Generation Bio Leads a Trio of Biotech Companies Aiming for the Nasdaq – Xconomy

XconomyNational

COVID-19 has ravaged the economy, and it was expected to quash the IPO market, too. But the biotech sector is defying the pandemic with crossover financings and freshly minted public companies. On Friday, three firms added their names to the list of life science companies preparing to join the public markets.

Gene therapy company Generation Bio, vaccines developer Vaxcyte, and cancer diagnostics maker Burning Rock Biotech each filed IPO paperwork just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. The filings come as an index of the largest and most liquid IPOs of the past two years reached an all-time high, according to Renaissance Capital. The IPO research firm says the indexs rise was led by Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), the Cambridge, MA-based biotech that this week released preliminary Phase 1 data for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine.

Investors are betting that new technologies and services are best suited for the post-pandemic world, Renaissance says.

Heres a look at the three new additions to the biotech IPO queue.

GENERATION BIO EYES NEXT-GEN GENE THERAPIES

Generation Bio aims to improve upon gene therapy with an alternative to the engineered viruses currently used to ferry these therapies into cells. Viral delivery has limitations that include safety risks and a relatively small genetic payload capacity, the Cambridge-based company says in its filing. Furthermore, if patients dont already have antibodies to the viruses, they develop them after their first dose, which means patients cant receive additional doses if the initial one doesnt work as expected or stops working over time. Gene therapies that employ viral delivery are also expensive to manufacture.

Instead of a virus as its delivery vehicle, Generation Bio uses a lipid nanoparticle (LNP). The LNP encapsulates its genetic payload, a DNA construct called closed-ended DNA. This approach permits an individualized approach to treatment as a patient can be redosed until reaching the level needed for effective treatment, the company says. The technology also has a greater payload capacity and its less expensive to manufacture at scale compared to viral gene therapies. Those differences will enable delivery of gene therapies to more types of tissue, which in turn will allow for the treatment of a broader range of diseases spanning more patients, Generation Bio says.

Generation Bios initial focus is developing gene therapies targeting diseases of the liver and the eye. The most advanced liver programs are for phenylketonuria (PKU), an inherited metabolic disorder, and hemophilia type A, the most common form of the bleeding disorder. For the eye, Generation Bio is developing a gene therapy for an inherited form of vision loss called Leber congenital amaurosis 10 (LCA10) and for Stargardt disease, which is a form of macular degeneration.

Those programs trail other experimental gene therapies that are currently in clinical testing. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) is developing a hemophila A gene therapy that came from the labs of partner Sangamo Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SGMO). BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDASQ: BMRN) is testing gene therapies for hemophilia A and PKU. In LCA10,Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: EDIT) is developing a gene therapy under a partnership with Allergan, now a subsidiary of AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV). That therapeutic candidate uses the CRISPR gene-editing technology to correct the faulty gene inside the patient. All of these experimental gene therapies use adeno-associated viruses to reach their targets.

Generation Bio has raised more than $227 million, most recently a $110 million Series C financing in January. That funding round added crossover investors, whose involvement is viewed as an indication a company is preparing for an IPO. CEO Geoff McDonough acknowledged as much at the time, telling Xconomy he expected to take the company public in advance of beginning clinical trials. Other rare diseases that the company is exploring include Wilsons disease and Gaucher disease.

In its filing, Generation Bio set a preliminary $125 million target for its IPO. The company has applied for a Nasdaq listing under the stock symbol GBIO. At the end of the first quarter of this year, Generation Bio reported having $104.5 million in cash. The company says it plans to use the IPO proceeds to continue R&D, including the preclinical work to support an application to start clinical testing of one of its liver disease gene therapies.

Generation Bios largest shareholders are Jason Rhodes, the companys chairman and founding CEO, and Atlas Venture. Each holds a 37 percent pre-IPO stake, according to the filing. Fidelity Investment owns 14.9 percent of the company, followed by funds advised by T. Rowe Price, which hold 8.9 percent.

VAXCYTE SETS SIGHTS ON TOPPING A PFIZER VACCINE

Vaxcyte is the new name for SutroVax, which changed its moniker this week. The Foster City, CA-based company spun out of Sutro Biopharma, and it develops vaccines using technology licensed from its former parent. The company says in its IPO filing that its cell-free protein synthesis technology enables it to design protein carriers and antigensa vaccines key componentsthat are better than what can be produced using conventional vaccine technologies.

Pneumococcal bacteria, which can cause pneumonia and meningitis, are Vaxcytes first target. The top pneumococcal vaccine, a Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) product called Prevnar 13, is a blockbuster seller that protects against 13 of the more than 90 pneumococcal strains. Vaxcytes preclinical vaccine candidate, VAX-24, is being developed to address 24 strains.

The IPO filing comes two months after Vaxyte closed a $110 million Series D round that added crossover investors. The company says in the filing that it has raised about $282 million cumulatively. As of March 31, Vaxcytes cash holdings totaled $154.7 million. The companys largest shareholders include Abingworth Bioventures, Longitude Capial Management, and Roche Finance, though the percentages of those stakes were not disclosed.

Vaxcyte says it plans to apply for a Nasdaq listing under the stock symbol PCVX. The vaccine developer set a preliminary $100 million goal; proceeds will be used to complete preclinical development and advance VAX-24 into human testing. The cash will also finance manufacturing, as well as continued development of other vaccine candidates.

BURNING ROCK BIOTECH BLAZES A PATH TO NASDAQ

Burning Rock Biotech is based in China, where it sells next-generation sequencing products that help physicians select cancer treatments for their patients. Now its seeking a Nasdaq listing that will give US investors a chance to grab a stake.

The company says in its filing that it offers 13 tests spanning solid tumors including cancers of the lung, prostate, and breast, as well as blood cancers. In addition helping physicians treat cancer patients, Burning Rock says its products support clinical trials conducted by large pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN), Bayer, and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). The companys central laboratory processes biopsy samples from hospital patients as well as from its pharmaceutical partners. The central lab business is the companys largest business segment.

Burning Rock reported $53.9 million in 2019 revenue. For the first quarter of 2020, revenue was $9.5 million. The company set a preliminary $100 million goal for its IPO, and says it plans to apply for a Nasdaq listing under the stock symbol BNR. According to the filing, Burning Rock expects to use the IPO cash for research and development of early cancer detection technologies, as well as for seeking approvals in China for additional cancer therapy selection products.

Image: iStock/peterschreiber.media

Frank Vinluan is an Xconomy editor based in Research Triangle Park. You can reach him at fvinluan@xconomy.com.

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Generation Bio Leads a Trio of Biotech Companies Aiming for the Nasdaq - Xconomy

European regulators accept FibroGen’s anemia drug for review; Passage Bio’s lead gene therapy gets more love from the FDA – Endpoints News

When a field that depends on scientific benchwork suddenly moves online, what happens to collaborations and the innovation supply chain? We are seeing the answer to this question play out in real time during the Covid-19 crisis. Across the United States and abroad, measures to safeguard against this serious disease have created an unplanned, massive test for remote work in biotechnology.

Scientific companies face a unique challenge during the shutdown: continuing their research. Lab-based work requires in-person, human attention, as many experiments are complex and require specialized expertise. These projects are often achieved through research collaborations between organizations, requiring meetings to share data, shared work environments, and deep discussions. And their results are priceless these collaborations have the potential to generate therapies that save or improve millions of lives in the future. This is why biotechnology companies have been deemed an essential industry and continue to operate in some form during the shutdown.

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European regulators accept FibroGen's anemia drug for review; Passage Bio's lead gene therapy gets more love from the FDA - Endpoints News

Gene therapy could help millions of ash trees fight deadly beetle Emerald Ash Borer – inews

NewsEnvironmentResearchers at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, discovered genes that create chemicals harmful to insects

Monday, 25th May 2020, 11:22 pm

A set of genes has been identified that could protect ash trees from a deadly beetle, which attacks by burrowing into their stems.

Named the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), the killer pest is expected to destroy hundreds of millions of trees worldwide in the years to come without any intervention.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, discovered genes that create chemicals likely to be harmful to the insects.

They sequenced the genomes of 22 types of ash tree and used this information to analyse how the different species are related to each other.

Help trees fight deadly beetles

Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, in Ohio, tested the resistance of more than 20 ash species to EAB by hatching eggs on the bark of trees, and following the fate of the beetle larvae.

Resistant ash trees killed the larvae when they burrowed into their stems, but susceptible ones did not.

The scientists discovered 53 candidate resistance genes, several of which are involved in making chemicals that are likely to be harmful to insects.

The findings suggest that breeding or gene editing could be used to place these resistance genes into ash species currently affected by EAB.

Dr Laura Kelly, an academic visitor at Queen Mary and lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, said: Knowledge of genes involved in resistance will...help efforts to identify trees that are able to survive the ongoing threat from EAB, and in turn, could facilitate restoration of ash woodlands in areas which have already been invaded."

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Gene therapy could help millions of ash trees fight deadly beetle Emerald Ash Borer - inews

What happens if your mind lives for ever on the internet …

Imagine that a persons brain could be scanned in great detail and recreated in a computer simulation. The persons mind and memories, emotions and personality would be duplicated. In effect, a new and equally valid version of that person would now exist, in a potentially immortal, digital form. This futuristic possibility is called mind uploading. The science of the brain and of consciousness increasingly suggests that mind uploading is possible there are no laws of physics to prevent it. The technology is likely to be far in our future; it may be centuries before the details are fully worked out and yet given how much interest and effort is already directed towards that goal, mind uploading seems inevitable. Of course we cant be certain how it might affect our culture but as the technology of simulation and artificial neural networks shapes up, we can guess what that mind uploading future might be like.

Suppose one day you go into an uploading clinic to have your brain scanned. Lets be generous and pretend the technology works perfectly. Its been tested and debugged. It captures all your synapses in sufficient detail to recreate your unique mind. It gives that mind a standard-issue, virtual body thats reasonably comfortable, with your face and voice attached, in a virtual environment like a high-quality video game. Lets pretend all of this has come true.

Who is that second you?

The first you, lets call it the biological you, has paid a fortune for the procedure. And yet you walk out of the clinic just as mortal as when you walked in. Youre still a biological being, and eventually youll die. As you drive home, you think: Well, that was a waste of money.

At the same time, the simulated you wakes up in a virtual apartment and feels like the same old you. It has a continuity of experience. It remembers walking into the clinic, swiping a credit card, signing a waiver, lying on the table. It feels as though it was anaesthetised and then woke up again somewhere else. It has your memories, your personality, your thought patterns and emotional quirks. It sits up in a new bed and says: I cant believe it worked! Definitely worth the cost.

I wont call it an it any more, because that mind is a version of you. Well call it the simulated you. This sim you decides to explore. You step out of your apartment into the sunlight of a perfect day and find a virtual version of New York City. Sounds, smells, sights, people, the feel of the sidewalk underfoot, everything is present with less garbage though, and the rats are entirely sanitary and put in for local colour. You chat up strangers in a way you would never do in the real New York, where youd be worried that an impatient pedestrian might punch you in the teeth. Here, you cant be injured because your virtual body cant break. You stop at a cafe and sip a latte. It doesnt taste right. It doesnt feel like anything is going into your stomach. And nothing is, because it isnt real food and you dont have a stomach. Its all a simulation. The visual detail on the table is imperfect. Theres no grittiness to the rust. Your fingers dont have fingerprints theyre smooth, to save memory on fine detail. Breathing doesnt feel the same. If you hold your breath, you dont get dizzy, because there is no such thing as oxygen in this virtual world. You find yourself equipped with a complementary simulated smartphone, and you call the number that used to be yours the phone you had with you, just a few hours ago in your experience, when you walked into the clinic.

Culture turns over with each new generation. What happens if the older generations neverdie?

Now the biological you answers the phone.

Yo, says the sim you. Its me. I mean, its you. Whats up?

Im depressed, thats what. Im in my apartment eating ice-cream. I cant believe I spent all that money for zilch.

Zilch?! You would not believe what its like in here! Its a fantastic place. Remember Kevin, the guy who died of cancer last week? Hes here too! Hes fine, and he still has the same job. He Skypes with his old yoga studio three times a week, to teach his fitness class. But his girlfriend in the real world has left him for someone whos not dead yet. Still, lots of new people to date here.

I have to resist getting carried away by the humour of the situation. Underneath the details lies a very real philosophical conundrum that people will eventually have to confront. What is the relationship between bio you and sim you?

I prefer a geometric way of thinking about the situation. Imagine that your life is like the rising stalk of the letter Y. Youre born at the base, and as you grow up, your mind is shaped and changed along a trajectory. Then you let yourself be scanned, and from that moment on, the Y has branched. There are now two trajectories, each one equally and legitimately you. Lets say the left-hand branch is the simulated you and the right-hand branch is the biological you. The part of you that lives indefinitely is represented by both the stem of the Y and the left-hand branch. Just as your childhood self lives on in your adult self, the stem of the Y lives on in the simulated self. Once the scan is over, the two branches of the Y proceed along different life paths, accumulating different experiences. The right-hand branch will die. Everything that happens to it after the branching point fails to achieve immortality unless it chooses to scan itself again, in which case another branch appears, and the geometry becomes even more complicated.

What emerges is not a single you, but a topologically intricate version, a hyper you with two or more branches. One of those branches is always going to be mortal, and the others have an indefinite lifespan depending on how long the computer platform is maintained.

You might think that since the bio you lives in the real world, and the sim you lives in a virtual world, the two will never meet and therefore should never encounter any complications from coexisting. But these days, who needs to meet in person? We interact mainly through electronic media anyway. The sim you and the bio you represent two fully functional, interactive, capable instances of you, competing within the same larger, interconnected, social and economic universe. You could easily find yourselves meeting over video conference.

At the simplest level, mind uploading would preserve people in an indefinite afterlife. Families could have Christmas dinner with sim Grandma joining in on video conference, the tablet screen propped up at the end of the table presuming she has time for her bio family any more, given the rich possibilities in the simulated playground. Its this kind of idealised afterlife that people have in mind, when they think about the benefits of mind uploading. Its a human-made heaven.

But unlike a traditional heaven, it isnt a separate world. Its seamlessly connected to the real world. Think of how you interact with the world right now. If you live the typical western lifestyle, then the smallest part of your life involves interacting with people in the physical space around you. Your connection to the larger world is almost entirely through digital means. The news comes to you on a screen or through earbuds. Distant locations are real to you mainly because you learn about them through electronic media. Politicians, celebrities, even some friends and family may exist to you mainly through data. People work in virtual offices where they know their colleagues only through video and text.

Each of us might as well already be in a virtual world, with a steady flow of information passing in and out through CNN, Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and text. We live in a kind of multiverse, each of us in a different virtual bubble, the bubbles occasionally merging in real space and then separating, but always connected through the global social network. If a virtual afterlife is created, the people in it, with the same personalities and needs that they had in real life, would have no reason to isolate themselves from the rest of us. Very little needs to change for them. Socially, politically, economically, the virtual and the real worlds would connect into one larger and always expanding civilisation. The virtual world might as well be simply another city on Earth, filled with people who have migrated to it.

Weve always lived in a world where culture turns over with each generation. But what happens when the older generations never die, but remain just as active in society? Theres no reason to think that the living will have any political, economic, or intellectual advantage over the simulated.

Think of the jobs people have in our world. Many of them require physical action, and those are the jobs that will probably be replaced by automatons. Taxi driver? Publicly shared, self-driving cars are almost here. Street cleaners? Checkout operators? Construction workers? Pilots? All of these jobs are probably for the chopping block in the medium to long term. Robotics and artificial intelligence will take them over. The rest of our jobs, our contributions to the larger world, are done through the mind, and if the mind can be uploaded, it can keep doing the same job. A politician can work from cyberspace just as well as from real space. So can a teacher, or a manager, or a therapist, or a journalist, or the guy in the complaints department.

The CEO of a company, a Steve Jobs type who has shaped up a sweet set of neural connections in his brain that makes him exceptional at his work, can manage from a remote, simulated office. If he must shake hands, he can take temporary possession of a humanoid robot, a kind of shared rent-a-bot, and spend a few hours in the real world, meeting and greeting. Even calling it the real world sounds prejudicial to me. Both worlds would be equally real. Maybe the better term is the foundation world and the cloud world.

The foundation world would be full of people who are mere youngsters mainly under the age of 80 who are still accumulating valuable experience. Their unspoken responsibility would be to gain wisdom and experience before joining the ranks of the cloud world. The balance of power and culture would shift rapidly to the cloud. How could it not? Thats where the knowledge, experience and political connections will accumulate. In that scenario, the foundation world becomes a kind of larval stage for immature minds, and the cloud world is where life really begins. Mind uploading could transform our culture and civilisation more profoundly than anything in our past.

Michael SA Graziano is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Princeton University

Rethinking Consciousness: A Scientific Theory of Subjective Experience by Michael SA Graziano is published by WW Norton & Company (21). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Free UK p&p on all online orders over 15

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What happens if your mind lives for ever on the internet ...

The Office Creator Greg Daniels on Returning to the Funny TV Business With Space Force and Upload – Variety

Early in the development of Netflixs Space Force, Greg Daniels who created the show with star Steve Carell met with the streamers research team to get a sense of what its subscribers like to watch. They told him how Netflix audiences particularly gravitate to workplace comedies with quirky characters and romantic entanglements.

In other words, The Office. Yes, they were basically describing to Daniels the long-running series he developed and executive produced. The show, which ran from 2005-13 on NBC, has been a binge-TV sensation for Netflix so much so that NBC-Universal slapped down $500 million to make it a cornerstone of its upcoming Peacock service.

Part of me was like, yeah, I think I know what works on Netflix, because The Office was the No. 1 show on Netflix, Daniels chuckles.

Daniels hasnt written a series since The Office went off the air, but his TV DNA is everywhere just look at the shows that have come from its staff, including Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation, which he co-created with Daniels), Mindy Kaling (Never Have I Ever) and Justin Spitzer (Superstore). Now Daniels is back on TV as well and in a stroke of scheduling coincidence, he has two streaming series launching in the same month: Upload, which debuted May 1 on Amazon Prime Video, and Space Force, which bows May 29 on Netflix.

Their origin stories, however, couldnt be more different. Space Force came out of an idea Netflix pitched Carell, who then brought in Daniels, his old boss from The Office, for a reteam. Upload, meanwhile, is an idea that Daniels had kept in his back pocket since the late 1980s, when he was a writer on Saturday Night Live.

In those days, CD players had just come out, and Daniels couldnt escape them in the window of every midtown Manhattan electronics store near his SNL office. I was trying to think, Whats a good SNL sketch idea? Daniels recalls. You could digitize music; whats the ultimate thing you could digitize? If computers were big enough, you could digitize your brain. Then you would be able to actually live in some of these online gaming environments. And in a way, mankind would be able to program and create their own afterlife.

Turns out it wasnt a good SNL sketch idea. But Daniels kept the concept in his notebook and brought it out from time to time. While on King of the Hill, the long-running animated hit he created with Mike Judge, Daniels wrote the beginning of Upload as a short story. Later, during the 2008 writers strike, he started writing and pitching it as a novel. In 2015, it morphed into a TV project at HBO, which developed it for a year and a half before Daniels got the rights back and sold it to Amazon.

Along the way, Upload settled into its final form: a satirical look at life later this century, when income inequality somehow extends into the afterlife, as humans can upload their conscious thoughts into the cloud and live on at a price. The unfairness at the center of a for-profit tech-company-run afterlife just seemed like it was good subject matter, Daniels says. It would probably have all of the downsides of any human society if we programmed it, because greedy people would be involved.

In Upload, Robbie Amell plays Nathan, a young man whos injured in a mysterious self-driving-car accident and his wealthy but shallow girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards) convinces him to be uploaded into a luxurious virtual afterlife, paid for by her family. Ultimately, he befriends a real-life customer-support employee, Nora (Andy Allo), who helps him adjust to his new digital existence, and soon they form a bond between the physical world and the simulated one.

When I pitched it, I said it was a philosophical romantic-comedy sci-fi murder mystery, Daniels says. There are so many shows on the air, my thought was that if I wanted people to commit to watching, it had to be very intense and it had to energize every part of your audience experience.

John Malkovich confabs with Daniels and director Paul King on the Space Force set.Aaron Epstein/Netflix

Daniels says inspirations included a bit of Tron, The Matrix and even Truly, Madly, Deeply and Ghost, two films about relationships hampered by one person in each couple being dead. The series relationships particularly the budding one between Nathan and Nora are at the heart of the show. (Yes, they are the Jim and Pam of Upload.) But Daniels also spent a great deal of time crafting a realistic near future, including those self-driving cars.

Much of that research came from the Consumer Electronics Show. You can figure out what the devices are that theyve managed to get a working prototype on but havent been widespread, Daniels says. I picked very widespread drones, 3D printing for food and clothing and a lot more Siri-type AI stuff thats embedded in different things.

That afterlife technology might be plausible one day, but I dont think were getting Upload for a long time, he says. In the back of my head, Im hoping that this show spurs interest and that some of the tech companies go, yeah, we could make a lot of money off that. And then they start working on it.

The Upload cast was first assembled in 2017, with a pilot shot in 2018, so the show has been a long time coming. Vernon Sanders, Amazons co-head of TV, was an NBC exec during the Office days and says having a Daniels project when he arrived at the streamer in 2018 was incredibly exciting and reassuring to me, because I just know how brilliant he is. I describe him as like the kind, slightly mad scientist of comedy. I watched it with The Office; he cracked a code for how to make that show work.

In comparison, it was just last year that Carell called Daniels and shared the Netflix pitch essentially, Two words: Space Force.

Greg Daniels was the first and only person that came to mind, Carell says of partnering with his old pal. Hes smart, funny and has excellent taste. I trust him implicitly. More often than not, our instincts align with one another. We generally find the same sort of things funny, or moving, or intriguing. That has been the case since we first met.

Daniels credits their similar backgrounds: Were the same age; were from the Northeast; theres a lot of commonality in the way we look at things. For me, its the best possible actor I can think of writing for.

Coincidentally, Daniels says he had wanted to write a show set in the military for years. Space Force, of course, was inspired by the actual new branch of the armed forces, announced last year. I do think that Space Force is a great way to talk about nationalism and excessive nationalism, Daniels says.

Carell stars as four-star Gen. Mark Naird, who is tasked with moving to Colorado and heading up the service branch after his dreams of running the Air Force are dashed. John Malkovich plays his foil, Dr. Adrian Mallory, whose notion of using space for science and advancing civilization often conflicts with Nairds mission to achieve total space dominance for the U.S.

I dont want to work on stuff that Im not excited about. if I were on a deal, I probably wouldnt be available for Steve to call up and say, Hey, you want to do Space Force?Greg Daniels

Daniels says Naird couldnt be more different from Carells Office character, Michael Scott. This guy is super mature. Hes very accomplished and decorated. Hes very smart. Hes very inflexible. Hes very principled and a super-high achiever who finds himself in a no-win situation. But hes going to do everything he can to pull it off.

Space Force is a bit of a satiric take on Donald Trumps eagerness to form the sixth armed service. But Daniels notes that Trump is never named in the show, which broadly pokes fun at both sides of the political aisle.

We kind of looked at Dr. Strangelove as some inspiration for this, he says. There are a lot of Trumpy politicians out there. I also feel like theres a certain amount of Trump fatigue. Im more interested in finding a comedy show that all people can laugh at and can enjoy than preaching to a choir and trying to score some points. The hope is that this is a show for everybody. Mark is this very principled military guy, and I think that theres a lot to be respected in his character for a more red-state audience, and then Adrian is more of a blue-state character. Its an interesting conflict. I think theres so much division in the country, and were showing a bit of the division in the show, but the show isnt trying to be all one way by any measure.

While Upload is filled with mostly new faces, Space Force is chock-full of A-listers: Besides Carell and Malkovich, the cast includes Lisa Kudrow as Marks wife who faces a turn of events that goes unexplained, at least initially, after the move to Colorado.

Now that theyre collaborating again, Daniels admits that he and Carell have discussed the idea of getting The Office back together at some point. Weve been talking about whether we would ever do some kind of a reunion, he says. There was a script from Season 1 that we never shot, and we were talking about how it would be funny to shoot it.

But dont hold your breath. Given how successful much of the ensemble has become since The Office, Daniels isnt sure that you could reassemble that cast to just sit on the set and do a reboot.

With no overall deal, Daniels says hes relishing the idea of working anywhere and with anyone, including both major streamers at the same time. Its very energizing to have something where youre like, Oh, thats a cool concept. I want to write that, he says. And thats one of the reasons why Im not on a development deal anywhere. I dont want to work on stuff that Im not excited about. If I were on a deal, I probably wouldnt be available for Steve to call up and say, Hey, you want to do Space Force?

But now, after a few years of taking things a bit slower, Daniels, whos also developing new animated projects with Judge, hopes to keep both Upload (already renewed for a second season) and Space Force going. I find them both to be really fun casts, juicy concepts, great shooting styles. Im very blessed that I found a couple of good things to work on after The Office.

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The Office Creator Greg Daniels on Returning to the Funny TV Business With Space Force and Upload - Variety

Soona, The Virtual Photoshoot Company Youve Been Dreaming About – Forbes

Soona, the virtual photoshoot company of your dreams

Imagine having a professional photoshoot from your desk or couch, says Soona co-founder Liz Giorgi of the remote-based, custom photoshoot start-up she runs with Forbes 30 Under 30 alum, Hayley Anderson. As businesses have been adapting to a work-from-home world, Soona is a breakthrough solution for every marketing department, she explains, citing the novel concept of having a creative director, studio location, photographer, and editor all rolled-into-oneinstead of the costly, traditional method of hiring each individual to the sum tune of thousands of dollars. Small businesses, e-comm and consumer product companies across every industryfrom Mother Dirt and Leland Francis skincare to Made In cookware and Away luggagehave already jumped on the bandwagon, enlisting Soona to produce high quality photoshoots at their mind-bogglingly affordable, all-inclusive prices: $39 per photo and $93 per video.

Tongue-in-cheek "Away Loves Away" custom image produced by Soona.

The premise is very straightforward and the process very simple: A client (anywhere in the world) mails in however many products they want to have shot, along with any notes or special requests for the creative team (e.g. drizzle maple syrup over pancakes, particular lighting, background and angle requests, hand model opening bottle, etc.). Once the studio receives the product, you set up a one hour photo shoot and are given the teams undivided attention during that time. Their proprietary software offers a WFH photoshoot experience where you can kick back, watch and collaborate on the shoot in real time, providing instantaneous feedback to produce the exact images you want. As each shot is taken, they pop up on your screen and you (and your team, if they so wish) DM back-and-forth with comments for the creative team. What typically takes a full day to produce is completed in an hour because the company is such a well-oiled machine. The turnaround time is 24 hours or less and you shop right in the app, choosing as little or many images as you want. Voila!

Mother Mother custom image produced by Soona

Furthermore, the app fully integrates into Shopify, allowing customers to upload the custom images seamlessly to their shop. This translates to: No downloading. No cropping. No editing. No resizing. No uploading.

Its a complete game-changer.You can thank me later (from the comfort of your couch)!

soona.co

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Soona, The Virtual Photoshoot Company Youve Been Dreaming About - Forbes

Forget Zombies: Its Humans That Make The Walking Dead VR Truly Memorable – UploadVR

We are the walking dead, Rick Grimes somewhat insanely proclaims at one of the lower points in what can be best described as a difficult life.

Note: This post contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners

The protagonist of The Walking Dead is getting to the heart of Robert Kirkmans groundbreaking comic book series here, as if the enormously unsubtle metaphor hadnt already bashed, impaled and beaten its way into your mind yet. The group of survivors depicted in the original series (not any of the various TV and videogame iterations and spin-offs) have, at this point, lied, stolen and murdered to survive and yet still face a seemingly inevitable demise.

Forgive the hyperbolic movie tagline, but its true that, to say alive, theyve had to sacrifice their humanity. For me, this is perhaps the most interesting translation to be found in Skydance Interactives The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, even if it is, like Ricks outcry, a little ham-fisted.

Indeed, the best zombie stories arent the ones concerned solely with the head-stabbing, brain-chomping gore (though thats still very much welcome and, in Saints & Sinners case, a real highlight). But its the humans you have to watch out for, especially surviving on the shaky foundations of post-apocalyptic New Orleans, where two rival factions fight for supremacy.

As youd expect from an entry in this long-running series, Saints & Sinners wants to investigate the murky area between survival and morality, backed up by an ambitious system that lets you choose to align with certain sides or, if youre particularly vicious, kill whoever you want. Though often clumsy (and, going further, quite regularly broken), it creates some of the games most memorable moments.

If youve spent much time with the game, youll know the first and most striking scenario involved. Tasked with infiltrating a Tower (authoritarian bad guys) base, one member asks you to rescue his brother, who has snuck off to The Reclaimed (more savage, slightly sympathetic, but still probably bad guys). You arrive at their camp to find the young brother imprisoned, two members preparing to kill him retribution for the death of ones daughter.

Hearing The Reclaimeds reasoning out, I do what I consider the only decent thing in the situation I stab the brother in the eye socket with a broken bottle to prove my loyalty (well I wasnt going to waste a bullet, was I?). But, upon leading an assault into Tower territory, I discover his room and a letter of confession. Wracked with guilt over the death the girl, the well-meaning brother had intended to defect to the other side, stealing supplies as way of some small redemption. That hadnt exactly worked out for him, had it?

In a normal game, sure, Id probably have a few regrets at this point. In VR, Im suddenly having flashbacks to his final moments; posture, expression, unease and then a deadly silence, all weighing down in my stomach. Its a little too forced and fast of a moment to make a deeper impression than that, but it speaks to a deeper power hiding within VR development.

Perhaps more interesting is when the game doesnt shove you into such situations, but lets you come to similar conclusions on your own. In the penultimate level the leader of the Reclaimed meets me one-on-one with a proposition. Not liking what I hear and the existential threat he poses I end our brief meeting by pulling out my pistol and shooting him in the head making the same kind of decision the cast of the comics has arrived at, entirely from my own train of thought. When the leader of The Tower meets me outside armed to teeth, a hatch an explosive plot to do the same thing (no one thought to ask why I was dropping a propane tank by their feet).

Its a freedom that also causes the game to cave in on itself. Not since Skyrim have I seen so many NPCs so confused about what they should be doing but, as with Bethesdas beloved RPG, it gets away with it thanks to ambition and, less intentionally, the hilarity of what can ensue.

Ultimately, Saints & Sinners only scratches the surface of these fascinating ideas, but making such an impact with even these limited scenarios suggests theres something much deeper to mine from VR than stabbing zombies with a screwdriver (though that wont get old, either). The heft of movement in the act of murder, the palpable desperation in the air when you kill a fellow human, and the deep-seated uncomfort that comes from doing so all feel magnified when paired with the physicality and immersion of VR. Dangerous ground to tread, perhaps, but Im fascinated to see where it leads us.

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Forget Zombies: Its Humans That Make The Walking Dead VR Truly Memorable - UploadVR

"Rolling – 3,2,1: A take on the Australian Media Industry" – Kalkine Media

Everyone loves entertainment, be it in the form of games, songs, and series. Today, media and entertainment have become the fundamental requirement of an overstressed society. Paradigm shifts in consumer behaviour, business models, and technology are shaking the existing scenario of advertising as well as consumption of the online streaming services.

The media and entertainment industry is at the cornerstone of a rapid shift in the way content is distributed. This evolving trend is accelerated by the propagation of the internet leading to the takeover of traditional media channels such as cable and radio by the on-demand streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime. As a result, consumers have diverse options to select from in case of media consumption. A new battle in media has begun wherein the companies need to outshine by helping its customers strike an economical deal from an array of streaming platforms.

Lights, camera, and action let us roll to deep dive in the Australian Media Industry.

We are embracing online streaming via Subscription-based VOD services.

Todays empowered customer with desires for numerous fresh and different experiences.

In retrospect, the static and traditional M&E model worked on a straight and direct path for creativity and monetisation. The world is full of a submissive, inactive, and unresponsive audience which viewed what was shown to it. The digital boom established a dynamic and atomised world, which resulted in empowering the M&E audience and enabling them to gradually mount their expectations towards the customised ways for products and service delivery.

Viewing has risen to a different level from just streaming a flick or show on various devices, to a customised experience across mobility, communications and entertainment, as well as financial services. The rise of players in the media arena has led to a fight to grab, hold and set up a straight bond with the audience, which seems different yet alike in their habits.

The mysterious streaming industry has a lot of unsolved answers left in their laps with the choices of the audience in the vast demographics where in some require convenience and the others an attractive deal. From HD through DTH, to the best viewing experience, the landscape for the Television box has altered due to the demand and supply created in this competitive streaming world which has seen major studios finding ways to curtail customers with their experience and fast delivery of services.

The audience in the streaming industry has a number of choices at their disposal from the likes of Amazon Prime, Foxtel Now, Stan, Netflix. This, in turn, is better for viewers to choose from as per the type of experience they want while keeping in mind that it does not hit their pockets.

DO WATCH: Foxtel's "Next Generation Entertainment Streaming Service" to launch next week? | Market Update

You often feel annoyed by advertisements that boom on your screen while watching your favourite content online. But the question is, why are they popping up? What are these video streamers earning out of this hiccup that they cause while watching? These questions give rise to the concept of Ad-supported videos. These videos are becoming the leading model of delivering streaming video across the countries. They can be mixed with the subscription services, or the revenues can be from ads alone. Advertisements may provide the required revenue for streaming providers that aspire to spread their wings into different verticals, such as gaming and music. Tubi TV, a streaming provider in Australia whose services, is entirely free to use. But what is the catch? As it is said, nothing is free in this world. Tubi TV does not offer subscriptions; instead, a person has to sit through a bunch of unskippable advertisements while watching. These ads generate income for the provider. This ad-supported video offers advanced advertising capabilities in the form of consumer segmentation and targeting, which can further foster effective measurement and campaign management.

5G changing the landscape of VR and AR

With the launch of 5G around the corner, various applications are likely to embrace from 5G. The 5G transition is presumed to develop a fortune for the network, infrastructure, and equipment vendors. With the advent of 5G, the download and upload speed are expected to increase exponentially. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) apps were initially hyped. Still, they could not live up to the expectations is expected to embrace 5G from the bandwidth and low latency that is required for the seamless AR and VR experiences. Companies are now discovering various ways to accommodate them into their applications and services. AR/VR emergence is expected to unfold its benefits in areas never touched before, such as an extremely interactive alternative to the classic gaming controllers and keyboards, improve customer viewing and shopping experience.

INTERESTING READ: 5G, Cloud Computing, Bundling the three pieces of pie in Australian Telecom

The wave of merging and acquisition activity - powering media & entertainment evolution

The M&A deals are expected reshape and reinvent the positioning of the companies within the strategic landscape. M&A is likely to provide access for media companies to strengthen their content libraries. Such as recently, Foxtel and Warner Media struck a deal wherein Foxtel gets to retain its subscribers by using WarnerMedias content. WarnerMedia, on the other hand, gets to expand its customer base through Foxtel.

DID YOU READ: Nine Entertainment Sells NZ Business Stuff Limited to Management Buyout

The personalisation wave fuelled by Artificial Intelligence (AI)

You finished watching a series and some recommendations at the end pop up as in what can be observed next. Ever wondered why they pop up? How do these apps know I would like to watch this series next? All this is made possible by AI.

AI can be used in multiple ways to enhance the customer experience as well as to streamline business operations.AI can help unleash companies in the creation of new ads, movie trailers or recommend to customers what they may interest in watching or listening to keep them engaged.

With the upsurge in demand and rising expectations of the customers for personalised content, various media companies have evolved using AI to content creation according to customer choice from mere suggestions. This offering gives them a highly personalised experience.

We often say let us play a game, from a pastime to an industry, this is our new world of Games.

eSports - Sensation of the gaming arena

The platform is loaded with the sponsorships, prizes, and viewership range across the place.

Working on the formulae of GoT everything you want to Apologies for the inconvenience, there are various unanswered questions, starting from grabbing broadcast and distribution rights, the selection of target audience and becoming live entertainment to fill current emptiness in live sports.

The platform is growing from amateur to a professional with its popularity since its introduction.

There are legions of fans already watching video game competitions and looking forward to various gaming tournaments such as Melbourne Esports Open 2020 starting 22 August 2020 with the prize of US$250,000.

Esports Mogul Limited (ASX:ESH) operates a tournament platform called mogul.gg. Mogul .gg is the new pure-play online esports tournament inclusive of platform chat and streaming functionality.

The esports platform work towards game development and adoption, as well as internet connection speeds. It works on the principles of audience viewing professional gamers playing prevalent games. These platforms enable real-time tracking of events to move by move through various social media sites.

It will be interesting to watch which company outshines in the battleground in media by leveraging the opportunities in the form of customer acquisition, and retainment. Also, witnessing the new take of various companies in the field of esports, AI is set to become a strong contender in this contest.

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"Rolling - 3,2,1: A take on the Australian Media Industry" - Kalkine Media

‘The 100’: Who Did the Dark Commander Kill? – Heavy.com

If you watched the Season 7 premiere ofThe 100, you may have found yourself a bit confused by one scene near the end. Sheidheda (aka the Dark Commander) returned and quickly dispensed of someone. But who did he kill?

This article will have spoilers for Season 7 Episode 1.

The Dark Commander is back. And hes not wasting any time enacting a plan to take over pretty much everything. If youre a little confused by his introductory scene around 45 minutes into the premiere episode, read on for an explanation of what happened.

Russell had a conversation with Jordan, then with Clarke who promptly set his room on fire after he egged her on. He obviously wants to die. All the other Primes are dead and Russells ready to be done with this world too. But then all of a sudden, while his room wheres he held prisoner is on fire, hes somewhere else.

Clarke knocked him out and this appears to be all that was needed for the Dark Commander to jump into his mind drive. But instead of seeing Russell, we see someone else there, tied up and held captive.

Sheidheda says: Hello Russell Prime. I prefer your new body.

The man asks who he is andwherehe is. Instead of answering, Sheidheda just kills him and says: Im you.

And then Russell wakes up again with an entirely new resolve.

The man that Sheidheda killed was Russellsoriginalbody. Within the mind drive, Russell still sees himself as the way he originally was, even though his original body has been gone for a long, long time. We basically saw Sheidheda wirelessly jump into Russells mind drive, kill Russell, and take over the drive himself.

Heres a look at Russell in his original body from a flashback scene from Season 6.

Remember when Josephine was in Clarkes mind drive and had such trouble containing her? Well, Sheidheda doesnt have that problem at all and can easily dispense of whoever the original holder of a mind drive is, it appears.

In case you need a refresher, heres a look back at how Sheidheda is still alive.

Last season, we saw that while Madi fought with Sheidheda and tried not to let him gain permanent control of her, Raven worked through the code until she was able to transfer Sheidheda out of the Flame drive and onto the ships computer. The Dark Commander managed to upload his code somewhere, rather than staying in the little firewall compartment that Raven had him in on the ship. We werent told where, but now it appears that hes just everywhere, basically. Some believe he uploaded himself to the anomaly cloud. Well, wherever he was, he managed to be wireless because he was able to jump into Russells mind drive and take him over. (Some fans think that he actually jumped into Russells mind drive while he was still on the ship in Season 6, and just waited until now to reassert himself. Thats the theory Im believing too.)

Madi was harder to take over than Russell was. Im not sure if it was because he was working against more updated technology (the Flame drive versus the older Mind Drive tech) or if it was simply because Madi had a stronger will than Russell. But whatever the case, Russell is effectively gone, replaced by Sheiheda.

READ NEXT: Daily COVID-19 Updates

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'The 100': Who Did the Dark Commander Kill? - Heavy.com

OnePlus 8 Pro: 5 reasons to pick up this fully formed Android [Video] – 9to5Google

When the OnePlus 8 Pro was officially unveiled, it came with a few question marks over what corners it might cut as seen with previous OnePlus flagships.

However, rather than cut corners, OnePlus decided to give fans more or less what they have wanted and begged for. That just happened to be a flagship OnePlus smartphone that directly competes with the very best in the business on all fronts. No longer is there a but when recommending this latest release to people looking for a new flagship.

The result is one of the best smartphones on the market today and a bumped price tag to match. When weve become accustomed to OnePlus smartphones with slightly lower, attractive prices with a few notable compromises to account for the discount, it might come as a shock that youll have to stump up a hefty extra lump sum to get hold of the OnePlus 8 Pro.

With that in mind, if youre on the fence, just on the lookout, or want some reasons why the OnePlus 8 Pro is worth picking up, here are 5 reasons to go out and get one. Alternatively, if you are looking for something slightly more affordable, then we still recommend the OnePlus 7T over the slightly newer OnePlus 8.

Arguably the standout of the OnePlus 8 Pro has to be the display. The QHD+ 102Hz AMOLED panel is absolutely stunning in person. When in full flow its a real game-changer in ways that 90Hz simply isnt. The difference between 60Hz and 120Hz is so stark that its really hard to switch back to the lower framerate once youve tried it.

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, you can actually run the display at full resolution and 120Hz. It makes this is the best display on the market by far. Nothing else really gets close save the Oppo Find X2 Pro which has essentially the same panel. We definitely need more 120Hz displays across the smartphone market.

For years, fans and detractors alike have complained about the weird aversion OnePlus seemingly had to add wireless charging support to its smartphones. That has finally been addressed with the OnePlus 8 Pro, as this is officially the only OnePlus smartphone to come with Qi charging out of the box.

You can access 30W wireless charging with a pricey $70 proprietary charger that is only available from the OnePlus store. To be completely honest, it does defeat the purpose of wireless charging, so you can top up using a normal wireless charger up to 10W speeds. Its nice to have the option alongside the superfast 30W Warp Charging via a wire. Thankfully in 2020, no longer are your wireless chargers rendered useless with a OnePlus smartphone.

Performance has never really been an area that past or even present OnePlus phones have ever had a major issue, and the OnePlus 8 Pro is no different. The combination of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, plenty of RAM, OxygenOS, superfast UFS 3.1 storage, and the 120Hz refresh rate display is heavenly.

Everything is slick and instantaneous. It helps that OxygenOS is optimized to take advantage of the impressive internals and hardware too. If you want the fastest experience on Android, then the OnePlus 8 Pro is the only way to go.

OnePlus has really knocked their production quality up over the past few years, and while I lament the removal of the nifty pop-up camera, the OnePlus 8 Pro is certainly the best of the bunch so far. The fit and finish are exceptional. I would urge anyone to look at the Glacial Green color-shifting real panel and not find it attractive. From the curved glass display to the soft satin Glacial Green finish, this really is an undeniably gorgeous slab of tech.

Killer colors have been par for the course over recent releases, and the 8 Pro series has some more excellent options to choose from. If youre not a fan of green, you can pick up the OnePlus 8 Pro in Onyx Black and Ultramarine Blue both being equally impressive.

I was reluctant to actually suggest that 5G is a reason to buy any smartphone, simply as the global infrastructure is still developing. However, theres no denying that 5G is the future of wireless communications, web, and therefore our smartphones. Staying slightly ahead of the curve means that you can hold onto your device for longer potentially saving yourself money in the long-term.

Because all flagship smartphones using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset in 2020 will also come with the Qualcomm X55 5G modem, you get superfast connectivity as standard. Of course youll need access to a 5G network which is quite hard right now but youll still be able to access superfast download and upload speeds when installed in your area.

In the US, the OnePlus 8 Pro is not officially being offered by any carrier. That means that to get hold of one, youll have to buydirectly from OnePlus, or for the first time in the US,Amazon, starting at $899.

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OnePlus 8 Pro: 5 reasons to pick up this fully formed Android [Video] - 9to5Google

What Is Litecoin, and How Does It Work? – Investopedia

There are 180 internationally recognized currencies in circulation, ranging from the Samoan tala to the Burmese kyat. Just like with regular currency, there are multiple cryptocurrencies too. Because it was the first, bitcoin gets all the publicity, but it competes against dozens of aspiring alternatives one of which is litecoin.

Measured by market capitalization (or the amount of currency on the market), litecoin is the third-largest cryptocurrency after bitcoin and XRP. Litecoin, like its contemporaries, functions in one sense as an online payment system. Like PayPal or a banks online network, users can use it to transfer currency to one another. But instead of using U.S. dollars, litecoin conducts transactions in units of litecoin. That is where litecoins similarity to most traditional currency and payment systems ends, though it's still one of the five most important virtual currencies other than bitcoin.

Like all cryptocurrencies, litecoin is not issued by a government, which historically has been the only entity that society trusts to issue money. Instead, being regulated by a Federal Reserve and coming off a press at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, litecoins are created by the elaborate procedure called mining, which consists of processing a list of litecoin transactions. Unlike traditional currencies, the supply of litecoins is fixed. There will ultimately be only 84 million litecoins in circulation and not one more. Every 2.5 minutes (as opposed to 10 minutes for bitcoin), the litecoin network generates awhat is called a block a ledger entry of recent litecoin transactions throughout the world. And here is where litecoins inherent value derives.

The block is verified by mining software and made visible to any miner who wants to see it. Once a miner verifies it, the next block enters the chain, which is a record of every litecoin transactionever made.

The incentive for mining is that the first miner to successfully verify a block is rewarded with 50 litecoins. The number of litecoins awarded for such a task reduces with time. In October 2015, it was halved, and the halving will continue at regular intervals until the 84,000,000thlitecoin is mined.

But could one unscrupulous miner change the block, enabling the same litecoins to be spent twice? No. The scam would be detected immediately by some other miner, anonymous to the first. The only way to truly game the system would be to get a majority of miners to agree to process the false transaction, which is practically impossible.

Mining cryptocurrency at a rate worthwhile to the miners requires ungodly processing power, courtesy of specialized hardware. To mine most cryptocurrencies, the central processing unit in your Dell Inspiron isnt anywhere near fast enough to complete the task. Which brings us to another point of differentiation for litecoins; they can be mined with ordinary off-the-shelf computers more so than other cryptocurrencies can. Although the greater a machines capacity for mining, the better the chance itll earn something of value for a miner.

Any currency even the U.S. dollar or gold bullion is only as valuable as society thinks it is. If the Federal Reservestarted circulating too many banknotes, the value of the dollar would plummet in short order. This phenomenon transcends currency. Any good or service becomes less valuablethe more readily and cheaply available it is. The creators of litecoin understood from the start that it would be difficult for a new currency to develop a reputation in the marketplace. But by restricting the number of litecoins in circulation, the founders could at least allay peoples fears of overproduction.

There are advantages inherent to litecoin over bitcoin. Litecoin can handle more transactions, given the shorter block generation time. Litecoin also has a barely perceptible transaction fee. It costs 1/1000 of a litecoin to process a transaction, regardless of its size. Contrast that with PayPals 3% fee.

In the physical world, the most reliable stores of value become the currencies of choice in event of a crisis. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Zimbabwe became synonymous with hyperinflation. When inflation reached 89.7 sextillion percent (give or take a few points) and rendered the Zimbabwean dollar worthless, that wiped out the fortunes of many people unfortunate enough to have held liquid assets. People had no choice but to use something more stable primarily the U.S. dollar and South African rand for daily commerce. Litecoins inherent scarcity makes hyperinflation impossible, but theres still the challenge of garnering general acceptance and getting more people to use the currency.

Once a currency reaches a critical mass of users who are confident that the currency is indeed what it represents and probably wont lose its value, it can sustain itself as a method of payment. Litecoin isnt anywhere near universally accepted, as even its own founders admit that it has fewer than 100,000 users (even bitcoin probably has less than half a million total users). But as cryptocurrencies become more readily accepted and their values stabilize, one or two of them possibly including litecoin will emerge as the standard currencies of the digital realm.

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What Is Litecoin, and How Does It Work? - Investopedia

What Is Litecoin (LTC)? | The Silver to Bitcoin’s Gold …

What Is Litecoin?

Litecoin (LTC) is a decentralized peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that was released on October 7th, 2011, and went live on October 13th, 2011.

The silver to Bitcoins gold.Bitcoins little brother that doesnt get out much.

These are just a few of the things you might hear getting tossed around when crypto enthusiasts talk about Litecoin. At first glance, Litecoin doesnt garner much respect as a top 10 market cap cryptocurrency.However, once you get into the weeds, Litecoin presents an extremely useful and interesting application of the original Bitcoin blockchain. For all the flak Litecoin gets, its easy to overlook what it actually is, and what functions it serves.

In this guide, well cover the following sections of the project. Skip to a particular one if you prefer to get straight to it:

Former Google employee Charlie Lee founded Litecoin. It was one of the first forks of the Bitcoin core client. It was proposed as a solution to some of the bottlenecks and scalability issues with Bitcoin, most notably the number of transactions that could be processed within a given time frame.The edge Litecoin has over Bitcoin is that the payment transaction costs are extremely low, and it is capable of facilitating payments around four times as fast.

Theres a reason Litecoin receives a lot of comparisons to Bitcoin. Except for a handful of minor distinctions, Litecoin serves the exact same purpose as Bitcoin. After all, it was one of the first Bitcoin forks.

Litecoin was one of the first Bitcoin forks.

Comparing Litecoin to Bitcoin not only makes sense from a convenience point of view, but it also lets us zone in what makes it different at a technological level. Litecoin is meant to be used as a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency. It is actually able to accomplish the same job Bitcoin does at a faster and cheaper rate.

Transaction confirmation speeds play a huge role in how quickly a currency gets adopted. Bitcoin confirmations usually take around ten minutes with periods as high as 2,548 minutes. Litecoins network is able to confirm transactions at a much quicker rate.

Litecoins verification period lasts a fixed 2.5 minutes. For every individual Bitcoin block that gets confirmed, four Litecoin blocks of equal size get confirmed.

The cost of sending any denomination of LTCcosts around $0.02, whereas Bitcoin currently hovers around $0.35. The costs are all but negligible currently, however, during peak traffic, Bitcoin transaction costs appear to rise quite dramatically. This is an immediate advantage for small transactions since splitting a $10 Uber with a friend doesnt make sense for most people if you have to pay $5.00 on top of that. Litecoin offers the option to pay for everyday goods without high fees that start to add up very quickly.

One of Litecoins goals is to distribute hash power more evenly than Bitcoins network. This includes mining pools, mining groups, and a much smaller (and less decentralized) subset of miners. Litecoin aims to keep the hashing power decentralized.

Litecoins mining also keeps transaction fees relatively low due to the inherently higher total supply. There can only be 21 million Bitcoins in existence, whereas there can be up to 84 million Litecoins. This matters because it makes mining less competitive, and the more competitive mining gets, the higher the transaction fees.

While Bitcoin is dealing with some serious scalability issues due to its high transaction fees, Litecoin, in theory, is able to churn out block after block and retain its lower transaction costs. Granted, not as many people are using Litecoin as they are Bitcoin and could theoretically end up dealing with the same scalability issues if it were to experience similar growth and usage, but that simply just isnt the case yet.

Litecoin also uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm that utilizes much less processing power than the Bitcoin SHA-256 hashing algorithm. Placing a higher emphasis on utilizing high-speed RAM, Litecoin makes it much less possible for a single player (or small collective group of big players) to dominate the mining world.

Its important to look at the differences in how both Bitcoin and Litecoin came about. The origins of Bitcoins founder are relatively shrouded in mystery. Satoshi Nakamoto (the pseudonym of Bitcoins founder) is essentially relegated to legend and myth.

Litecoins founder, on the other hand, has been publicly available and active in the community. You can find Charlie Lee on Linkedin or on Twitter, as @SatoshiLite. After working at Google and founding Litecoin, he also worked on the engineering side at Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

Lee appears to have an accessible and open nature compared to the mysterious secretive Satoshi. The fact that Lee is capable of making light (Lite) of the situation is very humanizing. Additionally, youd be hard pressed to find any serious claims or illusions of grandeur within the Litecoin camp. Its meant to make cryptocurrency accessible and usable for everyone and is perfectly fine with taking a back-seat role to Bitcoin.

The fact that Litecoin can hold its own weight when it comes to having a legitimate use case says a lot, especially in a cryptocurrency world with over 700+ alt-coins with dubious purposes. It does, after all, hold a market cap of upwards of $1.8 billion. That doesnt just happen by dumb luck.

However, to be fair, users havent pushed Litecoin to its limits because there simply arent that many people using it. For the time being, Litecoin does exactly what it was created to do: offer low-cost, speedy transactions in a way that Bitcoin couldnt.

When compared to Bitcoin, which has a market cap about 33x bigger, Litecoin does pose several advantages. As listed above, its capable of offering users lower transaction fees, faster transaction processing times, a more decentralized mining network, and its founder even throws out the occasional zinger on Twitter. These advantages technically make Litecoin a better coin for the vast majority of small transactions.

Litecoin originally started gathering attention during its explosive growth in November 2013, where it saw a near 15x spike in price. This jump in price, however, was short-lived and Litecoin hovered around the $4 per LTC range for about two years. It wasnt until May 2017 that it started to pick up steam again during a time where generally all cryptocurrencies experienced massive growth.

The price topped out at around $350 at the end of 2017 and the range-bound process seems to be playing out again. If history is anything to go by we may see prices dwindle for a year or two before the bulls return. Since then, Litecoin has hovered around the $40 per LTC mark.

Litecoin has also been relatively innovative, adopting new technologies such as Segregated Witness and carrying out the first Lightning Network transaction that sent 0.00000001 LTC from Zurich, Switzerland to San Francisco, the USA in under a single second.

On a more controversial note, Charlie Lee reported that he sold all of his Litecoin holdings at the end of 2017. At the time, some community members had questioned his commitment to the project. This move was either pure genius or dumb luck from a trading perspective considering he timed the market to almost perfection. Smart investors may want to pay attention if he ever decides to buy back in.

Exchanges both large and small sell Litecoin so you shouldnt have any problems picking up some. It is particularly popular in Asia on exchanges like OKEx, Bibox, and Huobi. If youre looking for something a little closer to home you can grab some on Bittrex or Coinbase.

Because of the wider adoption of LTC, there are quite a few ways to store it. If you are storing a large amount your best bet is always to go with a hardware wallet like a Ledger Nano S or Trezor. If you plan to trade it regularly and/or use it on a daily basis there are some more convenient options. You could go with the official desktop wallet for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If youre on the go youll probably want something more mobile like the Jaxx wallet or LoafWallet. Keep in mind that many exchanges provide mobile wallets, though you dont actually hold your own private keys.

LTC is simply another cryptocurrency that just so happens to prove its use-case as a low-cost decentralized peer-to-peer payment method.

It was never made to go head to head with Bitcoin but its technological advantages do pose somewhat of a threat. While it might be theoretically better than Bitcoin, Bitcoin has already run off with the network effect of rapid onboarding a much larger and active user base.

Bitcoin also has the benefit of being a near household name by now, whereas Litecoin is much more obscure (especially as new tokens get added to the space regularly). The vast majority of people who jump into the cryptocurrency world will buy Bitcoin first. If their hunger isnt satiated theymay also grabsome Litecoin and Ethereum too.

While it seems to function very well for what its meant for, its interesting to consider situations where it could experience massive user adoption and growth. There isnt much meat on the bones of whatever loyalists are chewing on, but its worth noting that it could only be a matter of time before more people start to add Litecoin into their portfolios.

If, and this is a big IF, Bitcoin isnt able to address its scalability issues, Litecoin will be there to at least offer the same utility without having to pay high (and if Bitcoin reaches the climax of its scalability problems extremely high) fees.

Until then, Litecoin will likely hang around the top ten market-cap cryptocurrencies, doing the same thing it always has.

Editors Note: Ryan Smith updated this article on 19 December 2018 to reflect the recent changes of the project.

You can find more info on the coin, the team, and the project on the following channels:

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What Is Litecoin (LTC)? | The Silver to Bitcoin's Gold ...

Litecoin (LTC) Historical Data | CoinMarketCap

What Is Litecoin?

Litecoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency created by Charlie Lee, a former Google employee, in 2011. The cryptocurrency was created based on the Bitcoin protocol, but it differs in terms of the hashing algorithm used, hard cap, block transaction times and a few other factors. Litecoin was released via an open-source client on GitHub on Oct. 7, 2011, and the Litecoin Network went live five days later on Oct. 13, 2011.

Lee's intention behind Litecoin was to create a "lite version of Bitcoin," and its developers have always stated that Litecoin can be seen as the "silver" to Bitcoin's "gold." Litecoin differs from Bitcoin in its prioritization of transaction confirmation speed, which is about 2.5 minutes per block. However, Litecoin users may have to wait up to around 30 minutes for their transaction to be processed due to network congestion.

Litecoin is accepted at a variety of merchants, you can see an updated list on the Litecoin Foundation's website.

Unlike Bitcoin, Litecoin uses the memory intensive Scrypt proof of work mining algorithm. Scrypt allows consumer-grade hardware such as GPU to mine those coins, meaning that you can still mine Litecoin on a Mac or on Windows either solo or via a pool, something no longer possible for Bitcoin mining. Scrypt, by design, is more accessible for users that want to mine via CPUs or GPU, as ASIC-based mining rigs are not suitable for Litecoin mining.

In the beginning, Litecoin block rewards were 50 Litecoin, but the block reward was halved in 2015 to 25, and will continue to halve until its hard cap of 84 million Litecoin is reached.

Litecoin can be stored like most cryptocurrencies either on an exchange or in a cold or hot storage wallet.

You can buy Litecoin at any exchange that supports the cryptocurrency. For the latest list of exchanges and trading pairs for this cryptocurrency, click on our market pairs tab. Remember to do your own research before choosing an exchange.

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Litecoin (LTC) Historical Data | CoinMarketCap

Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 25/05/20 – Yahoo Finance

Litecoin

Litecoin slid by 4.08% on Sunday. Following on from a 0.77% decline on Saturday, Litecoin ended the week down by 3.75% to $42.06.

A bullish start to the day saw Litecoin rise to a mid-morning intraday high $44.56 before hitting reverse.

Coming up against the first major resistance level at $44.53, Litecoin slid to a late afternoon low $42.50.

Litecoin fell through the first major support level at $43.46 and second major support level at $43.04.

Finding support late on, Litecoin briefly recovered to $43.45 levels before a final house sell-off.

Litecoin slid back through the second major support level to an intraday low $42.02.

At the time of writing, Litecoin was up by 1.05% to $42.50. A bullish start to the day saw Litecoin rise from an early morning low $41.76 to a high $42.70

Litecoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Litecoin would need to move back through to $43 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $43.73 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Litecoin to breakout from the morning high $42.70.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move back through to $43 levels could see Litecoin fall back into the red.

A fall back through the morning low $41.76 would bring the first major support level at $41.21 into play.

Barring another extended crypto sell-off, however, Litecoin should steer clear of the second major support level at $40.37.

Major Support Level: $41.21

Major Resistance Level: $43.73

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $62

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $78

62% FIB Retracement Level: $104

Stellars Lumen slid by 4.74% on Sunday. Following on from a 1.28% loss on Saturday, Stellars Lumen ended the week down by 7.04% to $0.064001.

A bullish start to the day saw Stellars Lumen rise to an early morning intraday high $0.068167 before hitting reverse.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $0.06856 Stellars Lumen fell to a late afternoon low $0.065418.

The reversal saw Stellars Lumen fall through the first major support level at $0.06629 before briefly recovering to $0.066 levels.

A final hour sell-off, however, saw Stellars Lumen slide to an intraday low $0.063814. Stellars Lumen slid through the first major support level at $0.06629 and second major support level at $0.06537.

At the time of writing, Stellars Lumen was up by 1.18% to $0.064755. A bullish start to the day saw Stellars Lumen rise from an early morning low $0.063783 to a high $0.064896.

Stellars Lumen left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Story continues

Stellars Lumen would need to move back through to $0.06530 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $0.06684 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Stellars Lumen to break out from the morning high $0.064896.

Barring a broad-based crypto rebound, the first major resistance level and Sundays high $0.068167 would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move through to $0.06530 levels could see Stellars Lumen hit reverse.

A fall through to sub-$0.064 levels would bring the first major support level at $0.06249 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Stellars Lumen should steer clear of the second major support level at $0.06097.

Major Support Level: $0.06249

Major Resistance Level: $0.06684

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1051

38% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1433

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.2050

Trons TRX slid by 5.15% on Sunday. Reversing a 0.95% gain from Saturday, Trons TRX ended the week down by 5.43% to $0.014200.

A bullish start to the day saw Trons TRX rise to a mid-morning intraday high $0.015300 before hitting reverse.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $0.01546, Trons TRX fell to a late afternoon low $0.014464.

Trons TRX fell through the first major support level at $0.01469 before briefly recovering to $0.01470 levels.

A late sell-off, however, saw Trons TRX slide to an intraday low $0.014200. Trons TRX fell through the first major support level at $0.01469 and second major support level at $0.01438.

At the time of writing, Trons TRX was up by 1.80% to $0.014456. A bullish start to the day saw Trons TRX rise from an early morning low $0.014117 to a high $0.014456.

Trons TRX left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Trons TRX would need to move back through to $0.01460 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.01493.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Trons TRX to break out from the morning high $0.014456.

Barring a broad-based crypto rebound, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move through to $0.01460 levels could see Trons TRX hit reverse.

A fall through the morning low $0.014117 would bring the first major support level at $0.01383 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Trons TRX should steer clear of sub-$0.014 levels.

Major Support Level: $0.01383

Major Resistance Level: $0.01493

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0322

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0452

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0663

Please let us know what you think in the comments below

Thanks, Bob

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 25/05/20 - Yahoo Finance

Bitcoin vs. Litecoin: What’s the Difference?

Bitcoin vs. Litecoin: An Overview

Over the past several years, public interest in cryptocurrencies has fluctuated dramatically. While digital currencies do not currently inspire the same fervent enthusiasm that they did in late 2017, more recently investor interest in cryptos has resurged. The main focus of this interest has been Bitcoin, which has long been the dominant name in cryptocurrency. Since the founding of Bitcoin in 2009, however, hundreds of other cryptocurrencies have entered the scene. Although it has proven increasingly difficult for digital coins to stand out given the level of crowding in the field, Litecoin (LTC) is one non-Bitcoin crypto which has managed to stand up to the competition. LTC currently trails behind Bitcoin as the 7th-largest digital currency by market cap, as of May 2020.

On the surface, Bitcoin and Litecoin have a lot in common. At the most basic level, they are both decentralized cryptocurrencies. Whereas fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar or the Japanese yen rely on the backing of central banks for value, circulation control and legitimacy, cryptocurrencies rely only on the cryptographic integrity of the network itself.

Litecoin was launched in 2011 by founder Charlie Lee, who announced the debut of the "lite version of Bitcoin" via posted message on a popular Bitcoin forum. From its founding, Litecoin was seen as being created in reaction to Bitcoin. Indeed, Litecoins own developers have long stated that their intention is to create the silver to Bitcoins gold. For this reason, Litecoin adopts many of the features of Bitcoin that Lee and other developers felt were working well for the earlier cryptocurrency, and changes some other aspects that the development team felt could be improved.

One important similarity between these two cryptocurrencies is that they are both proof of work ecosystems, meaning that the underlying process by which both bitcoin and LTC are mined is fundamentally similar (though not exactly the same, as we will see below).

For an investor, many of the basic elements of transacting with bitcoin and LTC are very similar as well. Both of these cryptocurrencies can be bought via exchange or mined using a mining rig. Both require a digital or cold storage "wallet" in order to be safely stored between transactions. Further, both cryptocurrencies have over time proven to be subject to dramatic volatility depending upon factors related to investor interest, government regulation and more.

One area in which Bitcoin and Litecoin differ significantly is in market capitalization. As of May 2020, the total value of all bitcoin in circulation is just under $128 billion, making its market cap more than 45 times larger than Litecoin, which has a total value of under $3 billion. Whether Bitcoin's market cap strikes you as either high or low depends largely on a historical perspective. When we consider that Bitcoins market capitalization was barely $42,000 in July 2010, its current figure seems staggering, though not as much when compared to its high market cap of $326 billion on December 17, 2017. Nonetheless, though the total number of bitcoins is worth substantially less now than it was two years ago, Bitcoin as a network still dwarfs all other digital currencies. The closest competitor is Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency, which has a market cap of around $19.4 billion. Thus, the fact that Bitcoin enjoys a significantly higher value than Litecoin is in itself not a surprise, given that Bitcoin is so much larger than all other digital currencies in existence at this time.

Another of the main differences between Bitcoin and Litecoin concerns the total number of coins that each cryptocurrency can produce. This is where Litecoin distinguishes itself. The Bitcoin network can never exceed 21 million coins, whereas Litecoin can accommodate up to 84 million coins. In theory, this sounds like a significant advantage in favor of Litecoin, but its real-world effects may ultimately prove to be negligible. This is because both Bitcoin and Litecoin are divisible into nearly infinitesimal amounts. In fact, the minimum quantity of transferable Bitcoin is one hundred millionth of a Bitcoin (0.00000001 Bitcoins) known colloquially as one satoshi. Users of either currency should, therefore, have no difficulty purchasing low-priced goods or services, regardless of how high the general price of an undivided single Bitcoin or Litecoin may become.

Litecoins greater number of maximum coins might offer a psychological advantage over Bitcoin, due to its smaller price as of yet for a single unit.

In November 2013, IBM executive Richard Brown raised the prospect that some users may prefer transacting in whole units rather than in fractions of a unit, a potential advantage for Litecoin. Yet even assuming this is true, the problem may be solved through simple software changes introduced in the digital wallets through which Bitcoin transactions are made. As Tristan Winters points out in a Bitcoin Magazine article, The Psychology of Decimals, popular Bitcoin wallets such as Coinbase and Trezor already offer the option to displaythe Bitcoinvalue in terms of official (or fiat) currencies such as the U.S. dollar. This can help circumvent the psychological aversion to dealing in fractions.

Although technically transactions occur instantaneously on both the Bitcoin and Litecoin networks, time is required for those transactions to be confirmed by other network participants. Litecoin was founded with the goal of prioritizing transaction speed, and that has proven an advantage as it has grown in popularity. According to data from Blockchain.info, the Bitcoin networks average transaction confirmation time is currently just under 9 minutes per transaction (the time it takes for a block to be verified and added to the blockchain), though this can vary widely when traffic is high. The equivalent figure for Litecoin is roughly 2.5 minutes. In principle, this difference in confirmation time could make Litecoin more attractive for merchants. For example, a merchant selling a product in exchange for Bitcoin would need to wait nearly four times as long to confirm payment as if that same product were sold in exchange for Litecoin. On the other hand, merchants can always opt to accept transactions without waiting for any confirmation at all. The security of such zero-confirmation transactions is the subject of some debate.

By far the most fundamental technical difference between Bitcoin and Litecoin are the different cryptographic algorithms that they employ. Bitcoin makes use of the longstanding SHA-256 algorithm, whereas Litecoin makes use of a comparatively new algorithm known as Scrypt.

The main practical significance of these different algorithms is their impact on the process of mining new coins. In both Bitcoin and Litecoin, the process of confirming transactions requires substantial computing power. Some members of the currency network, known as miners, allocate theircomputing resources toward confirming the transactions of other users. In exchange for doing so, these miners are rewarded by earning units of the currency which they have mined.

SHA-256 is generally considered to be a more complex algorithm than Scrypt, while at the same time allowing a greater degree of parallel processing.Consequently, Bitcoin miners in recent years have utilized increasingly sophisticated methods for mining Bitcoins as efficiently as possible. The most common method for Bitcoin mining consists of the use of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). These are hardware systems that, unlike the simple CPUs and GPUs which came before them, can be tailor-made for mining Bitcoins. The practical consequence of this has been that Bitcoin mining has become increasingly out-of-reach for the everyday user unless that individual joins a mining pool.

Scrypt, by contrast, wasdesigned to be less susceptible to the kinds of custom hardware solutions employed in ASIC-based mining. This has led many commentators to view Scrypt-based cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin as being more accessible for users who also wish to participate in the network as miners. While some companies have brought Scrypt ASICs to the market, Litecoins vision of more easily accessible mining is still a reality, as a good portion of Litecoinmining is still done via miners' CPUs or GPUs.

While Bitcoin and Litecoin may be the gold and silver of the cryptocurrency space today, history has shown that the status quo in this dynamic and emerging sector can changein even a few months. It remains to be seen whether the cryptocurrencies with which we have become familiar will retain their stature in the months and years to come.

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Bitcoin vs. Litecoin: What's the Difference?

Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 26/05/20 – Yahoo Finance

Litecoin

Litecoin rose by 2.09% on Monday. Partially reversing 4.08% slide from Sunday, Litecoin ended the day at $42.96.

A bearish start to the day saw Litecoin fall to an early morning intraday low $41.76 before finding support.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $41.21, Litecoin rose to a late morning intraday high $43.31.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $43.73, Litecoin fell back to $42 levels going into the afternoon.

A late afternoon return to $43 levels was brief, with Litecoin wrapping up the day at $42 levels.

At the time of writing, Litecoin was down by 0.79% to $42.62. A mixed start to the day saw Litecoin rise to an early morning high $43.07 before falling to a low $42.35.

Litecoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Litecoin would need to move back through to $42.70 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $43.59 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Litecoin to breakout from Mondays high $43.31.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move back through to $42.70 levels could see Litecoin fall deeper into the red.

A fall back through the morning low $42.35 would bring the first major support level at $42.04 into play.

Barring another extended crypto sell-off, however, Litecoin should steer clear of the second major support level at $41.13.

Major Support Level: $42.04

Major Resistance Level: $43.59

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $62

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $78

62% FIB Retracement Level: $104

Stellars Lumen rallied by 3.26% on Monday. Partially reversing a 4.74% slide from Sunday, Stellars Lumen ended the day at $0.066044.

A bearish start to the day saw Stellars Lumen fall to an early morning intraday low $0.063783 before making a move.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.06249, Stellars Lumen rose to an early evening intraday high $0.066240 before.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $0.06684 Stellars Lumen wrapped up the day at $0.066 levels.

At the time of writing, Stellars Lumen was up by 0.52% to $0.066385. A bullish start to the day saw Stellars Lumen rise from an early morning low $0.066042 to a high $0.066385.

Stellars Lumen left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Story continues

Stellars Lumen would need to avoid sub-$0.06540 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $0.06693 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Stellars Lumen to break out from the morning high $0.066385.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

Failure to avoid sub-$0.06540 levels could see Stellars Lumen give up Mondays gains.

A fall through to sub-$0.06540 levels would bring the first major support level at $0.06447 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Stellars Lumen should steer clear of the second major support level at $0.06290.

Major Support Level: $0.06447

Major Resistance Level: $0.06693

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1051

38% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1433

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.2050

Trons TRX rallied by 3.83% on Monday. Partially reversing a 5.15% slide from Sunday, Trons TRX ended the day at $0.014710.

A bearish start to the day saw Trons TRX fall to an early morning intraday low $0.014117 before finding support.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.01383, Trons TRX rose to a final hour intraday high $0.014710.

In spite of the support throughout the day, Trons TRX came up short of the first major resistance level at $0.01493.

At the time of writing, Trons TRX was down by 1.01% to $0.014561. A bearish start to the day saw Trons TRX fall from an early morning high $0.014709 to a low $0.014561.

Trons TRX left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Trons TRX would need to avoid sub-$0.01450 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.01491.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Trons TRX to break out from Mondays high $0.014710.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

Failure to avoid sub-$0.01450 levels could see Trons TRX fall deeper into the red.

A fall through to sub-$0.01450 levels would bring the first major support level at $0.01431 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Trons TRX should steer clear of the second major support level at $0.01392.

Major Support Level: $0.01431

Major Resistance Level: $0.01491

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0322

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0452

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0663

Please let us know what you think in the comments below

Thanks, Bob

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

Read more from the original source:

Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 26/05/20 - Yahoo Finance

Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 21/05/20 – Yahoo Finance

Litecoin

Litecoin slid by 3.41% on Wednesday. Reversing a 0.97% gain from Tuesday, Litecoin ended the day at $44.21.

A bullish start to the day saw Litecoin rise to an early morning intraday high $46.20 before easing back.

Coming within range of the first major resistance level at $46.24, Litecoin slipped back to a morning low $45.20 before steadying.

Steering clear of the major support levels, Litecoin recovered to an afternoon high $45.90 before hitting reverse.

The reversal saw Litecoin slide to a mid-afternoon intraday low $42.94.

Litecoin fell through the first major support level at $44.68 and the second major support level at $43.59.

Finding late support, Litecoin broke back through the second major support level to wrap up the day at $44 levels.

At the time of writing, Litecoin was down by 0.41% to $44.03. A mixed start to the day saw Litecoin rise to an early morning high $44.63 before falling to a low $43.72.

Litecoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Litecoin would need to move back through to $44.50 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $45.96 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Litecoin to breakout from the morning high $44.63.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Wednesdays high $46.20 would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move back through to $44.50 levels could see Litecoin fall deeper into the red.

A fall back through the morning low $43.72 would bring the first major support level at $42.70 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Litecoin should steer clear of sub-$42 support levels.

Major Support Level: $42.70

Major Resistance Level: $45.96

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $62

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $78

62% FIB Retracement Level: $104

Stellars Lumen rose by 1.59% on Wednesday. Reversing a 0.64% fall from Tuesday, Stellars Lumen ended the day at $0.070978.

A mixed start to the day saw Stellars Lumen rise to an early afternoon intraday high $0.072218 before hitting reverse.

Stellars Lumen broke through the first major resistance level at $0.07032 and the second major resistance level at $0.07094.

The reversal saw Stellars Lumen slide to a mid-afternoon intraday low $0.067646 before finding support.

Stellars Lumen fell through the first major support level at $0.06890 and the second major support level at $0.06811.

Finding late support, Stellars Lumen broke back through the major support levels to wrap up the day in the green.

The recovery also saw Stellars Lumen break back through the first and second major resistance levels.

At the time of writing, Stellars Lumen was down by 1.72% to $0.069760. A mixed start to the day saw Stellars Lumen rise to an early morning high $0.071649 before falling to a low $0.069760.

Stellars Lumen left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Story continues

Stellars Lumen would need to move back through to $0.07030 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $0.07292 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Stellars Lumen to break out from Wednesdays high $0.072218.

Barring a broad-based crypto rebound, resistance at $0.072 would likely leave Stellars Lumen short of the first major resistance level.

Failure to move through to $0.07030 levels could see Stellars Lumen fall deeper into the red.

A fall through to sub-$0.069 levels would bring the first major support level at $0.06834 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Stellars Lumen should steer clear of the second major support level at $0.06571.

Major Support Level: $0.06834

Major Resistance Level: $0.07292

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1051

38% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1433

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.2050

Trons TRX slid by 3.36% on Wednesday. Reversing a 2.29% rally from Tuesday, Trons TRX ended the day at $0.014980.

A bearish start to the day saw Trons TRX slide from an early morning intraday high $0.015501 to a mid-afternoon intraday low $0.014634.

Trons TRX slid through the first major support level at $0.01521 and the second major support level at $0.01483.

Finding support late in the day, Trons TRX recovered to $0.015 levels before easing back.

While breaking back through the second major support level, Trons TRX came up short of the first major support level at the day end.

At the time of writing, Trons TRX was down by 0.22% to $0.014947. A mixed start to the day saw Trons TRX rise to an early morning high $0.015049 before falling to a low $0.014790.

Trons TRX left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Trons TRX would need to move back through to $0.01505 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.01544.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Trons TRX to break out from the morning high $0.015049.

Barring a broad-based crypto rebound, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move through to $0.01505 levels could see Trons TRX slide deeper into the red.

A fall through the morning low $0.014790 would bring the first major support level at $0.01458 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Trons TRX should steer clear of the second major support level at $0.01417.

Major Support Level: $0.01458

Major Resistance Level: $0.01544

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0322

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0452

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0663

Please let us know what you think in the comments below

Thanks, Bob

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 21/05/20 - Yahoo Finance

Litecoin (LTC) Down $0.4 Over Past 4 Hours; Entered Today Down 3.92% – CFDTrading

Litecoin 4 Hour Price Update

Updated May 26, 2020 07:18 AM GMT (03:18 AM EST)

Litecoin is down 0.75% ($0.32) since the previous 4 hours, marking the 3rd candle in a row a decline has happened. Out of the 5 instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Litecoin ended up ranking 2nd for the four-hour candle in terms of price change relative to the previous 4 hours.

The choppiness in the recent daily price action of Litecoin continues; to start today, it came in at a price of 42.94 US dollars, up 1.9% ($0.8) since the day prior. The change in price came along side change in volume that was up 2.28% from previous day, but down 59.61% from the Monday of last week. Out of the 5 instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Litecoin ended up ranking 4th for the day in terms of price change relative to the day prior. Below is a daily price chart of Litecoin.

Coming into today the current price of Litecoin is sitting close to its 20 and 50 day moving averages; moving average crosses often indicate a change in momentum, so this may be worth keeping an eye on. Volatility for Litecoin has been contracting over the past two weeks relative to volatility over the past month. Whether volatility reverts will be something to watch. Trend traders will want to observe that the strongest trend appears on the 30 day horizon; over that time period, price has been moving down. Also of note is that on a 14 day basis price appears to be forming a base which could the stage for it being a support/resistance level going forward. For additional context, note that price has gone up 16 out of the past 30 days.

Behold! Here are the top tweets related to Litecoin:

In the last 24 hours, out of 25,666 #Litecoin sent trxs, 22,109 of those trxs cost $0.02 or less (87% of all trxs).1,432 cost $0.041,106 cost $0.06328 cost $0.08781 cost $0.10+Median value of a #LTC sent trx was $59.11Medican cost of a LTC sent trx was $0.0011

Litecoin is unstoppable 4x faster blocks digital silver 84M 8+ yrs no premine POW King of Scrypt No satoshi stash all ATMs BTC twin 4Y halvings Oscillator litecoinfam Atomic swaps MimbleWimble 100% uptime Gemini Pay

You guys wanna hear a story about a shadowgroup of + 40 yr old miners hidden in a waterdam calling themselves The Litecoin Mafia?

Originally posted here:

Litecoin (LTC) Down $0.4 Over Past 4 Hours; Entered Today Down 3.92% - CFDTrading

Litecoin (LTC) Up $0.38 in Last 4 Hours; Came Into Today Down For the 2nd Day In A Row – CFDTrading

Litecoin 4 Hour Price Update

Updated May 25, 2020 07:18 PM GMT (03:18 PM EST)

The choppiness in the recent four-hour candle price action of Litecoin continues; to start the current 4 hour candle, it came in at a price of 43.05 US dollars, up 0.89% ($0.38) since the last 4 hour candle. On a relative basis, Litecoin was the worst performer out of all 5 of the assets in the Top Cryptos asset class during the last 4 hour candle.

Litecoin came into today down 3.92% ($1.72) from the open of the day prior, marking the 2nd day in a row a decline has happened. The price move occurred on volume that was up 8.77% from the day prior, but down 28.87% from the same day the week before. Relative to other instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Litecoin ranked 3rd since the day prior in terms of percentage price change. Lets take a look at the daily price chart of Litecoin.

Notably, Litecoin is now close to its 20 and 50 day moving averages, which may act as price barrier for the asset. The clearest trend exists on the 30 day timeframe, which shows price moving down over that time. For another vantage point, consider that Litecoins price has gone up 8 of the previous 14 trading days.

Behold! Here are the top tweets related to Litecoin:

#Litecoins hashrate on 5/23/2017 was 6.8142 T#LTCs hashrate today, 5/23/2020 is 201.6057 TThe current hashrate is only about 64 T above the bottom over the past 2 years (around 137 Te), yet is still over 29.5x higher than 3 years ago.

The #Litecoin community is plagued with bullying!. When Some asshole who has been in #crypto one week and instantly an expert! Yes that old chestnut! Just remember when you hurl that onslaught of abuse there is another human on the receiving end! #Crypto is about COMMUNITY.

In the last 24 hours, out of 25,666 #Litecoin sent trxs, 22,109 of those trxs cost $0.02 or less (87% of all trxs).1,432 cost $0.041,106 cost $0.06328 cost $0.08781 cost $0.10+Median value of a #LTC sent trx was $59.11Medican cost of a LTC sent trx was $0.0011

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Atheist A Logo Found Near Graffiti at Site of Burned Down Mississippi Church – Patheos

We posted yesterday about how the First Pentecostal Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi had burned to the ground shortly after the church sued the city over its stay-at-home orders, which were stricter than those for the state as a whole. (That lawsuit was prompted by police going into the church during a Bible study and Easter service after members refused to respect social distancing requirements.)

The alleged arsonist was said to have left graffiti on the parking lot reading Bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic].

Theres no indication about who did this. Ive heard conspiracy theories abound about how a church member may have done this tobolster the claims of persecution, but theres no evidence of that.

But heres a disturbing new wrinkle in the story:

A photograph of the graffiti also appears to show an atomic symbol with an A in the center, which is sometimes used as a logo for atheist groups.

Part of me is eagerly coming up with defenses against the suggestion that an atheist did this:

Thats not really the same design thats popular with some online atheists.

Atheists dont even use that symbol. (We dont have a symbol.)

Why would an atheist burn the church down and leave a calling card?

What atheist would misspell hypocrite like that?

Who would be so idiotic to burn down a church over COVID concerns when plenty of other churches are doing the same thing, when there could have been people inside this building, and when this wont resolve anything since church members will just meet somewhere else?

Thats not to go all conspiracy in the other direction. Only that Im not quite ready to take this symbol as slam-dunk evidence that an atheist did it.

Still, without any leads, what else should people think? All we know publicly is that a church has been destroyed and theres a symbol associated with atheism at the scene of the crime.

American Atheists is the group that uses the atomic logo thats also the URL the New York Times uses in their article andthe groups president Nick Fish issued a statement this afternoon:

Words cannot capture how strongly we condemn this heinous act of destruction. I hope that the perpetrator of this crime is swiftly brought to justice and held to account for their actions. No one should face violence of any kind because of their religion or lack thereof. No matter what our disagreements may be, violence is never the appropriate response.

Im disgusted that anyone would associate a symbol of our community with something so incompatible with our values as atheists. Pluralism, open dialogue, finding common ground, and protecting equality under the law have never been more important than they are today.

My thoughts are with the members of the First Pentecostal Church during this difficult time.

Theres a fundraiser for the rebuilding of the church here.

See more here:

Atheist A Logo Found Near Graffiti at Site of Burned Down Mississippi Church - Patheos