Deck us all with boughs of holly – Las Cruces Sun-News

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Gabriel Rochelle, Path of the Spirit Published 2:29 a.m. MT Dec. 15, 2019

Fr. Gabe Rochelle(Photo: Courtesy photo)

Its here again: the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and, thus, the longest night as well. For obvious reasons, particularly in northern countries, the winter solstice attracted rituals the way a crunchy crust attracts your dog. It is a natural connection. You need some respite from the darkest night of the year, so you light fires. Hence yule logs and bonfires; whats not to like about fire and light and warmth? While youre at it, have a mug of hot chocolate or an ancient drink like mead to warm the cockles of your heart. Gather with others to eat, drink and be warm. Maybe the feasting associated with winter solstice is the natural companion to keeping your ovens on to warm the house.

Not everyone in olden times celebrated the solstices and equinoxes. We know that the Celts celebrate the four corners of the year as fire festivals: these occur on Feb. 1, May 1, Oct. 31, and Aug.1. Their Celtic names are Imbolc, Beltaine, Lammas and Samhain. As with some of the festivals in Christianity and Judaism, the deep origins of such major festivals doubtless revolved originally around agricultural events.

Those who research such matters think that solstice and equinox celebrations originated with the ancestors of the Germans. They may go back in pre-history to Neolithic times, but they are not indigenous to Celtic cultures. Within their orbit, however, falls what we call Christmas and Easter as well, but thats another matter.

Contemporary Christmas is less about Christianity than it is about celebrating winters demise and the onset of the light, hence its a great time to come together in family and community and a wonderful time for gift giving. Most of the stuff wrapped around Christmas comes from our pagan past. Evergreens, ivy, holly, mistletoe? All those symbolic plants and trees originated in pagan ideas about immortality, healing, fertility, and protection of your home. Those ideas came naturally: mistletoe, for example, lives on trees that have ended their growth cycle and gone into winter dress. Because it seems to live between heaven and earth and without sustenance, it was considered magical. Evergreen trees stay green and are not deciduous, so they have been considered a symbol of immortality. Why not bring one into your house as a symbol?

The notion that Christmas is an overlap on a Roman festival called Saturnalia was proposed by Sir James Frazier in The Golden Bough, the first major exploration in the embryonic field of comparative religion, which was published in 1890. The flaws in his proposal have become evident over the years, however, perhaps even from the beginning. Some questions are obvious. Why did the early Christian movement pay little or no attention to the birth of Jesus? Why did Christian writers propose dates earlier in the year, in May or August? Why did early Christian thinkers write with disdain about festivals commemorating the birth of the gods? Constantine the Great made Christianity the legitimate religion of the Roman Empire around 315. Prior to this, there is no indication of Christians co-opting pagan festivals to suit their needs.

So, the reverse of Fraziers view may be true: Emperor Aurelian created the festival of the invincible sun (sol Invictus) somewhere around 275. Did he institute this festival as a counter to the day Christians were beginning to commemorate as the birthday of Jesus? This is what many historians now think. We may never be able to unravel the picture completely, but theres enough here to set aside Fraziers proposal. Meanwhile, celebrate the holidays in whatever way you find appropriate. You need a winter break!

Fr. Gabriel Rochelle is pastor of St Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission, Las Cruces. The church web site is http://www.stanthonylc.org. We welcome visitors.

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Deck us all with boughs of holly - Las Cruces Sun-News

Gucci Bloom Ambrosia di Fiori is a Garden That Lasts All Year – L’Officiel – L’Officiel

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The original Gucci Blooms success inspired the house to create additional variations alongside legendary nose Alberto Morillas, includingGucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori, a joyous and youthful eau de toilette, Gucci Bloom Nettare di Fiori, which honed in on femininity with a woodsy twist, and Gucci Bloom Gocce di Fiori, which celebrates the refreshing nature of spring raindrops. Each one explores its floral notes a little deeper to transcend stereotypes and craft the olfactory experiences of our wildest dreams.

Now, the latest addition to the Gucci Bloom family has quite literally hit god tier. Inspired by the sustenance that is storied to have given the Greek gods immortality, Gucci Bloom Ambrosia di Fiori is an intense experience designed to help wearers express the boldest versions of themselves, arriving just in time to celebrate the excitement of a new decade. Eschewing the traditional construction of top, heart, and base notes to instead open fully at once, the new creation employs flowers including jasmine bud, tuberose, and damascena rose for a truly noble experience.

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Gucci Bloom Ambrosia di Fiori is a Garden That Lasts All Year - L'Officiel - L'Officiel

NIU expert: 4 leaps in technology to expect in the 2020s | NIU – NIU Newsroom

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DeKalb, Ill. Autopilot automobiles, wearable devices, services such as Uber and Lyft. Technological advances in the 2010s made headlines, and some made their way into our everyday lives.

So what should we expect from the roaring 2020s?

We put that question to NIU Professor David Gunkel, a communication technology expert and author of Robot Rights and How to Survive a Robot Invasion. Gunkel pointed to four areas where technology is poised to make an impact on the coming decade.

Robots By the mid-2020s, robots of one kind or another will be everywhere and doing virtually everything, Gunkel says. This robot invasion will not transpire as we have imagined it in our science fiction, with a marauding army of evil-minded androids either descending from the heavens or rising up in revolt against their human masters. It will look less like Blade Runner, Terminator or Westworld and more like the Fall of Rome, asmachines of various configurations and capabilities come to take up influential positions in our world through a slow but steady incursion.

Artificial Intelligence Innovations in Artificial Intelligence, especially with deep-learning algorithms, have made great strides in the previous decade. The 2020s will see AI in everything, from our handheld mobile devices to self-driving vehicles. These will be very capable but highly specialized AIs. We are creating a world full of idiot savants that will control every aspect of our lives. This might actually be more interesting, and possibly more terrifying, than superintelligence.

Things that Talk In 2018, Amazon put Alexa in the toilet, when they teamed up with Kohler at the Consumer Electronics Show. Manufactures of these digital voice assistants, which also include the likes of Siri, Google Assistant and Bixby, are currently involved in an arms race to dominate the voice-activated, screenless Internet of the future. By mid-decade, everything will be talking to us, which will dramatically change how we think about social interaction. But they will also be listening to what we say and sharing all this personal data with their parent corporations.

The Empires Strike Back This past year has seen unprecedented investment in AI ethics and governance. The 2020s will see amplification of this effort as stakeholders in Europe, China and North America compete to dominate the AI policy and governance market. Europe might be the odds-on favorite, since it was first to exit the starting block, but China and the U.S. are not far behind. The technology of AI might be global in scope and controlled by borderless multinationals. But tech policy and governance is still a matter of nation states, and the 2020s will see increasing involvement as the empires strike back.

Media Contact:Tom Parisi

About NIU

Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.

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NIU expert: 4 leaps in technology to expect in the 2020s | NIU - NIU Newsroom

Liquid metal tendons could give robots the ability to heal themselves – Digital Trends

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Since fans first clapped eyes on the T-1000, the shape-shifting antagonist from 1991s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, many people have been eagerly anticipating the day in which liquid metal robots became a reality. And by eagerly anticipating, we mean had the creeping sense that such a thing is a Skynet eventuality, so we might as well make the best of it.

Jump forward to the closing days of 2019 and, while robots havent quite advanced to the level of the 2029 future sequences seen in T2, scientists are getting closer. In Japan, roboticists from the University of Tokyos JSK Lab have created a prototype robot leg with a metal tendon fusethats able to repair fractures. How does it do this? Simple: By autonomously melting itself and then reforming as a single piece. The work was presented at the recent 2019 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).

The self-healing module is comprised of two halves that are connected via magnets and springs. Each half of the module is filled with an alloy with a low melting point of just 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). When the fuse breaks, the cartridges heat, melting the alloy and allowing the two halves to fuse together again. While the re-fused joints are not as strong as they were before any break took place, the researchers have observed that gently vibrating the joint during melting and reforming results in a joint that is up to 90% of its original strength. This could be further optimized in the future.

Its still very early in the development process. But the ultimate ambition is to develop ways that robots will be able to better heal themselves, rather than having to rely on external tools to do so. Since roboticists regularly borrow from nature for biomimetic solutions to problems, the idea of robots that can heal like biological creatures makes a lot of sense.

Just like breakthroughs in endeavors like artificial muscles and continued research toward creating superintelligence, it does take us one step closer to the world envisioned in Terminator. Wheres John savior of all humanity Connor when you need him?

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Liquid metal tendons could give robots the ability to heal themselves - Digital Trends

Playing Tetris Shows That True AI Is Impossible – Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

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Hi there! I recently put together an electroencephalogram (EEG), or in normal words, a brain wave reader, so you can see what goes on inside my brain!

I received a kit from OpenBCI, a successful kickstarter project to make inexpensive brain wave readers available to the masses. Heres what it looks like:

Yes, it looks like something Calvin and Hobbes would invent.

Here is how it looks on my head:

A number of electrodes are touching my scalp and a wire is connected to my ear. The layout on my head looks like the following schematic:

The EEG is measuring the voltage between different points on my scalp and my earlobe. The positions on my scalp are receiving a current from my brain while my earlobe acts as the ground. The EEG is essentially a multimeter for my brain.

Brain waves are generated by ions building up inside the neurons. Once the neurons reach capacity, they release the ions in a cascade across the brain. This leads to the wave effect.

So can I see any connection between my brain waves and what Im consciously experiencing in my mind?

To test that, inspired by the EEG hacker blog, I generated a graphic known as a spectrogram of my brain waves across a set of activities.

The spectrogram shows the range of brainwave frequencies in my brain at a given point in time. In the following plots, the horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is frequency. There are some artifacts in the plots, such as a middle band and a big pink blotch, so dont take all patterns as significant. The important thing to note is the overall texture of the plot.

The greens and reds are low amplitude frequencies, and the blue and magenta are high amplitude frequencies, meaning those brain waves are stronger. The spectrogram is generated from the readings of the #1 electrode in the schematic above.

I performed three different activities to see how they affect thespectrogram. Results and code are provided athttps://github.com/yters/eeg_tetris.

First, I just absentmindedly tapped the Enter key on my keyboard. I did not focus on anything in particular, just pressed Enter whenever I felt like it. This is the EEG spectrogram that random tapping generated:

Second, I played a game of Tetris on very slow speed, using a Github repo.

Heres a video of the game speed:

This is the corresponding spectrogram:

Finally, I played Tetris much faster, and the spectrogram looked like this:

You can watch a video of the game speed here:

The big difference is that, as my activity became cognitively more difficult, the spectrogram became more blue and magenta, meaning that my brain waves became stronger.

What does this mean? It means that, at least at a high level. I can measure how cognitively difficult a mental task is.

Another interesting thing is the direction of causality. The intensity of my mental processing brought about an observable brain state. The causality did not go in the other direction; the magenta brain state did not increase my conscious process.

So my subjective mental experience brought about a change in my physical brain. In other words, my consciousness has a causal impact on my physical processing unit, the brain.

This type of observation causes a problem for those hoping to duplicate human intelligence in a computer program. This Tetris EEG experiment shows that conscious thought is essential to human intelligence. So, until we make conscious computers, which is most likely never, we will not have computers that display human intelligence.

Update: Someone online suggested it might just be my facial muscle tension. So I tested out the idea by recording while I tensed my brow (where the electrode is placed). https://github.com/yters/eeg_tetris

The result looked no different than the tapping EEG, so I consider the just facial tension hypothesis falsified.

If you enjoyed this item, here are some of Eric Holloways other reflections on human consciousness and computer intelligence:

No materialist theory of consciousness is plausible All such theories either deny the very thing they are trying to explain, result in absurd scenarios, or end up requiring an immaterial intervention

We need a better test for AI intelligence Better than Turing or Lovelace. The difficulty is that intelligence, like randomness, is mathematically undefinable

and

Will artificial intelligence design artificial superintelligence? And then turn us all into super-geniuses, as some AI researchers hope? No, and heres why not

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Playing Tetris Shows That True AI Is Impossible - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

Snow Crash TV Series Adaptation is Coming to HBO Max – Epicstream

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Neal Stephenson's classic cyberpunk novel Snow Crash is getting a TV series adaptation for HBO Max. Stephenson's 1992 novel covers a wide variety of topics includinghistory, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, religion, computer science, politics, cryptography, memetics, and philosophy.

The news comes from Deadline, who stated that Michael Becall (21 Jump Street) will write the adaptation and serve as co-showrunner with Angela Robinson, while Joe Cornish (The Kid Who Would Be King) is set to direct. Frank Marshall will serve as producer for the series.

Last year, it was announced that a Snow Crash TV series was heading to Amazon, but that's no longer happening.

With a talented team of writers and directors, and a great source material, Snow Crash is definitely one of the most exciting sci-fi shows to look forward to.

Here's the book synopsis for Snow Crash:

Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparisona writer so original he redefines the way we look at the world. Neal Stephenson is such a writer andSnow Crashis such a novel, weaving virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility to bring us the gigathriller of the information age.

In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzos CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse hes a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus thats striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse.

Snow Crash is considered to be one of the best science fiction books ever, and if you love cyberpunk and haven't read this novel yet, then you should read it before the show premieres. Stephenson's novelwas nominated for both the British Science Fiction Award in 1993, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1994.

Are you excited for a Snow Crash TV series? Who should play Hiro and Y.T.?

Related: Cyberpunk 2077 Will Have Fully Motion-Captured Sex Scenes

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Snow Crash TV Series Adaptation is Coming to HBO Max - Epicstream

‘Snow Crash’ TV Series in the Works at HBO Max – /FILM

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Neal Stephensons sci-fi classicSnow Crash is getting the TV treatment for HBO Max. Writer Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street)and director Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) are tackling the adaptation. Stephensons novel covers a wide range of topics, including history, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, religion, computer science, politics, cryptography, memetics, and philosophy.

Deadline has the scoop on theSnow CrashTV series, stating that Michael Bacall will write the adaptation and serve as co-showrunner with Angela Robinson, while Joe Cornish directs. Frank Marshall will serve as producer. Heres the books synopsis:

Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparisona writer so original he redefines the way we look at the world. Neal Stephenson is such a writer andSnow Crashis such a novel, weaving virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility to bring us the gigathriller of the information age.In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzos CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse hes a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus thats striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse.

I havent readSnow Crash, but this sounds similar toReady Player One, which doesnt get me very excited. However, Snow Crash pre-dates Ready Player One by years and is considered one of the most important science fiction novels of the past few decades. So of course lesser work has ripped it off. Also,, Joe Cornish should have a much bigger career by now, so Im always happy to see him with a new project.

A potentialSnow Crash adaptation has been a dream for many for years, but the novels sprawling nature has complicated things. Cornish actually wrote a script for a feature film adaptation, and Stephenson loved it, calling Cornishs take on the material amazing. But it looks like everyone involved have now decided to use TV to bringSnow Crash to life rather than try to cram everything into a feature film. Last year, it was announced that a TV adaptation was headed to Amazon, but thats no longer the case, and the series is destined for HBO Max.

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'Snow Crash' TV Series in the Works at HBO Max - /FILM

Book That Inspired Facebooks Chief VR Researcher And Coined Metaverse To Get HBO Series – UploadVR

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A HBO series based on Snow Crash, the 1992 science fiction novel which coined the term metaverse, is currently in production.

Snow Crash is a 1992 science fiction novel written byNeal Stephenson. The book has a deeply complex plot touching on archaeolinguistics, religion, simulation theory, philosophy, computer science, and memetics. It was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the most prestigious science fiction award.

The series will reportedly be directed by Joe Cornish, who recently directed The Kid Who Would Be King. The writer is apparently Michael Bacall, who also wrote 21 Jump Streetand Project X.

Stephenson will be a producer of the series, alongside Cornish, Bacall, Angela Robinson, Frank Marshall, and Robert Zotnowski.

Last we heard, Stephenson works at AR startup Magic Leap. His official title is Chief Futurist. He manages a team called the Self-Contained Existence Unit (SCEU). SCEU focuses on content R&D, pushing the boundaries on what can be developed in AR, figuring out best practices, and providing examples to developers.

Despite being released before evenWolfenstein 3D and three years before the Virtual Boy, much of Snow Crash takes place in a massively multiplayer VR world called the Metaverse a term Stephenson coined. Essentially, the metaverse is the spatial version of the internet. The term Metaverse is popular in VR today.

Meta means after or beyond, and verse is taken from universe. Thus a metaverse is a new universe beyond and after the real one.

When the book was written almost 30 years ago, VR headsets were rare. The few which existed cost in excess of $50,000 and had resolutions of just a few hundred pixels on each axis.

The book also popularized the term avatar the virtual character which represents a user in a virtual world. The descriptions of avatars in Snow Crash still apply to proto-metaverses like VRChattoday.

Michael Abrash is Chief Scientist at Facebook Reality Labs. Thats the division of Facebook which researches future VR & AR tech. He also reportedlyco-leads Facebooks new AR glasses team.

In 1994, Abrash was working at Microsoft. He had helped develop the core graphics architecture of Windows. After reading Snow Crash, he quit Microsoft and joined John Carmack at Id. Together they developed Quake one of the first widely popular online multiplayer FPS games. He then worked at companies like Microsoft (again) and Intel until 2011 when he joined Valve to work on AR and VR.

After joining Valve, Abrash wrote a blog postexplaining his history. The first sentence: It all started with Snow Crash.

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Book That Inspired Facebooks Chief VR Researcher And Coined Metaverse To Get HBO Series - UploadVR

The Most Common Crypto Questions And Why You Should Care – Forbes

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Theres a new language developing around the world of cryptocurrency, and many people are already confused. If youre not well-versed in this brave new world, you are not alone. Hopefully, this article will answer your questions and help you build your cryptocurrency vocabulary.

What is cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency consists of web-based digital assets that use cryptographic functions to conduct financial transactions. Digital assets typically utilize blockchain technology to gain transparency and decentralization to varying degrees. Digital assets include Bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, which are backed by fiat for lower fluctuation, and tokens, which can sometimes be representative of units used within an organization to move currency around the globe or for gaming purposes.

What are the different types of cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin is the most widely used cryptocurrency. Other cryptocurrencies, also known as altcoins (which refers to any currency that is not Bitcoin or Ethereum), include Stellar, Tron, Salt and OmiseGo.

Facebook, in conjunction with a set of partners, is introducing the Libra coin, which is different from other cryptocurrencies because it is governed by said partners and is tied to the fiat currency of government bonds and fiat currencies (including the U.S. dollar, euro and yen).

What is an ICO?

An initial coin offering (ICO) is similar to an initial public offering (IPO) of stocks, but tokens are being offered rather than stocks in the ICO. The public exchanges money for tokens, which are an acknowledgment that the contract between buyer and issuer has been fulfilled. The buyer then owns coins, or tokens, representative of a value tied to the entity with price fluctuations to varying degrees, usually depending on the state of the organization.

Are cryptocurrencies securities?

That depends. Digital assets may or may not be securities. Securities are negotiable financial instruments issued by a company or government that give ownership rights, debt rights or rights to buy, sell or trade an option. Bitcoin, for example, is typically not defended as a security since it has no centralized governance and the price fluctuations are mostly from supply and demand, not tied to the success of a company or centralized organization. However, some digital assets can be seen as securities under various frameworks and therefore are subject to various SEC regulations.

What is the difference between bitcoin and blockchain?

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital asset arguably, the most popular and typically takes up half of all digital asset trading volume on most given days. Bitcoin utilizes blockchain technology. Blockchain is not a cryptocurrency. It is the ledger that records all the cryptocurrency transactions that are verified by cryptography and is open, secure and accessible by all.

Anyone can make a transaction and sign it with a private key. It will be broadcasted to the unconfirmed transactions pool and be verified by miners who will get the fee from it as a reward. Each new block with transactions is approved by a consensus mechanism and cannot be reverted after a certain amount of time (six blocks for Bitcoin). The main difference is that Bitcoin has proof of work (POW) consensus and also uses a specific model of transactions. Blockchain technology does not have any strict restrictions on consensus, transaction model and data that will be transferred in it. For example, enterprise blockchain systems are used to build the supply chain without any financial data in it.

Once Libra is created, will Bitcoin disappear?

Not at all. While Facebook is touting Libra as cryptocurrency, it is more of a stablecoin. Its expected to have low volatility since its value is tied to currency such as the U.S. dollar or to gold. As the saying goes, A rising tide elevates all boats, and Libra will be the rising tide that brings crypto into the mainstream so even your grandmother will be talking about it.

Facebook, along with its partners, has greater visibility than Bitcoin and this brings attention. Will your grandma become a Bitcoin miner? No; shell just buy Libra because its from institutions she understands. Unlike the 1849 Gold Rush, Bitcoin mining is done by high-powered computers solving complex mathematical equations that result in the creation of new coins. Bitcoin will remain the asset of choice for those who want cryptocurrency thats first-to-market, decentralized and determined by the people. The lack of governance, though scary to some, is exactly what appeals to others. Bitcoin and Libra will continue to have different purposes.

Space is not the final frontier, as cryptocurrency has created a new frontier. It is a combination of banking, currency trading and international commerce. In the increasingly global world of business, the ability to transfer funds securely and quickly around the world makes the need to explore this frontier all the more important.

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The Most Common Crypto Questions And Why You Should Care - Forbes

This 21-year-old bitcoin millionaire beamed cryptocurrency from space to a school in Ghana – Business Insider

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Erik Finman, a 21-year-old high-school dropout who has made millions on bitcoin, beamed cryptocurrency down from outer space to a school in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana on November 4.

Finman bought $1,000 worth of bitcoin at the age of 12 in 2011, when each bitcoin was worth $10 to $12. Today he holds 446 bitcoin, which at Friday's price were worth $7,243 each, for a total value of $3.2 million.

Finman is calling his latest endeavor a "crypto space drop," by which cryptocurrency can be sent through a constellation of satellites to an antenna on Earth. Finman told Business Insider the crypto space drop had applications for communities with little to no infrastructure.

"We wanted to show that even in the most remote places that don't have the most functional of infrastructure, money infrastructure, financial infrastructure," a crypto space drop could have a real use case, Finman told Business Insider.

Finman sent $1,000 worth of MTL in the crypto space drop to St. Mary's School in Korle Gonno in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, which used the funds to repair the school's roof and construct benches and tables.

MTL is the cryptocurrency used by the cryptocurrency platform Metal Pay, which launched in August with Finman as an investor. Finman called Metal Pay the "the Facebook Libra killer," saying, "If it needs it, I'm willing to put all my bitcoin money into this" and "I'm willing to bet it all" in his Metal Pay announcement video.

One of the satellites used in the constellation was a satellite Finman helped launch one year ago.

In December 2018, Finman led Project Da Vinci, for which a group of teenagers launched a satellite that included a crypto wallet. Project Da Vinci was part of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program, which attracts and retains STEM students and allows students to launch small satellites.

Check out Finman's crypto space drop:

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This 21-year-old bitcoin millionaire beamed cryptocurrency from space to a school in Ghana - Business Insider

Teen crook hacked into 75 phones and stole $1M in cryptocurrency: authorities – New York Post

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An alleged teen crook stole the identities of 75 people and swiped $1 million in cryptocurrency all from the comfort of his Brooklyn apartment, authorities said.

Yousef Selassie, 19, used a sophisticated SIM-swapping scheme to take over the phones of people in 20 different states between Jan. 20 and May 19, 2019, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

He allegedly transferred his victims phone numbers to his own iPhones, enabling him to reset their passwords and gain access to their Gmail, cryptocurrency and other accounts. Meanwhile, his victims phones would suddenly go offline.

The stolen $1 million came from just two victims, authorities said. Selassie was arrested Dec. 5 in Corona, California, and extradited to New York.

He was arraigned Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court, where he pleaded not guilty to 87 counts of grand larceny, identity theft and other charges. Justice Mark Dwyer ordered him to surrender his passport and check in weekly with a supervised release program. The judge did not set bail.

Authorities executed search warrants on Selassies Brooklyn and California residences, where they seized half a dozen iPhones, two Rolex watches, a monogrammed Gucci wallet and numerous pieces of high-end jewelry, according to court papers.

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Teen crook hacked into 75 phones and stole $1M in cryptocurrency: authorities - New York Post

This bizarre anime cryptocurrency is now ranked 12 in the world – Decrypt

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An obscure cryptocurrency designed to help promote and develop the Japanese 'Otaku' subculture, called MINDOL (MIN), has just pumped a further 9.5% to reach the hefty price of $4.73. MINDOL now sits at its all-time highest market capat just shy of $900 millionand, according to CoinMarketCap, this now means the cryptocurrency is now ranked twelfth by market cap.

Not bad for a coin that was worth just $0.17, just two months ago.

The anime-focused cryptocurrency has actually been recording back-to-back gains for more almost two months. In this time, the MIN token appears to have multiplied in value by more than 20x, while trading volume has remained roughly consistent throughout this time periodat around $3-5 million per day. But does this sound too good to be true?

Be the first to get Decrypt Members. A new type of account built on blockchain.

Definitely. While this performance may make MINDOL look like a project on the up and up, the truth is far less spectacular. As it stands, the vast majority of MINDOL trade volume occurs on a relatively unknown exchange known as Coinalla platform that has been accused of faking its trade volume. Beyond this, since the price action appears to be completely unrelated to any recent developments or improving project fundamentalsand the trading volume has barely increasedit suggests that the price is being artificially boosted.

This is not the first time (and won't be the last) that a coin has pumped unexpectently into the top 100 coins by market cap. Back in March, Maximine rose into the top 40 coins by market cap. It's now ranked 352. But this is one of the highest positions that an obscure coin has reached without getting there through genuine growthor at least some significant real trading volume. Whatever will be next? Decrypt coin?

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This bizarre anime cryptocurrency is now ranked 12 in the world - Decrypt

Cryptocurrency Market Update: $10 billion wiped off as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple tumble – FXStreet

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The pre-Christmas carnage continues to wreak havoc in the cryptocurrency space just at time investors expected some substantial upwardaction. For several years cryptos have started to seek bottoms in November and use December as the stepping stone to new levels amid forceful barrier shuttering momentum.

Meanwhile, the entire market is bloody led by the leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin at -4.17% in the last 24 hours. Ethereum was not spared the cut as it corrected 6.95% lower. The worst-hit crypto among the top three is Ripple, sinking more than 10% in 24 hours. The rest of the top ten digital assets posted loses between 1% and 10%.

In the same 24-hour period, the entire crypto market said bye to $10 billion, wiped off. The market cap sits at $177 billion from $187 billion as per the data by CoinMarketCap. The trading volume, on the other hand, increased significantly from $69 billion to $82 billion, reflecting the extreme selling activities.

Bitcoin, the market leader, has been on an unstoppable downward spiral in the last six months from the highs posted in June around $13,800. The extreme declines have tried seeking refuge above $10,000, $9,000, $8,000 and $7,000. However, BTC/USD is still inclined towards losses reminiscent of the sharp declines experienced yesterday towards $6,500 (November support).

Bitcoin formed a low at $6,566, defending the key support zone at $6,500. A shallow correction that ensued tried to break $6,700 support but adjusted to $6,681 (current market value). Meanwhile, the downside correction is likely to continue as long as the RSI stays within the oversold. Besides, the price holds ground under the moving averages.

The second-largest crypto divedbelow yesterdays key support at $130. The lower leg approached the next support at $120, although it has adjusted to $124. It is apparent that furtherdecline is still possible owing to the oversold-bound stochastic RSI. The MACD is also strongly bearish, especially with the extended bearish cross. Moreover, the gap between the 50 SMA and the 100 SMA continues to widen as a sign of a firm the bears grip. Ethereum must recoverabove two critical resistance zones, $130 and $140 to completely avert the risk of testing $100.

Ripple has been the emblem of the worst performing digital assets in 2019. The recent declines did little to defend the reputation of the third-largest crypto. Instead, XRP dived further below $0.20 and smashed through the next tentative support areas at $0.1950, $0.1850 as well as $0.1800. XRP formed a low at $0.1787 before pushing upwards ina reflex reversal to $1.886 (market value).

The RSI is out of the oversold and features an uptrend. If the indicator continues, XRP could regain the lost ground above $0.20 in the coming sessions.

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Cryptocurrency Market Update: $10 billion wiped off as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple tumble - FXStreet

Why This Developer of the Controversial HEX Cryptocurrency Accused of Scam Left – newsBTC

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The cryptocurrency market is has a wild west atmosphere, rife with hackers, cybercriminals, and scammers galore.

The developer of a new altcoin project called HEX accused of being a widespread scam has now left the project and is sharing his thoughts about why he made the decision for a departure.

A new cryptocurrency known as HEX has exploded onto the scene over the last few weeks and was immediately subject to the extreme controversy surrounding accusations that the altcoin project was nothing more than a scam perpetrated by the projects founder, Richard Heart.

HEX has been dubbed a Ponzi scheme, a scam, and even worse, and has been compared to the likes of notorious crypto projects gone defunct like BitConnect.

Related Reading | Tron Crypto Founder Justin Sun Contributes $1 Mil to Environmentalist Greta Thunberg

The cryptocurrencys official website even claims that the asset is designed for 10,000x returns, something that even the SEC would say fails their Howey test, which helps investors determine if an investment is too good to be true and may be a scam.

Promises of returns are an immediate red flag, especially around the cryptocurrency asset class, which is known for its infamous volatility and assets that lose as much as 99% of their value.

But HEX makes many of these bold claims to lure investors into their scheme.

In a new live interview posted on YouTube by crypto influencer Naomi Brockwell, the host speaks to former HEX developer Kieran Mesquita, who has since distanced himself from the project.

Mesquita says that he was once proud to contribute to the project but later became uncomfortable with the projects business practices and the projects founder Richard Heart. He says that the most interesting technical aspects of the project were removed, instead of focusing on marketing jargon and empty promises.

Heart is said to hold nearly half of the coins circulating supply after the first year of the projects existence. Unfair distribution that goes to making the projects founder wealthy, is yet another warning sign that the investment may be a scam.

Oftentimes, if something seems too good to be true, it often is. Projects like HEX were a dime a dozen during the initial coin offering boom of 2017, and has left many investors burned and holding investments that are down 99% or more from their initial buy-ins.

Any investors thinking about making an investment into HEX, or any cryptocurrency should do their due diligence, including both fundamental and technical analysis to understand how an asset may perform, before taking a position.

Related Reading | Crypto-Demanding Cybercriminals Ramp Up Ransomware Threat With Data Exposure

If it looks like a scam, smells like a scam, it probably is a scam, and its best to avoid at all costs. HEX, may just be one of those projects, but only time will tell if it ends up like BitConnect and the other projects that the crypto angry mob has gone after in recent years.

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Why This Developer of the Controversial HEX Cryptocurrency Accused of Scam Left - newsBTC

How will Bitcoin halving shake the cryptocurrency market in 2020? – FXStreet

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The creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto incorporated a rule into the code that executes Bitcoin that sees mining rewards slashed byhalf every four years. The impact of the reduced mining rewards leads to a reduction in the supply of the coin. The event is known has halving and is scheduled to take place in May 2020.

The reduction in the supply of Bitcoin will affect the players in the market differently considering Bitcoin's total market cap is only $120 billion. These players include miners, traders and investors. They are all looking forward to making the most out of the halving.

Meanwhile, some of the fundamentals likely to be affected immensely are volatility, supply and demand of Bitcoin. Rapid gains and losses due to extreme volatility will characterize Bitcoins market after halving. Therefore, losers and winners will rub shoulders but for now, anticipation is growing on how participants will take advantage of the event.

Traders, particularly are expecting higher volumes and extreme volatility. However, the reduction in supply could spike the prices to higher levels. Other parties that benefit from high volatility are quantitative hedge funds and high-frequency traders who mainly make money from price swings.

Read more:The Cryptocurrency Market Update: Bitcoin stagnates above $7,000 after an action-filled week

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How will Bitcoin halving shake the cryptocurrency market in 2020? - FXStreet

Even 2019s Strongest Cryptocurrency is Unable to Escape the Bear Market – newsBTC

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Binance Coin (BNB), the eighth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, opened on Tuesday in a severely negative area as a string of poor fundamentals scared investors away.

BNB plunged by 5.78 percent, or $0.77, to trade at $12.65. The latest downside move came as a part of an extended bearish correction seen across the entire cryptocurrency market. Like BNB, top coins including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP), too suffered intraday losses.

On the whole, the cryptocurrency market had erased approx $16bn off its capitalization from Monday until 1523 UTC today.

The entire cryptocurrency market had plunged by 8 percent from Monday | Source: TradingView.com, CoinMarketCap.com

The rapid decline in the BNB price also came two weeks before the enforcement of the European Unions Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD).

In retrospective, 5AMLD requires Europe-based cryptocurrency exchanges to register with the local authorities. It also orders them to perform KYC checks on all their users.

Binance, which is based in Malta, do not impose strict KYC on users withdrawing less than 2 BTC. That leaves the exchange with two options: Either it can impose new regulations on its hundreds of thousands of traders, or it can decide to stop offering services to European clients altogether.

Historically, geo-blocking users have not helped BNB, a de-factor reward token at Binance. Back in June, when Binance had announced that it would stop offering trading services to the United States citizens, the price of BNB had taken a toll.

The token though established a year-to-date high of $43.15 but has since erased a large portion of its profits. As of 1523, it was changing hands at a 70 percent lesser price.

The 5AMLD directive has prompted smaller cryptocurrency businesses, including Bottle Pay, which had raised $2mn earlier this year, to shut down. Irrespective of what Binance does, it would lose a huge chunk of traders that want to circumvent KYC checks.

The latest shakedown has brought Binance Coin closer to testing its 78.6 percent Fibonacci level of $12.455 as support. So it appears, it is one of the last levels standing before BNB and a vast breakdown.

BNB price is undergoing a vast bearish correction | Source: TradingView.com, Binance

The prevailing bearish sentiment could see traders eyeing targets below the $12.45 support. Ideally, a break below the said level could have them open short positions towards $8.96, an interim downside target. A further breakdown, meanwhile, could have traders extend their shorts towards $4.086.

Conversely, a pullback from $12.45 could open an attractive interim long opportunity towards the 50-daily MA in orange.

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Even 2019s Strongest Cryptocurrency is Unable to Escape the Bear Market - newsBTC

Cannabis, corruption and cryptocurrency: All the weird stuff in the budget deal – POLITICO

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No D.C. marijuana sales: Congress will continue to ban the District of Columbia from taxing and regulating marijuana. Seventy percent of D.C. voters backed a referendum in 2014 legalizing pot, but provisions in spending bills since then have prevented the city from taxing and regulating the drug. The result is a gray market where residents are legally allowed to grow and carry marijuana, but not sell it outright.

Corruption jab at Elaine Chao: While it should be common sense that officials cant use their public office for private gain, lawmakers spelled out just such a prohibition this year. The funding deal explicitly forbids the Department of Transportation from spending money in violation of a U.S. law that bars federal employees from using their position to endorse products or services, or to boost their relatives or friends. The no-brainer ban is seen as a jab at Elaine Chao, who has been accused of conflicts of interest in her role as Transportation secretary, both by doing interviews alongside her shipping magnate father and by taking far more official meetings with the Kentuckians her husband represents in Congress.

Cracking down on cryptocurrency: Lawmakers want to know how Venezuelan leaders might be using digital currency to bypass U.S. sanctions. So they are calling on the Trump administrations currency leaders to come up with a way to figure out how Nicols Maduros regime could be leveraging digital assets to sidestep the U.S. rules.

Special Olympics spared from cuts: The Trump administration tried to kill the popular program in its budget. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defended the cut before Congress. But after the administration faced backlash on social media and from lawmakers, President Donald Trump said he had overridden his people to restore funding for the games. Now, Special Olympics funding will rise to $20.1 million, a more than 14 percent boost.

No love for the Tesla crowd: Power companies wanted Congress to expand a $7,500 tax credit for buying an electric vehicle. But no such tweak was included, meaning people looking to buy electric rigs made by GM or Tesla cant get the tax credit because both companies have manufactured more than the cap of 200,000 electric vehicles.

Wary about that westward move: Lawmakers want more details on the Trump administrations plan to move the Bureau of Land Managements headquarters beyond the Beltway. So the spending package demands the Interior Department brief appropriators every month on the controversial plan to relocate the agency to Colorado.

Tribute time: The bill would put House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Loweys (D-N.Y.) name on the federal program that supports learning centers geared toward helping kids during summer vacation, before school and after hours. Besides receiving a 4 percent funding boost, to $28 million, the program will now be called the "Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

Hands off the Amtrak cops: Extra language was included that blocks Amtrak from shrinking its police force, after the federally subsidized rail operator said it planned to cut up to 20 percent of its cops who patrol aboard trains and at stations.

Jennifer Scholtes, Eric Wolff, Nicole Gaudiano, Natalie Fertig, Stephanie Beasley, Tanya Snyder, Ben Lefebvre, Victoria Guida and Kellie Mejdrich contributed to this report.

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Cannabis, corruption and cryptocurrency: All the weird stuff in the budget deal - POLITICO

The Cryptocurrency Market Update: Bitcoin stagnates above $7,000 after an action-filled week – FXStreet

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It is just hours before the last weekend to Christmas starts and the cryptocurrency market is relatively stable. The stability is more of a consolidation period after an action-filled week. The high volatility on the market has seen major cryptoassets test new 2019 lows while some have contained gains above crucial support areas.

According to the data CoinMarketCap, the entire market capitalization is also stable, although a $3 billion loss recorded was posted between the close of the session on Thursday and the time of writing. In other words, the crypto market is valued at $190 billion, down from $193 billion. As stability kicks in, the volume exchanged has also gone down from $103 billion to $80 billion in the same period.

Bitcoin shot up marvelously on Wednesday, testing the critical resistance area at $7,500. The upside was a reflex action after the price touched the recent November lows around $6,500. While a correction ensued immediately after, Bitcoin has been intentional on sustain gains above $7,000.

In the meantime, Bitcoin is trading at $7,126 but the immediate upside is capped under $7,200. The RSI suggests that price action in the coming sessions will stay confined in a narrow range between the 61.87% Fibo and $7,200. On the brighter side, the 50 SMA has crossed above the 100 SMA on the 1-hour chart, signaling the presence of the bulls.

Ethereum plunged below $120 earlier this week. The recovery that followed the drop shot above $130 but could not sustain gains towards $140, forming a high around $133. At the time of writing, Ethereum is exchanging hands at $127 after a subtle 0.95% loss. Although the trend is bearish, the shrinking volatility hints that downside action will staylimited in the coming sessions.

Ripple, on the other hand, is holding ground at $0.1867 after losing 0.6% of its value on the day. Movement north are limited under $0.20 since yesterday and $0.1750 has established a a vital support area.

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The Cryptocurrency Market Update: Bitcoin stagnates above $7,000 after an action-filled week - FXStreet

Cryptocurrency Market Update: November lows blast Bitcoin towards $7,500, Ripple and Ethereum sluggish – FXStreet

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Bitcoin could not afford to leave investors ungifted before Christmas. Santa had indeed lost his way to the crypto space, allowing Bitcoin to retestthe lows traded in November. However, the recovery experienced remained unique toBitcoin because other cryptoassets including Ethereum and Ripple were largely unchanged.

Meanwhile, the total market capitalization rose significantly from $177 billion posted at the close of the session on Tuesday to $193 billion at the time of writing. The trading volume shot up as well from $77 billion to $106 billion in the same period. Bitcoin market dominance seems to be picking up the pace once again, besides it stands at 68.2%. In other words, altcoins are losing ground against Bitcoin and this could mean that the much-anticipated altcoin season is just but a mirage.

Although Bitcoin is trading 1.48% lowertowards the end of the Asian session on Wednesday, the reaction from lows slightly above $6,500 was remarkable. Bitcoin broke several barriers in a very unexpected move that left most people surprised. The uptrend aimed for $7,500 but formed a high at $7,475 before adjusting to the current $7,169.

Moreover, the price is trading above the moving averages where the 50 SMA and the 100 SMA on the 4-hour chart are in line to provide support. Bitcoin upward correction also made it above the wedge pattern resistance, which further contributed to the momentum. In the meantime, the focus should stay at $8,000 while the bulls work hard to sustain the price above $7,000.

Ethereum and Ripple gave a blind eye to Bitcoins impressive bullish reaction. Instead, the two cryptos are stuck close to their key support areas. For instance, Ethereum is trading 3% lower on the day at $129 while Ripple has shed 2.66% of its value to trade at $0.19098. The bearish trend coupled with the high volatility suggested that the downward momentum has the potential to continue.

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Cryptocurrency Market Update: November lows blast Bitcoin towards $7,500, Ripple and Ethereum sluggish - FXStreet

Cryptocurrency Market Update: Bitcoin and major altcoins `jump off the lows, give bulls a glimpse of hope – FXStreet

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Bitcoin and major altcoins have recovered from the recent lows amid technical correction from deeply oversold levels. The total capitalization of all digital assets in circulation settled at $179 billion, while an average daily trading volume spiked to $93 billion.

BTC/USD is changing hands at $6,659, off the intraday low of $6,435. The first digital coin is still down nearly 3% on a day-to-day basis. From the technical point of view, Bitcoin has returned inside the Bollinger Band on 1-hour chart with further recovery limited by $6,700.

ETH/USD regained the ground above $123.00 after collapsing to $166.40 earlier on Wednesday. The second-largest coin is shadowing Bitcoin moves with the initial resistance created by $125.00 (the upper line of 1-hour Bollinger Band). An upward-looking RSI (Relative Strength Index) implies that the short-term recovery may be extended.

XRP/USD hit bottom at $0.1752 before recovering to $0.1823 by press time. The coin has lost over 7% in recent 24 hours amid strong bearish pressure. Despite the recovery, the coin is moving within a steep downside trend.

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Cryptocurrency Market Update: Bitcoin and major altcoins `jump off the lows, give bulls a glimpse of hope - FXStreet