.

Health data is highly sensitive, hence the strict regulations guiding healthcare professionals to do their job. Since the introduction of electronic health records, these regulations have continued to increase as health professionals seek to insulate themselves from medical malpractice.

The introduction of blockchain would be an entirely new and cumbersome method of handling health data; it would certainly go through rounds of policy reviews worldwide. Moreover, health professionals would be potentially exposed to thousands of lawsuits, and they might not be receptive to the technology.

This article was co-authored by Joshua Esan and Motolani Victor.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Joshua Esan is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Ibadan,Nigeria. He has worked with various companies and blogs since the blockchain revolution began.

Motolani Victor is an entrepreneur, investor and aspiring physician. He has always been passionate about healthcare and artificial intelligence and is now interested in how blockchain can bring revolution to the digitized world.

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Blockchain will revolutionize healthcare Just not any time soon - Cointelegraph

Jimmy Nguyen to explore benefits of Bitcoin SV at Saxion Blockchain Week – CoinGeek

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On Monday February 1, Saxion Blockchain Week gets underwaya week long online conference for the blockchain sector. At a time when blockchain adoption and understanding continues to develop at pace, the event is a chance for blockchain developers, academics, business and other stakeholders to learn more about the technology and its real-world applications.

Among the topics scheduled for discussion is Blockchain Legal 2.0, Blockchain & Finance, Blockchain & Real Estate and Blockchain & Health, each of which is broken down into numerous individual online meetings, seminars and sessions of interest.

Theres also the Saxion Blockchain Challenge, giving developers a chance to demonstrate their skills, as well as the Blockchain & PhD day for those with an academic interest in the technology. Theres also the Blockchain & Top Talent Day as part of the weekly lineup.

The event culminates in a presentation from Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen, who will address the benefits of Bitcoin SV (BSV) as a protocol for blockchain developers.

His keynote presentation, alongside Saxion Executive Board member Timo Kos, coincides with the launch of the worlds first Massive Open Online Course in Bitcoin SV.

Its an exciting time for us at Bitcoin Association. The launch of the Bitcoin SV MOOC in partnership with Saxion University is our latest education-focused initiative designed to help make learning about Bitcoin easy, accessible and accurate, says Ngueyn.

Developed by Bitcoin Association in partnership with Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the course will run from February 5 to September 1, giving an extensive insight into the workings of Bitcoin SV from a technical and practical perspective.

The course is aimed at students, developers and decision makers, designed to give an introductory overview to Bitcoin. Additional supplementary modules are also available for those who want to explore further, covering a full range of topics, including Bitcoin history, economics, development, and regulatory compliance issues.

The event and course launch are set to be the next milestone in educating the world about the benefits of blockchain and Bitcoin SV.

Register now to attend the virtual Saxion Blockchain Week event.

New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeeksBitcoin for Beginnerssection, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoinas originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamotoand blockchain.

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Jimmy Nguyen to explore benefits of Bitcoin SV at Saxion Blockchain Week - CoinGeek

Forbes Publishes Its Top 50 Blockchain Firms of 2021 – Crypto Briefing

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Key Takeaways

Forbes has published its Blockchain 50 list, outlining some of the most notable blockchain companies in operation today.

The list includes several notable crypto exchanges, such as Binance and Coinbase, alongside derivatives exchanges such as CME Group and the Intercontinental Exchange (via Bakkt).

A number of payments companies are also on the list, including Square (which supports Bitcoin payments and is led by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey), PayPal (which recently added crypto sales) and Visa (which has just announced support for Bitcoin banking).

The list also includes several blockchain friendly banks, including Credit Suisse, which uses Paxos to settle stock trading. It includes HSBC, which uses blockchain for forex trading, and ING Group, which uses blockchain for AML compliance. JPMorgan Chase, with its interbank blockchain Liink, is also on the list.

Investment companies are featured as well. Grayscale and Fidelity Digital Assets, both of which offer institutional Bitcoin investment funds, have both made the list.

The remainder of companies listed largely use blockchain for data management and supply chain purposes. The list includes household names such as IBM, Microsoft, and Walmart.

This publication is Forbes third annual list. 21 new companies were added, while previously high-ranking companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon and Ripple were removed.

All of [those companies] are still active in blockchain but kept lower profiles in the space over the past 12 months, Forbes writer Michael del Castillo noted in the piece.

Newly added companies this year include the crypto investment group the business intelligence firm Microstrategy, which invested $1 billion in Bitcoin last year, and NBA, which has launched a series of blockchain collectibles called Top Shots. Other notable additions include the Digital Currency Group, Oracle, and Boeing.

Though Forbes selection is subjective, all companies on the list have revenue or a valuation of at least $1 billion, meaning that the companies above are notable by any objective measure.

At the time of writing this author held less than $50 of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and altcoins.

The information on or accessed through this website is obtained from independent sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, but Decentral Media, Inc. makes no representation or warranty as to the timeliness, completeness, or accuracy of any information on or accessed through this website. Decentral Media, Inc. is not an investment advisor. We do not give personalized investment advice or other financial advice. The information on this website is subject to change without notice. Some or all of the information on this website may become outdated, or it may be or become incomplete or inaccurate. We may, but are not obligated to, update any outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate information.

You should never make an investment decision on an ICO, IEO, or other investment based on the information on this website, and you should never interpret or otherwise rely on any of the information on this website as investment advice. We strongly recommend that you consult a licensed investment advisor or other qualified financial professional if you are seeking investment advice on an ICO, IEO, or other investment. We do not accept compensation in any form for analyzing or reporting on any ICO, IEO, cryptocurrency, currency, tokenized sales, securities, or commodities.

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Forbes Publishes Its Top 50 Blockchain Firms of 2021 - Crypto Briefing

Government to explore use of blockchain technology for ushering in digital economy – YourStory

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The government will explore the use of blockchain technology proactively for ushering in the digital economy, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said it was announced in the Budget Speech of 2018-19 that the government does not consider crypto-currencies legal tender or coins and will take all measures to eliminate the use of these crypto-assets in financing illegitimate activities or as part of the payment system.

On cash circulation in the country, he said that as per the weekly statistical supplement of the RBI, the Notes in Circulation (NIC) was Rs 17,741.87 billion as of November 4, 2016, and Rs 27,712.43 billion as of January 8, 2021, thereby recording an increase of 56.2 percent in a span of around four years two months.

The growth in NIC depends on various macro-economic factors such as expected growth in GDP, inflation, interest rates, and growth in non-cash modes of payment, the minister added.

Digital payments transactions have been steadily increasing since the last few years post demonetisation.

The total transaction volume increased from 2,071 crore in FY2017-18 to 3,134 crore in FY2018-19, which corresponds to a growth rate of 51 percent, Thakur informed.

During 2019-20, the number of card payment transactions carried out through credit cards and debit cards increased by 23.5 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively, while the value increased by 21.1 percent and 35.6 percent to Rs 7.3 lakh crore and Rs 8 lakh crore, respectively.

Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) recorded a volume growth of 15.7 percent on top of the 33.2 percent a year ago, while transactions value at Rs 2.2 lakh crore increased by little more than 1 percent.

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Government to explore use of blockchain technology for ushering in digital economy - YourStory

HashCash’s Blockchain Solutions to Act as a Game Changer in the Trade Finance Industry – WFMZ Allentown

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PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Global blockchain pioneer HashCash Consultants ventures on to modernize the trade landscape through its efficient solutions and blockchain applications. HashCash, finding repose in the industry of trade finance, aims to reduce fraud and disputes, thereby enabling the transparency of trade asset movement. When implemented globally, HashCash's solutions aim to eliminate the possibilities of terror funding and money laundering associated with the trade finance industry.

With HashCash's solutions, the trade finance industry can look forward to reaping the benefits of successful blockchain applications. Other than that, HashCash's solutions aim towards seamless delivery and payment certainty, thereby facilitating the flow of trade receivables resulting in increased automation, collaboration, and oversight in trade.

In an interactive session with the media, Raj Chowdhury, CEO of HashCash Consultants, commented, "HashCash is looking forward to applying innovative blockchain solutions in the industry of trade finance that aims to ease processes like payment method automation, trade asset tokenization, and payment instrument digitization. My team intends to carry out all transactions from initial trade to the end settlement over the Blockchain platform, thereby making it transparent and traceable throughout."

Using distributed ledger technology and blockchain, HashCash eradicates fraud and helps enhance the overall transparency of the trade finance industry. When it comes to recent applications, recently, HashCash collaborated with a renowned global US-based diamond supply chain company to help them launch its ICO. Other than that, HashCash lately has partnered with major oil corporations to help them with blockchain solutions, thereby aiming for a transparent oil supply chain.

Eliminating paperwork throughout digitization, HashCash aims to ease the sharing and tracking of documents among counterparties. Lately, HashCash collaborated with a USA-based bank to help them in financing their corporate trade, thereby aiming for capturing the complexity of business systems and seamlessly integrating with core processes of banks and ERPs of corporates.

HashCash is a global software company offering solutions in Blockchain, AI, Big Data, and IoT through its platforms, products & services. HashCash Blockchain products enable enterprises to move assets across borders in real-time for Remittances, Trade Finance, Payment Processing, and more. HashCash runs a US-based digital asset exchange, PayBito & Digital asset payment processor, BillBitcoins. HashCash offers white label crypto exchange solutions, Payment processor software, ICO services, and customized Blockchain use case development. It propels advancement in technology through Blockchain1o1 programs and its investment arm, Satoshi Angels. HashCash solves the toughest challenges by executing innovative digital transformation strategies for clients around the world.

Media Contact

JOANNE FOSTER, Commercial Concern, +14158003465, joanne.foster@commercialconcern.com

SOURCE Hashcash Consultants

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HashCash's Blockchain Solutions to Act as a Game Changer in the Trade Finance Industry - WFMZ Allentown

Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters on "Trance Banjo" – Westword

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A sought-after producer, acoustic-music ambassador andvirtuoso banjo player, as well as the host of the Inside the Musician's Brainpodcast, Chris Pandolfi boasts some impressive feathers in his creative cap including a 2018 Grammy with his band the Infamous Stringdustersand the first-ever degree in banjo from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Despite such lofty achievements, Pandolfi, 41, lights up most when talking about Colorado and the state's music scene. On his latest release, Trance Banjo, he shares his evolving musical vision.

Westword caught up with Pandolfi to discuss the new album and his life.

Westword:Are you from the East Coast originally?

Chris Pandolfi:I am. I grew up in New York just north of [New York City]. My whole family is kind of Northeast-centric. I went to college [in New Hampshire], and then I went to grad school in Boston. After that I moved down to Nashville, which is where the Infamous Stringdusters got their start, and after the band got established there, I made my way out to Colorado [in 2013], which has been great. Its a place Ive always loved, and its become such an epicenter for bluegrass and acoustic music in recent years, which has translated into a lot of cool opportunities for me. It checked a lot of the boxes.

So you hold a degree from the Berklee College of Music?I do. I was the first-ever banjo principal at Berklee. Everyone who applies to the college, no matter what track they go down, chooses a principal instrument. It could be voice or guitar or sax or whatever; there are like 25 of them. But when I applied, banjo wasnt an option.

How did that experience go for you?

After I got my undergrad degree from Dartmouth, I was gung ho to become a musician, but I needed some time to hone my game, and I wanted to go to school. This was in 2001. There werent a lot of options for banjo study at the time now thats changed. But through my banjo teacher, Tony Trischka, I got hooked up with the chair of the strings department at Berklee, and I was able to plead my case. So I sent my application, along with an audition tape, and they let me in. When I was there, I mostly took lessons from guitar players. I was learning more what to play than how to play it. I would learn on guitar and then transpose everything to banjo. I was sort of a fish out of water, but I didnt care. I was just kind of absorbing everything that came my way and a lot of great things came out of music school for me, for sure.

So basically, you broke trail for the banjo at Berklee.

Thats right. Bluegrass is a lot cooler now than it was then. I was really into Bla Fleck and stuff like that, but there wasnt really a track for it there. Now they have a thing called the American Roots Music Program, in which students can focus on mandolin, banjo and other stuff. I've been back to do a guest-professor thing.

What did you study at Dartmouth?

My major was environmental studies, but I studied music a lot toward the end of my four years there. My senior thesis was through the music department. I put on this big concert with musicians from all different genres, and I wrote all the music. At that point, even my environmental studies professor was like, Come on, we all know youre going to be a musician. So my final project was all about music. Im still passionate about conservation and the environment, and I'm a big fly fisherman, and Ive used the platform of the Stringdusters to promote some environmental causes that are near and dear to my heart. That's still in there, for sure, but making a career out of music has been hard enough, and it's taken up most of my bandwidth.

Howd you get into playing banjo? I took a backward path. My older brother, who is a big inspiration for me in general, was a musician who played bass, and he was into Bla Fleck and the Flecktones; we went to a bunch of their shows together. And when I discovered the Flecktones, I was like, "This is my thing. It was that experience when youre a music head and you discover something and fall in love with it, and you just want to dive in and share it with everyone.So I got way into it and decided I wanted to get a banjo, but I had never heard of bluegrass.

When did you get your first banjo?

My senior year in high school [1997].

So you started with Bla and worked your way back to Earl?The first few tunes I learned on banjo were so over my head, it wasnt even funny. Bla was my jam initially, so I started out with the most progressive stuff and wound up working my way back to Scruggs.I didn't begin with the fundamentals, but, of course, you learn by being passionate. When I got to Nashville and started to look at forming a band, bluegrass became the common thread between all of us and the bedrock of what we do. It connected me with everyone I met there. But, yeah, Earl isthe gold standard in bluegrass. So much of the instrument is encapsulated in this one guy. You can't play bluegrass banjo and not study him. I started a lot later than a lot of my peers, but when you get a banjo and you want to learn it, all roads point to bluegrass.

Do you enjoy playing the more traditional style of bluegrass banjo?

I love it. And some of the stuff that I play and write could be interpreted as being more on the traditional end of the spectrum. Overall, my mission with the banjo is to compose from the heart and draw in a lot of different idioms and genres, but when it comes to playing, my whole technique, timing, tone and drive...its all derivative of Earl. I try to bring this to my more modern-sounding compositions. With my new album, Trance Banjo, Im doing this using much more modern production techniques as well. But I like it all. I listen to everything from electronic music to Flatt and Scruggs. It all creeps in some way or another.

Can you tell me a bit about the new album?

Yeah. Its my fourth solo album.My first two solo efforts were progressive bluegrass records, where I was in the studio with other players recording bluegrass tunes that I wrote. Stuff with cool melodies and hot solos that format. About seven or eight years ago, I started producing albums for a few artists[including local bands Trout Steak Revival and Meadow Mountain], and in 2015 I brought together a lot of the skills that I was developing in the studio to create an album called Interference. It was a real left turn.

I began experimenting with far-out production techniques and messing with vinyl samples and all kinds of stuff.I was sampling old classical records with big string sections and putting that against beats and some virtual instruments, and I started writing tunes to it, and I was like, This is fuckin sick. So I wanted to see it through, but it was a huge undertaking.

[Trance] is a combination of my banjo playing, my production and writing skills, and all the eclectic sounds that live in my studio, all in one place. I love crafting music in the studio, and I felt like I hit on something modern-sounding by using beats and virtual instruments along with old sounds. I actually started this album about three years ago, but I put it on the shelf because it was too labor-intensive. When quarantine hit, I needed something to do, so I got back into the album and finished it. I drove my girlfriend crazy. She thought I was going to be hanging out at home again, but instead I ended up putting in long days at my studio in Golden.

Starting a song is the easy part that's the fun part. Finishing these songs and building out all the tracks takes a lot of disciplined work. I wanted to make a complete album, not just a few tracks. This release speaks to the power of creating an album. In my mind, albums are where artists can really evolve. They allow you to find a new voice and explore your ideas deeply, which is how new sounds are born. Its a real passion project for me, and people seem to really be digging it. Its got some jams, some melodies and some songs that have no solos at all. Overall, I wanted to create a feeling.

Chris Pandolfi'snew album, Trance Banjo, drops on February 12.

Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.

Nick Hutchinson writes about music for Westword and enjoys playing his guitar when not on deadline.

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Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous Stringdusters on "Trance Banjo" - Westword

Track of the Day: Moya Brennan & Trance Wax – ‘Rivers’ – hotpress.com

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Its pure, classic trance from Garry McCartney, highlighted by Brennan's trademark heavenly voice.

Trance Wax (Belfasts Garry McCartney) has teamed up with the First Lady of Celtic Music - Clannad's Moya Brennan - for their new collaborative dance track 'Rivers'.

Trace Wax was launched as an anonymous series of vinyl-only bootlegs back in 2015 as a way for McCartney to celebrate the formative sounds that he first fell in love with as a Belfast teenager.

Electronic music label Anjunabeats is now welcoming Grammy Award-winning Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, philanthropist Moya Brennan to the British label as a guest.

For his debut album, Trance Wax - the nostalgia infused alias of Ejeca - was able to recruit Moya for another go around the classic trance carousel on the track, 'Rivers'.

Brennans achievements and influence as both a solo artist and a member of her familys legendary band Clannad are monumental. In addition to recording 17 records with Clannad (which included receiving a Grammy, a BAFTA, and an Ivor Novello award), Moyas had an impactful solo career to the tune of 25 albums and sales in excess of 20 million records.

In 2020, Moya was part of the Irish Women in Harmony collective, which recorded a version of "Dreams" in aid of Safe Ireland - a charity that deals with domestic abuse.

This isn't the first time the Irish trad sensation has put her voice onto a dance track. Chicanes 1999 classic 'Saltwater' utilised the otherworldly sound of Moya's vocals to create one of the defining moments in dance music history and a crossover sensation. Incorporating parts of Clannads 1992 hit 'Harrys Game', 'Saltwater' raced up the UK Singles Chart to No. 6.

On 'Rivers', Brennan stretches her genre wings to mark another successful team project.

Garry sent some ideas to us and I listened to them for a couple of days. I couldn't wait to get into the studio because you kind of feel that sense of a canvas and adding the colours," Brennan said of working with Trance Wax.

"The more I keep hearing, the more I sing. I concentrate first of all on the melody and make sure that I've captured the sense and the essence of the chorus. I was thrilled when I sent it to Garry and right away loved it.

"Garry is an amazing musician, and he's really into delving into all sorts of alternative ways of using the different vocals," the musician added. "I sent him a lot of different ideas, the verses, the choruses, the harmonies, and a few other bits. I sent him the lot to see if he could use any of it and he ended up using it all, Brennan says.

Garry McCartney also described his excitement at the prospect of working with such a huge name:

It was an honour to make a song with Celtic legend Moya Brennan. Her magical ethereal tones encapsulate what I was trying to do on the album. The song is about being home and a sense of belonging, I hope you all enjoy.

In 2020, Anjunabeats released a stirring, self-titled LP debut from Trance Wax featuring 14 original compositions. The album is a celebration of communal euphoria and a love-letter to the golden age of trance through the eyes of a modern production star at the top of his game.

Listen to his new single with Moya Brennan, 'Rivers', below:

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Track of the Day: Moya Brennan & Trance Wax - 'Rivers' - hotpress.com

Bringin’ It Backwards: Interview with Topic and ATB American Songwriter – American Songwriter

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Together withAmerican Songwriter, we had the pleasure of interviewing Topic and ATB over Zoom video!

Legendary German producer/DJ/songwriter ATB teams up with Topic and A7S on Your Love (9pm) the first-ever official remake of ATBs breakthrough 1998 hit, 9pm (Till I Come). Working together in a German studio, ATB and Topic flawlessly blended their musical styles to create the track, along with A7S, who finalized the lyrics via video call.

Over the past 20 years, Ive received so many requests for collaborations, remakes and cover versions of my song 9pm (Till I Come) but I passed on them all because I was never really satisfied with the sound of the approach nor the final, explains ATB. Then I listened to Topics Breaking Me together with Rudi (management) and we immediately had the feeling that these two sound worlds could fuse together perfectly.

Fit for the TikTok generation, ATB & Topics reimagined version features A7S soaring vocals and a powerful, full-bodied bassline alongside the distinctive guitar hook and sun-kissed trance energy that made the original a worldwide hit.

9pm (Till I Come) is an absolute dance classic that Ive known and loved since I was little, says Topic. It is therefore a great honor to be the first to reissue this number together with ATB. The typical ATB guitar riff paired with my melancholic dance music sound and the unmistakable voice of A7S results in a perfect symbiosis!

Your Love (9pm) follows on from what has been a career-defining year for German/Croatian producer Topic and Swedish singer/songwriter A7S. Their first collaboration, Breaking Me, became one of the most successful singles of 2020, amassing more than one billion combined global streams. The song hit No. 1 on the Mediabase U.S. dance radio tally, iTunes and the Global Top 200 Shazam chart, earning certifications in 27 countries around the world, including Gold status in the U.S. and Platinum in the U.K. The duo enlisted GRAMMY-nominated U.S. rapper Lil Baby for the follow-up single, Why Do You Lie To Me, which has racked up over 35 million Spotify streams and garnered strong U.K. radio support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, Capital FM and Kiss FM.

ATBs 9pm (Till I Come) topped the U.K.s Official Singles chart in 1999, becoming the first trance song to reach No. 1 in Britain. It entered the top 10 in numerous countries, including Billboards Dance Club Songs chart in the U.S., where it opened the door for electronic dance music on mainstream radio. The songs enduring appeal is highlighted in this clip, which shows Ed Sheeran and Max Martin dancing to 9pm. ATBs subsequent string of hits which included Dont Stop, Ecstasy, Let U Go, What About Us, Move On and When It Ends It Starts Again has consistently earned him a spot in the prestigious DJ Mag Top 100 poll for nearly two decades. He has released 10 studio albums and more than 40 singles, earning Platinum and Gold awards in numerous countries.

While paying homage to an iconic 90s dance track, ATB, Topic and A7S have delivered a thoroughly modern anthem with Your Love (9pm).

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Bringin' It Backwards: Interview with Topic and ATB American Songwriter - American Songwriter

Listen to the Verses of Trance and Progressive EDM with Guido Hermans’ Exquisite Soundscape – Pro News Report

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The musical and rhythmic profanity in producer Guido Hermans soundscape is a streaming scope of blissful electronic dance music and its creative diversities.

Utrecht, Jan 25, 2021 (Issuewire.com)Music producerGuido Hermansis creating a soul-altering scope of contemporary electronic musical definitions with his interpretations of trance, progressive, techno, and chill-out music. The arena of underground EDM music finds an extensive platform to flourish and grow under the creative guidance of the artist. His song Labyrinth Renaissance Part 2 from his latest album, La Bella Vita creates immersive sorcery with the various undulations of rhythmic and tonal dynamics. As a lover of the underground dance scene since the mid-90s, he tried again to bring back the underground old-school sound to life with his new album La Bella Vita.

Although a contemporary artist, the audience finds him going back to EDM classics that render a textured, old-school style. The other song Rivendell Imladris from the same album also carries his prolific personality as it takes the listeners on a journey of musical diversity. The progressive and trance entail of the 90s scene complements in a contemporary arrangement in a way that renders creative and cultural blends. His soundscape bridges the gap between old and new structures although he sometimes likes to deviate towards a direction of strict new-age characteristics in his music.

Some of his songs that define the resurgence of his soundscape include Out Of Memory, At The End Of The Day (99 mix), Pandemic, Fate, Nostalgia, and Renaissance among many others.

Guido Hermans is currently tied up in the making of his upcoming EP which is set to release later in the year. Experience the creative and transcendental resurgence of old-school progressive, trance, techno, and house following his works on Spotify, Beatport, and Soundcloud right away.

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Listen to the Verses of Trance and Progressive EDM with Guido Hermans' Exquisite Soundscape - Pro News Report

Logic1000: You’ve Got the Whole Night to Go EP | Review – Pitchfork

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Logic1000 debuted in 2018 with an undoubtedly excellent self-titled EP, packed with tracks that tip between techno, IDM, and garage. The record put her firmly on the map as a producer to watch, and dance heavyweightsmost notably Four Tetchampioned Logic1000 consistently. But while the EP was a strong introduction to Logic1000 as an artist, she herself has admitted that the production was scattered.

Recently, Logic1000 has been curating her own musical identity through remixes; her work for Lpsley, Christine and the Queens, and Caribou has allowed her to find a throughline in her own sound through the additions of her signature clean garage beats and hook-bolstering harmonies. These act as a strong introduction to her latest EP Youve Got the Whole Night to Go and give a taste of Logic1000 as a producer with a keen ear for melding the underground with pop-worthy hooks. Though just four songs, it shows Logic1000 flexing her stamina and spinning ideas more consistently across the EP.

Central to the feel of Youve Got the Whole Night to Go is a sense of expansiveness throughout, from the wafting trance drones and the vocal samples fed back and forth through a tape machine on Like My Way to the airy, echoing melody and bouncing bassline of Medium that sound as though theyre reverberating around an empty dance floor. This spaciousness unites each track in spite of the EPs varying genre aspirationsI Wont Forget gives lighthearted house; and Medium is eclectic and glitchy, whereas Her ends the EP on a downright dirty, sweaty, techno note. It all grants Logic1000s productions a touch of something bigger that stretches outward and upward, hinting at her ability to reach beyond the underground to break into a wider consciousness.

Youve Got the Whole Night to Go also works as a concept album, tracing the almost forgotten flutters and rushes of a good night out. Like My Way functions as a pregame track, the light trance paired with sharp hi-hats and a cheeky ascending bassline echoing the heady mixture of vague excitement and nerves. The way the muffled melody of I Wont Forget gradually becomes clearer is reminiscent of the sudden clarity of music that hits when the club doors fling open. A strained vocal sample cuts through with I wont forget, but the rest of the sentence is lost in the first muffled voice, as though the remembering is more important than the thing remembered. The immersive hard techno of closing track Her recalls that exact moment halfway through the night when you feel you could continue full-throttle forever. It seems cruel that a release that speaks so potently to the club experience probably wont be played in its proper setting for a while, but for the moment, its a necessary simulation of it.

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Logic1000: You've Got the Whole Night to Go EP | Review - Pitchfork

Shane Codd: "I want to be the biggest DJ to come out of Ireland, and fly the flag" – hotpress.com

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In 2020, Shane Codd emerged as one of the most thrilling new producers in the country, with his lockdown-inspired Get Out My Head which hit No.6 on the UK charts, and has since gone platinum in Ireland. He discusses signing to Polydor, the state of the Irish dance scene, and drawing inspiration from his trance-loving mam.

Rising from a little-known SoundCloud sensation to one of the hotly tipped talents on Polydors roster in just a few months, Shane Codd has defeated the odds finding major mainstream success as a DJ, while clubs and venues around the world are boarded-up, and dancefloors remain a distant memory.

After releasing music independently for three years, his track Get Out My Head began generating serious buzz on SoundCloud over lockdown attracting the interest of several major labels. The single, which went on to be re-released by Polydor in late 2020, has since clocked up over 16.5 million streams on Spotify alone, and reached No.6 on the UK charts.

Im just trying to take it all in everyday, Shane says of the tracks phenomenal streaming success. I couldnt really believe it at first, and now the streams are nearly going up by a million a week on Spotify. Its mad.

While the 23-year-old remains remarkably down-to-earth, its clear that his single has struck a powerful chord with people during these uncertain times.

When I made that song, lockdown had just started, and I wanted all of that stuff out of my head all the stress of it, he explains. A lot of people have messaged me, saying, This has helped me during lockdown or, It makes me think about being back in the clubs dancing, or over in Ibiza. That was the vibe I wanted, and it really sat with a lot of people.

Although he did pop an aul bottle of champagne to celebrate signing to Polydor where he joins some of the biggest artists in the world Shane relates that the label initially had a hard time getting hold of him...

When I got the call, I was over with my family visiting the Cliffs of Moher, he recalls. The label were calling me, but the coverage was really bad over there. So I told them, Lads, Ill have to give you a call back in a few days! I knew nothing about labels! A couple of other labels had rang me as well, like Ministry of Sound. All these unbelievable, huge labels but I didnt know anything about them. I remember Ministry of Sound asked me, What do you know about us?

And I just said, I know theres a big nightclub in London called Ministry of Sound, he laughs. I just didnt know! But Polydor were the ones that really stood out to me, because of the success that theyve had. Even what theyve done so far with my song, and me as an artist, is unbelievable. So Im really excited to keep going with them.

Despite the obvious lack of gigs for DJs currently, Shanes deal with Polydor is indicative of the phenomenal talent emerging across the dance music scene in Ireland which is ready to spill out into the mainstream.

As well as myself getting signed, theres loads of people doing so well in Ireland now, like RobbieG, Welshy, Marty Guilfoyle and Conor Bissett, whos been signed as well, he notes. Its great to see it. Theres a huge scene here, and the labels are starting to notice that now.

In addition to his own streaming success, Shanes also proved to be somewhat of a master playlist curator with his Trance Anthems 90s-00s playlist on Spotify having garnered over 82,500 followers. Although he was too young to hit the clubs during the golden era of trance, his appreciation for the genre began early nonetheless.

I wouldve heard my mam and dad playing it mainly through my mam, because I grew up with her, he explains. She was only 18 when she had me, so she was into that music, because that wouldve been big at the time. I just loved it from when I was one or two years old, right the way up. I still love it now. It was a big influence.

Moving from Dublin to Cavan at the age of 11 was also a pivotal moment in Shanes life

Moving at that age was kind of tough at the start, he admits. Im fluent in Irish, because I went to an all-Irish primary school in Dublin. My mam wanted me to keep up the Irish, but there were no Irish schools in Cavan. So I went to school up in Monaghan which was an hour-and-a-half on the bus everyday. It was horrible, but I used to listen to music to pass the time. I was always influenced by music.

Shane is now poised for ocean-transcending stardom with a remix of a really big artist coming out in February, and his next single likely to be released in March. His ultimate goal, he tells me, is to be as big as I possibly can.

I want to bring out as much good music as I can, and have a bit of a legacy, he continues. I want to play all over the world in Ibiza, and all the big festivals. I want to be the biggest DJ to come out of Ireland, and fly the flag.

Get Out My Head is out now.

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‘WandaVision’ Easter Egg May Reveal Agnes’s True Identity – Inside the Magic

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WandaVision debuted on Disney+ nearly one month ago, and since then, Marvel fans cant stop talking about Marvels newest venture. There are enough hidden details in each episode to fill a textbook, but there is one major detail fans may not know about.

Related: WandaVision Head Writer Speaks out on Fans Impatience for Episodes

Watch out for Agnes. The character Quirky Neighbor, played by actress Kathryn Hahn, is Wanda and Visions mysterious neighbor in Westview. Up until episode four, We Interrupt This Program, no one knew what was going on with her or the entire series, for that matter.

The new episodes real stars were FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) and the sassy astrophysicist Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who was last seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp and Thor: Dark World, respectively. The duo acts as the audiences surrogate as theyre piecing together every detail from WandaVisions debut and connecting the dots.

Did you notice anyone missing from the board of New Jersey citizens identified as characters from Wandas sitcom? Like, maybe, Agnes?

Technically, she was on the board, but no one mentioned her actual identity. Shes the only citizen of Westview without a New Jersey drivers license attached to her page.

While its unconfirmed, fans suggest that the nosy neighbor is none other than Agatha Harkness, one of the original witches from the Salem Witch Trials. According to one Twitter user, theres more than enough evidence from the first episode alone that Agnes isnt your average, friendly neighbor.

Twitter user @steven_becerel points out:

The only way Ralph would remember our anniversary is if there was a beer named June 2nd.

The line was overlooked and quickly forgotten, but theres a tiny detail worth noting. Funny enough, June 2, 1692, is the date U.S. courts first gathered for the Salem Witch Trials. However, whos her husband? We dont yet know.

Related: Does WandaVision Have a Villain? Olsen Hints There May Not Be One!

On top of that, take notice of Agnes brooch, one shes worn throughout each episode. In Now In Color, the character wore it as a necklace and was attempting to censor Herb, Wanda and Visions clumsy neighbor.

Marvel Fans were quick to spot that the brooch shes wearing in WandaVision resembles the one thats drawn onto Agatha Harkness in the Fantastic Four Marvel Comics from 1972. Reddit fans noticed that the pendant looks like the Grim Reaper with two children which is pretty dark on Marvels part. We havent gotten a close enough shot to study her brooch, but if thats the case, it sounds like Agnes is a dark lady.

Whats disturbing is that she hasnt appeared without the pendant and continues to pop-in at pivotal moments.

Related: Kevin Feige Confirms More Avengers Movies to Come

In a WandaVision trailer, the titular Vision was strolling through Westview on Halloween night without a disguise and found himself stopped by his Quirky Neighbor Agnes, who was dressed up like a witch. Bingo, folks.

While the television sitcom is giving a nod to a previous Marvel comic book, Kathryn Hahns character is giving away a huge plot point for Paul Bettanys Vision.

While the television sitcom is giving a nod to a previous Marvel comic book, Kathryn Hahns character is giving away a huge plot point for Paul Bettanys Vision. While its unconfirmed, its reported that the Halloween special will take place in episode six of WandaVision and well hopefully get more context about this scene.

Whats truly chilling is that the witch exclaimed that Vision is dead and cackled. In the trailer, Agnes appeared to be frozen in time or transfixed. As Vision approached her stopped car, he touched the side of her head, and she snapped out of the apparent trance.

Up to this point, Wanda and an adult Monica Rambeau, who functioned as an undercover SWORD agent in Westview, are the only characters aware that Vision died in Avengers: Infinity War. It was a low blow by Rambeau to mention Quicksilvers death by Ultron, but it doesnt seem like shes the only one who knows.

Its unknown if Wanda herself or some otherworldly power is in control of WandaVision, but Agnes seemingly has a part in orchestrating the augmented reality.

While Herb is trimming his hedges, for example, he slices into a brick wall. Im not sure if that blade was made out of Virbranium, but something is going on with the citizens of Westview. Herb then trips over his own words and repeats himself like a broken record when Vision asks whats going on. Herb snaps out of the trance and shrugs it off.

Okay, but whats the big idea? Later in episode three, Agnes suddenly popped up at the Vision residence and was whispering with Herb. Vision asked if everything was all right and Herb nearly spilled the beans until Agnes shut him down.

She then switched the subject to Geraldine an undercover Monica Rambeau from the outside world. It was a pivot, but one that hid what Agnes and Herb were whispering about. Geraldine was then put into question by both Wanda and Agnes.

While its unconfirmed, Agnes knew Geraldines true identity and whereabouts. And, not wanting to spoil the fun, made it appear that Geraldine was a bad apple. Thanks to Wanda, shes wiped from existence, and the case is closed. For now, at least.

In the Fantastic Four and Avengers comics from 1972-1974, Agatha Harkness is somewhat of an anti-hero. While shes not against the Avengers, her history and powers are darker than what some would like to see in a Marvel story.

While its uncertain if the Quirky Neighbor is, in fact, Agatha Harkness and what role she plays in the Disney+ series, Agatha was Wandas mentor in the comics. Quickly forming a strong bond, the two shared their powers for the good of humanity.

Unfortunately, Harkness was killed by New Salem citizens and later appeared as a ghost to Wanda throughout the comics.

Marvel hasnt released any information about Agnes for a reason, but if she is who fans suggest, then theres something scary going on in Westview.

Who do you think Agnes is? Let us know in the comments below!

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‘I Was a Simple Man’ is a Hypnotic Meditation on Colonization, Mortality, and Nature – Daily Utah Chronicle

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Still from I Was a Simple Man. (Photo by Eunsoo Cho | Courtesy Sundance Institute)

Dying isnt simple, is it? asks Grace (Constance Wu) constantly throughout this story. The question sticks to Masao (Steve Iwamoto) as his impending death forces him to confront complicated and haunting scenes of his past, present and future in rural Hawaii. Directed by Hawaiian filmmaker Christopher Makoto Yogi, I Was a Simple Man premiered on Jan. 29, 2021, at the Sundance Film Festival.

Provocative landscape shots of Oahu collaborate with close-up shots of Masaos daily life to induce viewers into a trance. There is little dialogue and even less of a score. Yogi uses both as very intentional tools to guide our near-hallucinogenic experience only as necessary. Instead, what we hear is what Masao hears: wise trees, excited birds, unforgiving rain, angry construction, whispers from the people he disappointed decades ago. What we see is what Masao sees: plants that need watering, pill bottles, plates and beer cans from family picnics, glimpses of a future beyond the United States dominance over the land. This unique sound mixing and cinematography make for a magical meditation.

The plot of I Was a Simple Man flows more like a stream of memories and dreams than a structured narrative in the same way that the rain trickles effortlessly through the leaves and into Masaos home. The film is also very slow, as the entire second act transpires without any single event that can be easily described. This pacing paired with a surrealist feeling can be disorienting at times, but the more I paid attention while watching, the more I saw that this film knows intimately where it is going and what it wants to offer to viewers. The story is as rooted and alive as the sacred Hawaiian trees that Masao and Grace promise to never leave.

I Was a Simple Man manages to communicate a volatile history of colonization with mindfulness and gentleness. We are not given a history lesson nor told to be angry or sad; instead, Yogi asks us to pay attention to how these scenes feel how these questions of human suffering and resilience feel. What is it like to be torn between loyalty to ones homeland and loyalty to ones family, who have been uprooted from the land by violent external influences? What is it like to struggle to forgive, while begging for forgiveness? What is it like to die?

As viewers, we are not allowed to ignore these questions just because they might beuncomfortable. Painfully long shots force us to join Masao in the depths of his isolation even after the scenes seem like they should have ended. Intense and overwhelming sounds of urban development beg us to understand that the land is being carved out by hands who do not love it as we listen, we are aware of this in our own bodies. We feel it the way Masao and generations of real-life Indigenous people feel it. But we also feel Masaos and Graces timeless spiritual tie to the environment; we see that our symbiosis with nature outlasts everything else. I have never been to Hawaii, nor is the disruption of ones native culture something I have personally experienced, yet Constance Wus magnetic depiction of a messenger frozen in time and space still felt like it was meant for me specifically.

What makes I Was a Simple Man remarkable is that it is not just a ghost story or a social commentary or a practice in mindfulness. Its all of these, and simultaneously something more that I have yet to accurately put words to.

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Cyber Agency Checks Itself on Fighting Disinformation Post-2020 – Bloomberg Government

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The federal agency charged with safeguarding Americas elections said it needs to reevaluate its approach to disinformation so that agency leaders dont jeopardize bipartisan congressional support, its acting leader said Wednesday.

Brandon Wales, acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told state election officials that his agency is taking stock of its roles and authorities as the Biden administration seeks to combat disinformation.

We need to look at the the appropriate role that CISA plays when it comes to countering disinformation, how we can focus on the security aspects where we have the broadest authorities, responsibilities, and ultimately expertise, he said during a National Association of Secretaries of State event.

Christopher Krebs, who led the agency throughout the 2020 election cycle and in the weeks after the election, was fired by former President Donald Trump after penning a joint statement with U.S. secretaries of state and other election officials calling the 2020 election the most secure in American history. CISA under Krebs also ran the Rumor Control website that frequently took on false claims about voter fraud or election technology security from Trump and people in his orbit.

Krebs, a Republican and a Trump appointee, faced sharp questioning from Senate Republicans, including Ron Johnson (Wis.) and Rand Paul (Ky.), who both wondered how Krebs could call an election secure given instances of mail or voter fraud.

This agency has long benefited from broad bipartisan support in this country and with our colleagues on the Hill, and I think that future political leadership will not want to jeopardize that, Wales, the top career official at CISA, said.

Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images

A chalk message about Fake News is written on the street at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House on Nov. 5, 2020, in Washington, DC., while the presidential election was still too close to call.

CISAs future role in responding to disinformation, especially around election security, is a top priority for the agency as it moves on from 2020, Wales said.

Thats an area that were looking at now, particularly in the area of the agencys role when it comes to countering disinformation and misinformation in the election context, but more broadly, he said.

Agency staff are working on thought papers on successes and failures from the 2020 election to help future leaders decide how to approach disinformation, Wales said.

The Biden team is eager to engage on disinformation, so Wales expects more updates will be coming about CISAs role in countering disinformation and misinformation, he said.

CISAs primary focus in the cybersecurity realm is its investigation with other federal partners into the supply chain compromise associated with SolarWinds Corp. software, Wales said.

We have no evidence election systems were compromised as part of this campaign, Wales assured the state election officials.

The agency continues its long-standing role in protecting more traditional forms of critical infrastructure, but also soft targets such as religious institutions or shopping areas, from terrorism, both international and domestic, Wales said. The Biden administrations shift to refocus on domestic terrorism in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol doesnt mark a change for CISA, Wales said.

We were doing a lot of this work since the early days of the department, all through the through the Trump administration and we will continue to do so, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shaun Courtney in Washington at scourtney@bgov.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sarah Babbage at sbabbage@bgov.com; Robin Meszoly at rmeszoly@bgov.com

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