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Finally, a company like Shout decides to release an amazing collector's edition of this true cult classic.The transfer on this blu ray truly does look stunning.It took me a minute to process just how good the movie actually looked.I'm so used to VHS, standard cable television broadcasts and subpar DVD transfers.This new blu showcases just how amazing the photography in the film actually is.Very evocative depth, with its brazen, apocalyptic browns and tans, to its rich and bright contrasts of brilliant oranges and deep blues.This is the first transfer that has actually been worthy of the amazing production Albert Pyun and company were able to pull together with little to no money and very little time.

Cyborg was famously cobbled together with sets, costumes, and props from abandoned productions of Masters of the Universe 2 and a Spider-Man movie Cannon films were slated to make.Financing fell through, some licensing issues arose and bam.Cannon Films were caught between a rock and...another rock.So instead of wasting away all that time, money and effort that was already allotted for the previous productions, Cannon hired Albert Pyun to throw together a script that utilized some of the same themes and atmosphere, but something that turned out to be completely different.Cyborg was born of their previous failings and I have to say, 30 years later and this movie still holds up, at least to this viewer.It's actually better than it ever has been before.I seen things I've never even noticed before, after 60+ viewings.All because of the aspect ratio and clarity that is presented here.The soundtrack sounds great too!Very nice sound mix on this one.I also heard things in there that I never noticed before.I was just completely immersed with the amazing picture and sound.Watching on a large screen with surround sound was the most enjoyable viewing of this movie I've ever had.It was exciting!

And bonus features!I've gotta say, this include a bit more than I initially expected when Shout announced they were releasing this title.There's a descent-sized "making of" documentary that clocks in at 30 mins, with interviews with director Albert Pyun, Deborah Richter, Vincent Klyn (super chill, all around rad guy) and various crew, including the cinematographer (again, AMAZING photography in this movie!) and the set designer.All very interesting with their amount of enthusiasm and input.

Also includes a quick featurette with the company that did the special/visual effects, who subsequently had just finished up on James Cameron's The Terminator prior to hopping on to Cyborg.

Sadly, there is no "Director's Cut" version available on this new release, though I never personally expected it to be included.There is only a VERY ROUGH workprint cut of the movie on VHS tape and there's no actual film elements to be able to get a descent transfer off of.This is indeed sad, I know, but you can always do what I did and hunt down the Misery Edition DVD or Blu Ray to see that version.

Also includes newly commissioned artwork exclusive to this release, a slipcover (for the first 3 months only) and the Shout/Scream Factory staple; reversible sleeve with original cover art on the reverse side.Packaging and actual disc looks great.

If you are a Cyborg fan, you NEED this new release.The transfer alone is worth the money.And as of right now while I'm writing this, it is DIRT cheap on Amazon.I'm even more excited about it because of the great deal I got it for.So snag it up while it's at an amazing price with the slipcover!

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Cyborg

Victor Stone is a former college athlete and football star. Following a horrible accident, his father Silas Stone, was able to save him via the use of a Mother Box that crafted cybernetics onto him. Victor then became known as the superhero Cyborg.

He would eventually be recruited by Batman and Wonder Woman to become a member of the Justice League, in order to help defend Earth against the imminent alien invasion of Steppenwolf and his Parademon army.

Shortly after joining the team, Cyborg assisted Batman and Flash in resurrecting Superman from the dead. With the team now fully assembled, Cyborg contributes to the successful offensive against Steppenwolf, forcing the alien invasion into retreat. Following this, Cyborg finally reveals himself to the world, becoming an official superhero, as further plans for the Justice League are made by Batman.

Victor Stone prior to his accident.

Victor Stone was born on June 29, 1994, in Gotham City, New Jersey, to Silas Stone and Elinore Stone. At some point Victor's mother died, leaving Silas to raise him all by himself.[1] While growing up, he often heard rumors about the vigilante known as Batman, but never actually believed them.[2] Victor Stone was an athlete and attended Gotham City University, however, his career was cut short when he was involved in a nearly fatal accident, that mutilated most of his body.[3]

Victor Stone after his accident.

Reduced to nothing more than a torso, head and half of his arms, Victor was kept alive by his father, who attempted every kind of medical procedure to help heal him. Eventually, Silas was desperate enough to try using a government sanctioned cube-shaped piece of alien technology in a final attempt to save his son's life.

The foreign technology self-activated and levitated over Victor, where it to began crafting cybernetic body parts to replace his lost body parts (while simultaneously granting him knowledge it held). Although this saved Victor's life, it was undoubtedly very painful, as Victor was seen screaming out in pain.

Footage of this transformation would be obtained from the S.T.A.R. Labs database by Lex Luthor shortly thereafter.[1]

Victor learn his new abilities at home

After his transformation, Victor began hiding from the world at his father's home. He also hid the Mother Box from his own father and S.T.A.R. Labs. Silas was saddened at his son's plight, telling that he could have a life if he wanted.

Victor was afraid of his new abilities, noting that every time he woke up in the morning he was different, somehow modified. He worried that what was happening to him was the vanguard of a new alien invasion.

Diana tries to convince Victor to join the team

Using his new abilities to interact with data streams and surveillance cameras, Victor became aware of Bruce's interest in him. Tracking him down to his home, Victor was in the woods and witnessed Bruce and Diana Prince talk about Steppenwolf and his first invasion of Earth, along with the fact that he was invading once more. Aware that Diana was now looking for him, he hacked into the computers she was using. When Diana asked to meet him face to face, Victor asked why he should trust her. Diana replied that she knew he was at the lake, and if she wanted to attack him, she would have done it then.

Meeting in person, Victor told Diana that he had been doing some tracking, and the invaders they were after were sticking to the dead spots where they could not be detected. Diana tried to reach out to Victor and convince him to join the fight against Steppenwolf, he flew away instead.

Victor realizes that his father was kidnapped

Cyborg decides to help the team

As the Justice League reconvened with Commissioner James Gordon, who filled them in on the missing persons who've been reported throughout the precinct and the city. Cyborg showed up to the gathering with additional information on the subject at hand, he was able to deduce the Parademon tracking routes with which to allocate the location they were taking the missing persons to. Figuring out where they were being whisked away for questioning about the location of Steppenwolf's Mother Box.Having deduced the likeliest point to search; He, Batman and Diana took off without a trace leaving a solemn Gordon with a much befuddled Flash behind in their wake.

Cyborg talking with Batman.

The team goes to find, the team climb up, to find Steppenwolf interrogating the S.T.A.R. Labsemployees about the final Mother Box, which Barry get's nervous and tell's the team that he hasn't done battle before, which Batman says just save one person.

Steppenwolf then grabsSilas Stone, which Cyborg shots Steppenwolf and saves his father, which Wonder Woman helps out buy attacking the Parademons and taking Steppenwolf to a different part of the factory, while Batman fights the Parademons, Barry goes and save one of the employees. Steppenwolf tells the Parademons that he will deal with Diana alone, meanwhile Batman is being attacked by one of the Parademons which he tells Alfred that he needs theKnightcrawlerwhich he sends the machine to Bruce.

Flash and Cyborg save all the hostage whichSilas Stonetells Victor that Steppenwolf can not get the final Mother Box. Batman then jumps down into the Knightcrawler and saves Wonder Woman before the Parademons could kill her, The Knightcrawler get's attacked by Steppenwolf, which Barry helps Wonder Woman get her Sword so she can help Batman.

Cyborg in the Knightcrawler.

Flash and Wonder Woman get attacked by Steppenwolf and the Parademons before Batman helps her by killing one of the Parademons. Cyborg then fall into the Knightcrawler and and hacks it so it in his control, which he uses it against Steppenwolf but falls when Steppenwolf catches a missile and throw it against the wall, which causes the factory to flood which allows Steppenwolf to escape.

Before Diana could get hit with the flooding water, Arthur comes and saves the team by using his quindentto hold back the water while the League escaped.

Cyborg revealing to theJustice Leaguethat he got the lastMother Box.

After the fight with Steppenwolf, After Batman meets with Gordon before Arthur shows up and say that Steppenwolf took the Mother Box from Atlantis, then Victorreveals that he is possession of the finalMother Box, which he hid from his father. The team returns to theBatcavewhich Barry runs around the cave and sits in theBatmobile, before Bruce call for a meeting with the team. Bruce conclusion that they should use the Mother Box to bringSuperman back to live. Hebelieves that they need Superman to restore hope in humanity. Diana and Author are hesitant about the idea, but Bruce forms a secret contingency plan.

TheLeaguewatching the return ofSuperman.

The team put Clark's body in the waters of theKryptonian ship, using Allen'sSpeed Forceto activate the Box, causing the resurrection of Superman. Which he flies out of the Kryptonian ship and lands inHeroes ParkwhereAquaman, Cyborg,FlashandWonder Woman meet him, which they notice that something is wrong with him, which Clark uses his x-ray vision to scan the League which Stone accidentally launches a projectile at him as his cybernetic body registers a threat to him. Superman attacks Cyborg with his heat vision as the reason of the Justice League tries to calm him down by he over powers them.

Clark vs the Justice League

As the League all jump on top of Superman, Barry runs around him but Superman see him and attacks him. Batman arrives and tries to get Superman to stop fighting the League, but he hits them and asks Batman the same question that Bruce asked him "Tell me, do you Bleed?". Before Kal-El could kill Bruce,Loisand Alfred to stop him.

Superman calms down and leaves with Lois to theKent Farmwhere he reflects and tries to recover his memories. during the battle Steppenwolf retrievesthe final Mother Box.

Justice Leaguegetting ready to battleSteppenwolf.

The team returns to theBatcavewhere Cyborg figures out Steppenwolf's plan, Bruce ask Arthur if he can use his powers of talking with aquatic lifeto locate Steppenwolf. Which Arthur responds with the water does the talking but says hell see what he can do. TheJustice LeagueusesFlying FoxtoRussiato stop Steppenwolf from being theMother Boxestogether, the team plan how there going to stop Steppenwolf, Batman tells the team that he going to take out the tower while the reason of the League will separate the Mother Boxes, Batman destroys the tower but also the controls on the Flying Fox didn't reporting which cause it to crash, but Bruce get in the Batmobile and using a siren to get the attention of the Parademons, this allows the rest to get to the Mother Boxes without any problems.

Cyborg saving Aquaman.

The Parademons attack the Batmobile, ripping of one on the guns that it has and opening up the car before Wonder Woman and the reason the League saves Batman, Arthur jumps on the Batmobile before getting attacked by Parademons which leads Cyborg to save him and throwing him to the other Parademons. The Batmobile get's knocked which Bruce ejects from the vehicle and using his grapple, swings across to take out the Parademons.

Cyborg fighting Steppenwolf.

Diana confronts Steppenwolf, before Cyborg attacks him which leads to Wonder Woman fighting Steppenwolf, while Flash helps Victor get to the Mother Boxes, which Barry takes care of the Parademons while Cyborg tries to separate the Mother Boxes, Batman saves Barry by grappling his legs from stopping him falling, Bruce takes one of the Parademons guns and fires at them. Steppenwolf finds out the Victor is trying to separate the Mother Boxes, which he grabs him before Wonder Woman saves him.

Alfred informs Bruce that people are in danger which Batman tells Barry that he needs to save the civilians, Diana and Arthur tries to keep Steppenwolf away from Cyborg by using theLasso of Truthto pull him down, Steppenwolf attacks them both before he knocks Arthur into a wall breaking the ceiling before Diana saves him, Cyborg tries to keep Steppenwolf away from him but failures which leads with Steppenwolf pulling of one of his legs.

Cyborg with the Justice League.

Before Steppenwolf could kill Cyborg, Superman comes and saves him, Bruce tells Superman he needs to buy Cyborg some time to separate the Mother Boxes and to help civilians, Superman catches up with Barry saving he got the ones on the right. Victor calls for Superman help with the Mother Boxes, which Steppenwolf attack the Justice League which Superman freezes Steppenwolf's Axe and Diana breaks it with her Sword, which cause Steppenwolf to be attacked by the Parademons before he returns back toApokolips.

After the accident, however, Victor abandons football and becomes gloomy, secluded, depressed, and even somewhat robotic. Cyborg can also be quite blunt and robotically stiff, sternly pointing out to a person that the latter should have moved out of the path of the Humvee flying right at him.[2] This all stems from the fact that after becoming a cyborg, Victor no longer feels fully human, thinks of himself as a monster, and even Wonder Woman herself was initially unable to persuade him otherwise. However, when his father Silas Stone gets kidnapped by Steppenwolf, Cyborg joins the League without hesitation, and even personally attacks the fearsome New God in order to save him.

Cyborg accepts his condition and upgrade his cybernetics.

After fighting alongside the Justice League for some time, however, Cyborg seems to have warmed a bit to all of his teammates, as he bonds a bit with Flash over their unexpected metahuman power gain (though he still found the latter's humor a bit annoying[4]), he somewhat bonds with Batman over their engineering expertise, he notably reassures the previously skeptical Aquaman that "the ride ain't over yet" (before helping the Atlantean fight a group of Parademons), he comes to appreciate Wonder Woman's emotional support, and even shares a laugh of relief with resurrected Superman (after they successfully pry apart the 3 Mother Boxes). Indeed, Cyborg is the first member of the League to have befriended every single one of his teammates during their first major battle. Superman's return and the defeat of Steppenwolf finally grants Cyborg the confidence to reveal his cybernetic self to the world, and begin mending his strained relationship with his father, as he is seen beginning to work with Silas at S.T.A.R. Labs.

Cyborg's automatic cybernetic modification

Cyborg's flight mode

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CyborgReal name

Victor "Vic" Stone

DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980)

Let's get this party started.

Cyborg is a playable hero character in Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2. He is classified as a Power User.

Victor 'Vic' Stone was a polar opposite from his father. While SIlas Stone was a very proficient scientist at S.T.A.R Labs, his son was equally proficient in athletics, being the best football player in his college team. However, whenDarkseidof Apokolips would commence his invasion on Earth, Vic would be seriously injured during the chaos. In a last ditch effort, Silas used unknown technology (a Mother Box from the Fourth World) to save Vic's life, thus giving him a cybernetic support system and built-in computer. Upon learning of Apokolips' existence, Vic joins the rest of the Justice League in the fight to push back Darkseid. As they were successful, Cyborg would go on to become one of their most faithful members.

Cyborgs fellow Teen Titans did not survive Supermans rise to power. This trauma, coupled with the influence of other, more experienced heroes, led Cyborg to become one of the oppressive regimes enforcers.

Victor Stone lost more than his friends at the tragedy of Metropolis, he lost his hope. His anger tempered his loyalty for Superman and he has remained eager to serve the Regime. With the world left unprepared for the looming threat, Cyborg may be the only one who can combat the technological might of Brainiac.

Cyborg first appears defending the Watchtower alongside Nightwing and Raven against Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Bane and Solomon Grundy. After Batman arrives to assist them, he and Cyborg receive a warning signal about the Joker setting up a nuclear bomb in the center of Metropolis. After Batman, the Joker, and several of the Justice League members are teleported a parallel dimension, Cyborg, Superman and the Flash begin working tirelessly to locate them and bring them back.

In the parallel dimension, Cyborg is shown having joined Superman's One Earth regime and subsequently undergone enhancements to his body. Green Lantern encounters him and the Regime's Raven on the Ferris Aircraft facility torturing their dimension's Deathstroke, who refused the amnesty offered to him by the High Councilor Superman. Green Lantern confronts the two, causing them confusion at first due to his change of uniform color from the Yellow Lantern they know. After Raven is defeated by Green Lantern, Cyborg confronts him but is beaten.

Back in the Justice League's Watchtower, Cyborg and the Flash manage to locate the alternate dimension where their allies were sent and plan to use the Flash's Cosmic Treadmill to pull them back into their dimension. Upon making the necessary modifications, they put their plan into motion. However, the inter-dimensional gateway belonging to the Insurgents activates at the same time, pulling Cyborg into their dimension, where he's needed to repair the kryptonite weapon Batman built to use against Superman. After encountering Deathstroke and Lex Luthor in the Insurgency's hideout, Cyborg misinterprets their intentions and attacks them. He fights them both to a standstill until Batman's counterpart and the members of the Justice League arrive and explain the situation to him.

When Superman's counterpart announces that the displaced Batman will be executed publicly on Stryker's Island, the Insurgency forms a plan to rescue him using the Watchtower's teleporter. Disguising himself as his counterpart, Cyborg infiltrates the Hall of Justice in order to gain access to the Watchtower, grudgingly accompanied by Deathstroke, who Cyborg doesn't trust, regardless of their lack of history. Cyborg goes to activate the teleporter, when it suddenly activates, bringing Catwoman into the Hall. She greets Cyborg, believing him to be his counterpart, but grows suspicious when he uncharacteristically greets her back. She confirms this suspicion by implying that the two of them are involved with each other, causing Cyborg to play along, unaware that she's lying. His cover blown, Catwoman deactivates Cyborg's disguise and attacks him. He manages to defeat her, only to have his legs remotely locked up by his counterpart, who sends for backup from Wonder Woman, unaware that he's speaking to her displaced counterpart. The two Cyborgs start remotely hacking each other's systems simultaneously, ending in a stalemate. Deciding to settle this like men, the two fight one on one, ending in defeat for the Regime's Cyborg.

Their way clear, Cyborg and Deathstroke teleport to the Watchtower, where Cyborg easily takes control of the teleporter using his counterpart's stolen security protocols. However, Deathstroke overloads the Watchtower's reactor as an act of revenge against Superman, jeopardizing the mission and giving the Insurgents only 90 minutes to complete their mission. Once they've secured the displaced Batman, Cyborg teleports them to safety despite a brief malfunction in the teleporter's system. Their mission complete, Cyborg teleports himself and everyone else in the Watchtower to safety, just before the reactor explodes, destroying the Watchtower.

In the wake of the attack on Stryker's and the death of Luthor, the Regime's Superman announces to the council his intentions to destroy Metropolis and Gotham to set an example. He orders his Cyborg and Raven to take control of media broadcasts so the entire world can see it. When the Regime begins their attack on Gotham, the displaced Cyborg fights alongside the Insurgents in the defense of Gotham.

In the epilogue, Cyborg is shown visiting Lex Luthor's grave, where he places the chestpiece of Luthor's battle suit as homage to their fallen comrade. Meanwhile, his counterpart is taken into custody with the rest of Superman's accomplices.

In a flashback, Cyborg, as an accomplice of Superman's plan to remove the Arkham Asylum inmates, was stationed at Gotham to prevent anyone from interfering. Off-screen, he sets the approaching Batplane's systems to autopilot, and appears before them via Boom Tube to attack them. He fires off a warning shot, which doesn't affect Batman but causes Damian Wayne to veer off course. Cyborg confronts Batman on the ground by admitting his reluctance to attack the latter unless he has to. When Batman refuses to back down, Cyborg tells him that he lost all of his friends in Metropolis, and that a similar incident won't happen again if Superman executes his plan. Batman tells him of his right to be angry, but disproves of Superman's plan by stating it's "not a blank check. And the Justice League isn't a death squad," and the two fight, ending in Cyborg's defeat.

In the present day, Cyborg is incarcerated alongside Damian and Superman at Stryker's Island for his role in the Regime, and is guarded by Firestorm and Blue Beetle. During Brainiac's invasion, he is set free by Kara in their attempt to free Superman, and is sent to disable the red sun generators at Superman's prison. While doing so however, Firestorm or Blue Beetle faces off against him, defeating him. He is among his fellow Regime members to come together and outnumber the two heroes, causing Firestorm to prepare to go nuclear. Just as Wonder Woman is about to attack Firestorm however, Batman intervenes, disarming Firestorm. Cyborg then looks on as Batman agrees that he can't defeat Brainiac alone and frees Superman.

He is among the heroes at the Justice League table, as Catwoman goes over the plan. Cyborg is tasked to head to the Batcave to bring Brother Eye back online, much to his reluctance. He is also informed he can't Boom Tube in as Batman had reverse-engineered his Mother Box's technology and should Cyborg try to boom tube into the Batcave, he'll explode. He is also informed that Catwoman and Harley Quinn will be going with him.

On the mission, the trio boom tube at Arkham Asylum, before being ambushed by Poison Ivy who uses pheromones to mind control Harley to attack them. Either Cyborg or Catwoman defeats her and soon Poison Ivy. While on their walk through the sewers to the Batcave, Harley expresses hope that Black Canary and Green Arrow are still alive, before Cyborg doubts that, explaining that Brainiac only takes the best and the two don't qualify as the best. Catwoman replies that she'd still take them over him. Once the trio reach the entrance of the Batcave, he and Catwoman progress further, while Harley Quinn is left to guard the entrance. The duo are then ambushed by Deadshot and Bane, though they both emerge victorious. The duo reach a corrupted Brother Eye, where Cyborg tries to reboot Brother Eye, before being intercepted by Brainiac speaking through the monitors. Brainiac claims that Cyborg is "the pinnacle of human evolution", though claims that his humanity inhibits him from reaching his full potential, before freeing Grid from his memory subsystems. He is defeated by either Cyborg or Catwoman. Cyborg then returns to trying to regain access to the Brother Eye's neural network. Brainiac states that not even he could regain access, before Cyborg responds that he isn't trying to regain access, but rather teach it to ignore Brainiac. It is successful and Brother Eye comes back online.

He is later seen with the other heroes after Superman's apparent death witnessing Brainiac offer a trade surrender Supergirl and he'll spare the Earth. They refuse to take the deal and Cyborg suggests that they short out Brainiac's shields, leaving his ship vulnerable. Black Adam agrees and offers to channel energy from the Rock of Eternity to do so with the Trident of Atlantis as a medium to control it. Cyborg also considers the idea that he create a signal disruptor that could disconnect Brainiac from his ship, similar to how he was disconnected from Brother Eye earlier.

He is later seen handing the disruptor to Batman, also informing him that he'll have to be arms reach within Brainiac in order for it to work. Cyborg is never seen again for the rest of the story, though he is mentioned by Superman that with Cyborg's aid, Superman can gain control over Brainiac's ship, in which Cyborg presumably did so in Superman's ending.

Super Move-1375398843

What little remains of Victor Stone's body is protected by Promethium metal shaped into a mechanical exo-skeleton, armed with advanced weaponry and constantly synced to the internet 24/7, allowing Cyborg complete and total access to all information stored in the World Wide Web. Cyborg's mechanical body affords him superhuman strength and durability high enough to trade and survive blows from Solomon Grundy, though not overpower the zombie. Cyborg's on-board weaponry includes his trademarked arm cannon, which can fire either high decibel blasts of sound or small spheres of energy, either in a single burst or rapid fire. Cyborg also possesses a large amount of missiles for long range attacks, which he can fire from a launcher on his back or from his shoulders. Cybrog also contains a built in Boom Tube to allow himself instantaneous teleportation from one location to another.

Though his arsenal his impressive, Cyborg's real talent is his computer skills. Victor can navigate and coordinate massive strikes through his natural connection to the web, and hack through almost any security system and take complete control of it himself, so long as he remains conscious during the takeover. If he is knocked unconscious during, or hacked himself, the feedback can knock him unconscious.

Repair Circuit:Cyborg's character trait is the ability to regenerate health. The longer the button is held, the more health Cyborg regenerates.

Injustice Gods Among Us - Cyborg Ending HD

After Superman's defeat, Cyborg led the assault on the Fortress of Solitudeto flush out remnants of the High Councilor's regime. The Fortress was well defended, the battle intense. Cyborg was forced to use unfamiliar Kryptonian tools to make repairs to his damaged cybernetics. Enhanced with the alien technology, Cyborg found he could communicate with Superman's androids and order them to apprehend the opposition. With his army of super androids, Cyborg will bring justice to the world.

Injustice 2 Cyborg's Ending

Brainiac thought he had me all figured out. Said my humanity made me weak. But fighting for humanity gave me the strength to body that punk-ass Coluan. And before he dropped, I took a few things... His twelfth-level intellect and his ship's data core. I thought the Internet was gigantic. But now? I've got the whole wide universe at my fingertips. First up, I put back every Earth city Brainiac stole, starting with my hometown, the Motor City! Then I keep going... Superman wants to secure one world, but I can reboot tens of thousands! Every last one in Brainiac's Collection. Gonna be a long trip. But another benefit of my new twelfth-level intellect is I can reunite with some old friends. Titans Together. Boo-yah.

Cyborg's costume is comprised of a metal exoskeleton, which is primarily gray and silver. Half of his face and the underside of his arms are left bare. He has a red glowing circle in the middle of his chest and he can transform his exoskeleton into different weapons at will.

Cyborg has a more advanced robotic exoskeleton which features more plated armor, with two red wires connecting his arms to his back. The only human part of his body is the right side of his face, which is bald.

Cyborg's metal exoskeleton combines elements from both costumes in Injustice, being sleeker in appearance but featuring more armored parts. The exoskeleton is colored white and dark gray, with his symbol being featured on his chest.

To the right is the base skin for Cyborg, Vic Stone 2.0. He is wearing his default gear. The remainder of his costumes can be found on his gallery page.

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Plot is unknown. Film is part of DC Extended Universe and will be the solo vehicle for Cyborg, following his appearances in Batman V Superman andJustice League.

Another DC character set to star in a DC Extended Universe standalone film is Cyborg, portrayed by Ray Fisher. Nothing much is heard about the development of the Cyborg project which was announced in 2014 but recent news confirms that it still on track for a 2020 release.

In the DC Extended Universe Cyborg has already appeared inZack Snyders Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and he is also set to appear on Justice League: Part One and Justice League: Part Two.

Cyborg appeared first appeared in DC Comics Presents #26 as created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez released in October 1980. He was introduced as a member of the The New Teen Titans alongside Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy. They joined Original Teen Titan members and founders Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash.

However in DCs 2011 reboot he became a founding member of the Justice League. The DCEU will feature him alongside five of the seven original members of the JL namely Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), The Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) and Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot).

Two original members, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter do not seem to be included in the film although the former seems to be hinted at the trailer shown atComic-Con.

Before he became Cyborg, Victor Stone is the son of Cyberdyne Systems employee, Dr. Silas Stone (Joe Morton). The father and son were briefly shown in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as was Aquaman and The Flash. They were shown in the laboratory where in Dr. Stone was seen trying to save his son.

Cyborg is considered to be a lesser known character compared to the other members of JL and Morton but Morton revealed that audience will get to know the dynamics between the father and the son more in the upcoming Justice League film to be released in November 2017.

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Junior SuperPowers Team Member

Victor Stone

Cyborg is a superhero and a member of the Super Powers Team. He has cybernetic implants that increase his strength, and a "sound blaster," capable of generating high pitched sound for use as a weapon.

Cyborg's origin was told via a medical journal read by Professor Martin Stein:

Professor Martin Stein to Ronald Raymond

Unfortunately, he despised his new cybernetic appearance and aside from a brief stay with the Teen Titans in 1983,[1] he mostly kept out of the public eye, and soon began working at a special school for disabled children.

Superman had asked him on a number of occasions, to join the Super Powers Team. On one occasion, after capturing Lex Luthor, Superman stated that anyone who could single handedly capture Luthor would be a very welcome addition to the team. Still Cyborg had no desire to join and remained insistent that he wanted to fly solo.

Eventually though, Cyborg started to develop a real friendship with Firestorm, and finally, after helping the team stop Darkseid's plot to take over Earth, and being formally asked by Batman, Cyborg finally decides that he was meant to join the team all along.

Even though Cyborg hated Apokolips, he went back multiple times to help the team fight Darkseid and his forces.

His ability to interface with a computer has been very helpful to the team on a number of occasions.

Victor Stone is the son of Silas and Elinore Stone, a pair of scientists who work at S.T.A.R. Labs. One day while visiting his parents at the lab, an experiment in dimensional travel went horribly awry when a massive gelatinous monster crossed over an experimental portal and killed Elinore. The creature then turned on Victor and severely mutilated him before Silas managed to force the creature back through the portal. Not long after the attack, Silas was able to outfit his son with experimental prosthetic's of his own design. However, the equipment could not be worn inconspicuously, and thus Victor was horrified to see much of his body, including part of his face, replaced with sheer metallic limbs and implants.[2]

Sound Blasting

Computer Interfacing

Season 6 (1985):

This version of Cyborg is based on the Teen Titans TV series (2003-2006) as seen on Cartoon Network.

Victor is a former Metropolis High School star wide receiver. It was in that time when he met Clark Kent at Smallville while playing against him in their senior year. He was involved in a car accident that killed the rest of his family, but he was rebuilt by Dr. Alistair Kreig, who experimented on a group of test subjects for SynTechnics (a LuthorCorp subsidiary). Victor was the only test subject to survive the experiments, during which he was implanted with electrical and mechanical parts. Feeling sympathy for Victor and his search for his beloved girlfriend Katherine, SynTechnics scientist Dr. Hong allowed him to escape captivity.

This version of Victor Stone is based on the Smallville TV series (2001-2011) as seen on the CW.

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Litecoin (LTC): Rejected at $40, this downtrend could last longer

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The market is in the red on Tuesday. However, there was a marginal recovery in the market yesterday. Litecoin price, for example, bounced from the support at the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level taken between the highs of $41.59 and the lows of $22.62. The bullish correction managed to pull above the 50% Fib level but fizzled out short-of $34.00.

Litecoin started this years trading with a strong upside momentum. The bulls maintained itsposition above the trendline support while trading higher highs and higher lows. In fact, there was a break above the resistance at $40. Unfortunately, they could not sustain the momentum as the trend culminated in a lower correction forming lows towards $30.00.

Meanwhile, Litecoin is trading at $31.8 and is below the 1-hour Simple Moving Averages (SMA). The price is dancing with the 50 SMA while the immediate upside is limited by the 100-day SMA. LTC buyers must push the crypto above $34.00 in order for them to embark on a recovery journey towards the psychological $40.00.

On the flipside, if the current bearish trend progresses, LTC/USD is expected to find refuge at $30.00 (38.2% Fib level). Below this level, the buyers will take solace at recent lows around $22.5.

Taking a broader look at the chart, a bullish trend could be brewing in the background since the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is trending to the upside from the dip at -1.57. Likewise, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the same chart, defended its position above the oversold region. Besides, it has recovered to the current position at 50.00.

LTC/USD 1-hour chart

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Litecoin (LTC): Rejected at $40, this downtrend could last longer

Travel – Wikipedia

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Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip.[1][2] Travel can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.

The origin of the word "travel" is most likely lost to history. The term "travel" may originate from the Old French word travail, which means 'work'.[3] According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the first known use of the word travel was in the 14th century. It also states that the word comes from Middle English travailen, travelen (which means to torment, labor, strive, journey) and earlier from Old French travailler (which means to work strenuously, toil). In English we still occasionally use the words "travail", which means struggle. According to Simon Winchester in his book The Best Travelers' Tales (2004), the words "travel" and "travail" both share an even more ancient root: a Roman instrument of torture called the tripalium (in Latin it means "three stakes", as in to impale). This link may reflect the extreme difficulty of travel in ancient times. Today, travel may or may not be much easier depending upon the destination you choose (e.g. Mt. Everest, the Amazon rainforest), how you plan to get there (tour bus, cruise ship, or oxcart), and whether you decide to "rough it" (see extreme tourism and adventure travel). "There's a big difference between simply being a tourist and being a true world traveler", notes travel writer Michael Kasum. This is, however, a contested distinction as academic work on the cultures and sociology of travel has noted.[4]

Reasons for traveling include recreation,[5] tourism[5] or vacationing,[5] research travel,[5] the gathering of information, visiting people, volunteer travel for charity, migration to begin life somewhere else, religious pilgrimages[5] and mission trips, business travel,[5] trade,[5] commuting, and other reasons, such as to obtain health care[5] or waging or fleeing war or for the enjoyment of traveling. Travellers may use human-powered transport such as walking or bicycling; or vehicles, such as public transport, automobiles, trains and airplanes.

Motives for travel include:

Travel dates back to antiquity where wealthy Greeks and Romans would travel for leisure to their summer homes and villas in cities such as Pompeii and Baiae.[7]While early travel tended to be slower, more dangerous, and more dominated by trade and migration, cultural and technological advances over many years have tended to mean that travel has become easier and more accessible.[8] Mankind has come a long way in transportation since Christopher Columbus sailed to the new world from Spain in 1492, an expedition which took over 10 weeks to arrive at the final destination; to the 21st century where aircraft allow travel from Spain to the United States overnight.

Travel in the Middle Ages offered hardships and challenges, however, it was important to the economy and to society. The wholesale sector depended (for example) on merchants dealing with/through caravans or sea-voyagers, end-user retailing often demanded the services of many itinerant peddlers wandering from village to hamlet, gyrovagues (Wandering Monks) and wandering friars brought theology and pastoral support to neglected areas, travelling minstrels practiced the never-ending tour, and armies ranged far and wide in various crusades and in sundry other wars.[7]Pilgrimages were common in both the European and Islamic world and involved streams of travellers both locally (Canterbury Tales-style) and internationally.[9]

In the late 16th century it became fashionable for young European aristocrats and wealthy upper class men to travel to significant European cities as part of their education in the arts and literature. This was known as the Grand Tour, it included cities such as London, Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome.However, The French revolution brought with it the end of the Grand Tour.[7]

Travel by water often provided more comfort and speed than land-travel, at least until the advent of a network of railways in the 19th century. Travel for the purpose of tourism is reported to have started around this time when people began to travel for fun as travel was no longer a hard and challenging task. This was capitalised on by people like Thomas Cook selling tourism packages where trains and hotels were booked together.[10] Airships and airplanes took over much of the role of long-distance surface travel in the 20th century, notably after the second World War where there was a surplus of both aircraft and pilots.[7]

Travel may be local, regional, national (domestic) or international. In some countries, non-local internal travel may require an internal passport, while international travel typically requires a passport and visa. A trip may also be part of a round-trip, which is a particular type of travel whereby a person moves from one location to another and returns.[11]

Authorities emphasize the importance of taking precautions to ensure travel safety.[12] When traveling abroad, the odds favor a safe and incident-free trip, however, travelers can be subject to difficulties, crime and violence.[13] Some safety considerations include being aware of one's surroundings,[12] avoiding being the target of a crime,[12] leaving copies of one's passport and itinerary information with trusted people,[12] obtaining medical insurance valid in the country being visited[12] and registering with one's national embassy when arriving in a foreign country.[12] Many countries do not recognize drivers' licenses from other countries; however most countries accept international driving permits.[14] Automobile insurance policies issued in one's own country are often invalid in foreign countries, and it is often a requirement to obtain temporary auto insurance valid in the country being visited.[14] It is also advisable to become oriented with the driving-rules and -regulations of destination countries.[14] Wearing a seat belt is highly advisable for safety reasons; many countries have penalties for violating seatbelt laws.[14]

There are three main statistics which may be used to compare the safety of various forms of travel (based on a DETR survey in October 2000):[15]

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Travel - Wikipedia

50 Awesome Travel Blog Name Ideas – This World Rocks

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When I was getting ready to launch mytravel blog, I had a really tough time picking a name for the blog. In reality, the name of a travel blog isnt as important as you might think. It isnt as important as quality writing, a well-designed site, a good brand, and a lot of content. However, your name is still a big piece of the puzzle, and should be something you like and can live with. To come up with my blogs name, I did an exercise to come up with as many awesome travel blog names as possible and then slowly narrowed it down to my current name. I thought I would share this list with any future travel bloggers who are currently brainstorming for a name. Not all of these were from my original list, as I have added more since, so go ahead and use this list as a starting point for your own brainstorming.UPDATE: Feel free to use any of these names for your own travel blog. People have been emailing me a lot asking if they can use a name on the list. You dont need my permission to use any of these names since I dont own any of them. I also dont own any of the domain names, so if its already taken there isnt anything I can do. Good luck in your search!

1. Out of the Office For a former cubicle worker who wants to quit and to put up anindefiniteemail out of office notification.

2. Binge Travelers BingeTravelers.com is available too, which is a great domain.

3. Tweet Pray Love The digital version of famous book/movie. Thanks to @AndyMonfre for this one!

4.Losing Sight of the ShoreHow does the saying go? You cant discover a new ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

5. Forks In The Road For a traveler who loves food and decisions!

6. Corners of the World This is a good domain name that is available: CornersoftheWorld.com

7. Navigatio No, I didnt forget the N, Navigatio is actually Latin forVoyage.

8. The Hum of the Earth Instead of looking for the scum of the Earth, you seek the good, or what makes us hum. Domain is available: HumoftheEarth.com

9. Tray Tables & Seat Backs Travel bloggers can recite this entire speech by memory.

10. Mice Will Play When the cats away

11. Uneven Pavement The types of roads travelers crave

12. Loose Gravel Same idea as above

13. Cats and Dogs Living Together Are you planning on having chaotic travels? Heres a salute toBill Murrays description of chaos in Ghostbusters.

14. Get Busy Livin ForShawshank fans. Instead of Livin you could replace it with your name, like Get Busy Jenny

15. Someday This Day Make your own meaning of it.

16. Showering in the Ocean For the beach lover.

17. Bathing in the Ocean Variation of above.

18. Both Paths For a traveler like us who likes mixing in both the beaten path and unbeaten path.

19. Where the Heart Is Home is

20. The Long and Winding One of my favorite Beatles songs.

21. Cark Muban Mark Cuban once did a gap year, so pay homage to him by creating his alter ego and doing your own trip.

22. All Systems Whoa There are a lot of names you can create by changing the word go to whoa in popular catch phrases.

23. Away We Whoa See above

24. Ready, Set, Whoa See above

25. On the Whoa Ok, you get the idea by now

26. Here Goes Here goes nothing!

27. One Point Five Billion Inches The circumference of the Earth is 1.5 billion inches.

28. Around the Tellus Tellus is Latin for Earth

29. Around the Orbis Orbis is Latin for World

30. Turn Turn Turn Referring to the constant turning while traveling, both good turns and bad.

31. YOUR NAME on Earth This works really well if your name rhymes with heaven, i.e. Kevin, Devin, Gavin, Evan, Melvin, etc

32. Cold Turkey This could be for a blogger who had to quit something addictive in order to travel. i.e. shopping, alcohol, drugs, video games, over-working, etc.

33. Like Nothing Ive Seen A blog about seeing and experiencing new, exotic adventures.

34. Salt of the Earth This sounds a bit Biblical, but thats because it is a Bible phrase. However, it can still apply the our natural world. Domain available: SaltoftheEarth.com

35. Off the Face Basically letting people know youve fallen(jumped) off the face of the Earth.

36. Reset ReBoot Record Someone who left home to get a fresh start, and is recording the progress in the blog. You could do a cool logo with the three Rs.

37. Re* Re* Record Replace the first two re-words with any two words on this list. Find two words that fit your situation the best.

38. One Big Rock Thats all Earth is right?

39. Off and Running For all the travel runners out there.

40. Travel Travel Travel Pizza Pizza

41. Text Me Later Im gone for a while.

42. My Final Frontier Star trek fan?

43. Each City a Rhapsody For the musically inclined.

44. Jet Set Brunette Sorry blondes, this one isnt for you.

45. Redefined Timeline Define the change of pace and scenery in your life.

46. Every Corner a Story Awesome stories are everywhere you look, all over the globe.

47. Miles and Smiles Away Miles, and miles, and miles, and miles, away.

48. Roam Sweet Roam Roam is the new Home (apparently there was a documentary with this title in 1996)

49. Why Dont You Babe A play on the Supremes song

50. No Particular Place to Go For the wandering blogger.

51. So This is How I Die From Stetson at Sergios Samba

52. WanderingOmies.com From Brandon at TheYogaNomads.com

These are from Brian at Blancette:

53.Three If By Sky modern twist on an old classic, nobody suspected the British of coming through the air.

54. Traveling Like LeBron Ah ah ahtoo many steps

55. Hostel Takeover no hostilities on this blog

56. Bloggers Without Borders give back to the world and do some pro bono blogging.

57. Boats and Phos: A Maritime Tour of Southeast Asia

58. The Gumshoes some of us never gave up chasing Carmen Sandiego

59. The Planeteers which one are you? Earth, wind, water, fire, or heart?

60. SergeantPlanet cause nobody out ranks the Captain

These are from Tina at GypsySpirit.com:

61. Nowhere in Particular

62. Gypsy Soul

63. Riding the Waves

64. Smells Like Gypsy

65. Gypsy Rhapsody

66. Gone Traveling

67. Life in a Bag

68. Hugging the Road

69. [yourname] Pilgrim

70. [yourname] Supertramp

These are from WildWanderess.com:

71.The Runaway Girl

72. Gypsy Girl Travels

73. The Simple Sojourn

74. Rooftops and Flipflops

75. Edge of the Sand

76. The Lost Gurl

77. Gutsy Girl Travel

.

good travel blog namessocial mediatravel blog nametravel blog name ideas

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50 Awesome Travel Blog Name Ideas - This World Rocks

The xx – Islands (Official Video)

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The xx - "Islands" (Official Video)The xx in video purgatory. "Islands" from The xxs debut album 'xx.'Subscribe to The xxs channel to stay up to date with all their latest videos.

Directed by Saam

I am yours nowSo now I dont ever have to leaveIve been found outSo now Ill never explore

Visit The xx store: http://xxe.ht/pohs

Listen to The xx essentials on Spotify: http://xxe.ht/psslaitnesse

Get Islands from the album xx here: Stream Spotify: http://xxe.ht/psxxApple Music: http://xxe.ht/maxx

DownloadiTunes: http://xxe.ht/tixxGoogle Play: http://xxe.ht/pgxxAmazon: http://xxe.ht/tzmaxx

Follow The xx: Website: http://xxe.ht/ofniFacebook: http://xxe.ht/koobecafInstagram: http://xxe.ht/margatsniSpotify: http://xxe.ht/yfitopsTwitter: http://xxe.ht/rettiwt Subscribe to their YouTube channel: http://xxe.ht/ebircsbusty

See The xx live: http://xxe.ht/ruot

LyricsI dont have to leave anymoreWhat I have is right hereSpent my nights and days beforeSearching the world for whats right here

Underneath and unexploredIslands and cities I have lookedHere I sawSomething I couldnt over look

I am yours nowSo now I dont ever have to leaveIve been found outSo now Ill never explore

See what Ive doneThat bridge is on fireGo back to where Ive beenIm froze by desireNo need to leave

Where would I be If this were to go underIts a risk Id takeIm froze by desireAs if a choice I'd make

I am yours nowSo now I dont ever have to leaveIve been found outSo now Ill never explore

So now Ill never explore

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The xx - Islands (Official Video)

Space Exploration – ABC News

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Posted January 17, 2019 16:26:21 | Updated January 17, 2019 18:40:42

The first plants grown on the Moon die as the temperatures drop to as low as -170 degrees Celsius during the lunar night.

Topics:astronomy-space,science-and-technology,spacecraft,space-exploration

Posted January 16, 2019 08:09:23

Cotton seeds planted on the far side of the Moon sprout for the first time, in what researchers hope will help determine its potential to support future space travellers.

Topics:astronomy-space,science-and-technology,spacecraft,space-exploration,china

Posted January 11, 2019 21:17:07

China's national space agency releases the first panoramic images of the far side of the Moon, showing the grey moonscape, a lander and a rover, since its world-first landing earlier this month.

Topics:science-and-technology,astronomy-space,space-exploration,spacecraft,china

Posted January 09, 2019 12:56:39 | Updated January 09, 2019 14:42:35

The NASA space probe TESS discovers a new exoplanet located just 53 light-years from our solar system.

Topics:science-and-technology,astronomy-space,space-exploration,planets-and-asteroids,united-states

Posted January 07, 2019 20:24:16

Yusaku Maezawa promises large prizes to followers who share his message boasting of the volume of sales his online clothing retailer is making, earning many more retweets than a man who just wanted free chicken nuggets.

Topics:human-interest,social-media,internet-culture,information-and-communication,astronomy-space,space-exploration,spacecraft,japan,united-states

Posted January 07, 2019 07:29:16

Footage shows China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe making a successful touchdown on the mysterious far side of the Moon.

Topics:the-moon,space-exploration,spacecraft,air-and-space,research,china

Posted January 03, 2019 15:47:22 | Updated January 04, 2019 07:09:53

The Chinese National Space Agency lands a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon for the first time part of an ambitious push to explore its resources and potential as a space base.

Topics:astronomy-space,science-and-technology,the-moon,space-exploration,spacecraft,china

Posted January 03, 2019 10:44:17 | Updated January 03, 2019 13:01:15

The first sharp picture of the "city-sized world" the New Horizons probe travelled 6.5 billion kilometres to explore has arrived on Earth, to the delight of NASA.

Topics:space-exploration,spacecraft,astronomy-space,planets-and-asteroids,science-and-technology

Posted January 03, 2019 08:41:55 | Updated January 03, 2019 12:44:31

There are warnings about "runaway cowboy-like behaviour" from private companies joining the space race after a US tech start-up was slapped with a historic fine last month for launching unauthorised satellites.

Topics:science-and-technology,astronomy-space,space-exploration,united-states

Posted January 02, 2019 09:18:37

NASA scientists say they expect to start analysing the first high-resolution images of the Ultima Thule within 24 hours.

Topics:astronomy-space,space-exploration,united-states

Posted January 02, 2019 06:05:22 | Updated January 02, 2019 12:12:09

NASA's New Horizons probe flies past Ultima Thule a ball of dust and ice after a 13-year, 6.5-billion-kilometre journey into an uncharted region of space beyond Pluto.

Topics:space-exploration,spacecraft,astronomy-space,united-states

Posted December 31, 2018 06:09:55

Just outside of our solar system onboard the Voyager space probes sits the Golden Record, a 'message in a bottle' filled with songs and sounds from life on earth.

Topics:astronomy-space,science-and-technology,space-exploration,spacecraft,arts-and-entertainment,indigenous-music,history,community-and-society,pacific,solomon-islands,papua-new-guinea,united-states

Posted December 30, 2018 08:46:25 | Updated December 30, 2018 17:22:20

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is about to fly past Ultima Thule, the most distant world we've ever explored, lying 1.6 billion kilometres beyond Pluto. Within a couple of days it will go from an object we know almost nothing about to the best-studied Kuiper Belt object in history.

Topics:science-and-technology,spacecraft,space-exploration,planets-and-asteroids,astronomy-space

Posted December 28, 2018 15:43:04

Australia hasn't exactly been at the centre of the space race but now, the Federal Government thinks astronauts and rockets could be on the horizon for Australia. Some in the space industry say they're being a little optimistic.

Topics:space-exploration,federal-government,research-organisations,australia

Posted December 28, 2018 06:49:55

With Riyadh still reeling from the global outcry against the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the sovereign reshuffles the leadership in a bid to quell concerns.

Topics:space-exploration,spacecraft,saudi-arabia

Posted December 24, 2018 18:14:32

Despite his pivotal role in the Apollo 8 mission which was crucial in paving the way for the Moon landing seven months later Bill Anders says the idea of sending human crews to Mars is "almost ridiculous".

Topics:spacecraft,space-exploration,science-and-technology,united-states

Posted December 22, 2018 17:11:40 | Updated December 28, 2018 14:37:36

Researchers say a massive crash is to blame for the icy planet being unique in the solar system, tilted 90 degrees on its side along with its five moons.

Topics:astronomy-space,space-exploration,science-and-technology,united-states

Posted December 21, 2018 16:18:13

'Twas just before Christmas, and Mars Express looked below. Not a creature was stirring but hang on, was that snow?

Topics:science-and-technology,physics,planets-and-asteroids,spacecraft,space-exploration

Posted December 21, 2018 05:41:04 | Updated December 22, 2018 07:19:18

Exactly half a century ago, the risks involved in deciding to send the crew of Apollo 8 into lunar orbit for Christmas in 1968 would make the Moon landing seem easy in comparison, NASA insiders remember.

Topics:space-exploration,spacecraft,20th-century,moon-landing,united-states,act,australia

Posted December 19, 2018 07:20:53

The Pentagon's new Space Command will be the first step towards the US President's much-touted Space Force and will work to protect America's vast array of military satellites, which are largely unprotected.

Topics:spacecraft,space-exploration,defence-forces,defence-and-aerospace-industries,donald-trump,unrest-conflict-and-war,united-states

Posted December 18, 2018 10:16:51

Astronomers were searching for the hypothetical Planet X, a massive planet believed to be well beyond Pluto, when they discovered "Farout".

Topics:science-and-technology,astronomy-space,space-exploration,hawaii,united-states,chile

Posted December 17, 2018 17:38:56 | Updated December 18, 2018 01:03:07

Former NASA astronaut Andy Thomas hits out at Sir Richard Branson's plan to send travellers into space, describing it as "dangerous" and "go nowhere, dead-end technology".

Topics:astronomy-space,space-exploration,science-and-technology,sa,adelaide-5000

Posted December 14, 2018 09:52:08

A Virgin Galactic rocket has successfully reached space, returning safely to the California desert.

Topics:astronomy-space,space-exploration,spacecraft,united-states

Posted December 12, 2018 14:58:40 | Updated December 12, 2018 15:09:34

The SA Premier's message to the Prime Minister on the new Australian Space Agency was "beam me up Scotty". What will the agency actually do to live long, and prosper?

Topics:spacecraft,space-exploration,astronomy-space,science-and-technology,federal---state-issues,government-and-politics,federal-government,adelaide-5000,sa,australia

Posted December 12, 2018 11:55:33

PM Scott Morrison says South Australia is the ideal home for the new space hub.

Topics:astronomy-space,space-exploration,adelaide-5000

See the article here:

Space Exploration - ABC News

European Space Agency – Wikipedia

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The European Space Agency (ESA; French: Agence spatiale europenne, ASE;[4][5] German: Europische Weltraumorganisation) is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states[6] dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,200 in 2018[7] and an annual budget of about 5.6 billion (~US$7 billion) in 2018.[3]

ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana. The main European launch vehicle Ariane 5 is operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle. The agency is also working with NASA to manufacture the Orion Spacecraft service module, that will fly on the Space Launch System.[8][9]

The agency's facilities are distributed among the following centres:

After World War II, many European scientists left Western Europe in order to work with the United States. Although the 1950s boom made it possible for Western European countries to invest in research and specifically in space-related activities, Western European scientists realised solely national projects would not be able to compete with the two main superpowers. In 1958, only months after the Sputnik shock, Edoardo Amaldi (Italy) and Pierre Auger (France), two prominent members of the Western European scientific community, met to discuss the foundation of a common Western European space agency. The meeting was attended by scientific representatives from eight countries, including Harrie Massey (United Kingdom).

The Western European nations decided to have two agencies: one concerned with developing a launch system, ELDO (European Launch Development Organization), and the other the precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO (European Space Research Organisation). The latter was established on 20 March 1964 by an agreement signed on 14 June 1962. From 1968 to 1972, ESRO launched seven research satellites.

ESA in its current form was founded with the ESA Convention in 1975, when ESRO was merged with ELDO. ESA had ten founding member states: Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[10] These signed the ESA Convention in 1975 and deposited the instruments of ratification by 1980, when the convention came into force. During this interval the agency functioned in a de facto fashion. ESA launched its first major scientific mission in 1975, Cos-B, a space probe monitoring gamma-ray emissions in the universe, which was first worked on by ESRO.

The ESA collaborated with NASA on the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), the world's first high-orbit telescope, which was launched in 1978 and operated successfully for 18 years. A number of successful Earth-orbit projects followed, and in 1986 ESA began Giotto, its first deep-space mission, to study the comets Halley and GriggSkjellerup. Hipparcos, a star-mapping mission, was launched in 1989 and in the 1990s SOHO, Ulysses and the Hubble Space Telescope were all jointly carried out with NASA. Later scientific missions in cooperation with NASA include the CassiniHuygens space probe, to which ESA contributed by building the Titan landing module Huygens.

As the successor of ELDO, ESA has also constructed rockets for scientific and commercial payloads. Ariane 1, launched in 1979, carried mostly commercial payloads into orbit from 1984 onward. The next two versions of the Ariane rocket were intermediate stages in the development of a more advanced launch system, the Ariane 4, which operated between 1988 and 2003 and established ESA as the world leader[citation needed] in commercial space launches in the 1990s. Although the succeeding Ariane 5 experienced a failure on its first flight, it has since firmly established itself within the heavily competitive commercial space launch market with 82 successful launches until 2018. The successor launch vehicle of Ariane 5, the Ariane 6, is under development and is envisioned to enter service in the 2020s.

The beginning of the new millennium saw ESA become, along with agencies like NASA, JAXA, ISRO, CSA and Roscosmos, one of the major participants in scientific space research. Although ESA had relied on co-operation with NASA in previous decades, especially the 1990s, changed circumstances (such as tough legal restrictions on information sharing by the United States military) led to decisions to rely more on itself and on co-operation with Russia. A 2011 press issue thus stated:[11]

Russia is ESA's first partner in its efforts to ensure long-term access to space. There is a framework agreement between ESA and the government of the Russian Federation on cooperation and partnership in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and cooperation is already underway in two different areas of launcher activity that will bring benefits to both partners.

Notable outcomes are ESA's include SMART-1, a probe testing cutting-edge new space propulsion technology, the Mars Express and Venus Express missions, as well as the development of the Ariane 5 rocket and its role in the ISS partnership. ESA maintains its scientific and research projects mainly for astronomy-space missions such as Corot, launched on 27 December 2006, a milestone in the search for exoplanets.

The treaty establishing the European Space Agency reads:[12]

ESA's purpose shall be to provide for, and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among the European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems

ESA is responsible for setting a unified space and related industrial policy, recommending space objectives to the member states, and integrating national programs like satellite development, into the European program as much as possible.[12]

Jean-Jacques Dordain ESA's Director General (2003-2015) outlined the European Space Agency's mission in a 2003 interview:[13]

Today space activities have pursued the benefit of citizens, and citizens are asking for a better quality of life on Earth. They want greater security and economic wealth, but they also want to pursue their dreams, to increase their knowledge, and they want younger people to be attracted to the pursuit of science and technology.

I think that space can do all of this: it can produce a higher quality of life, better security, more economic wealth, and also fulfill our citizens' dreams and thirst for knowledge, and attract the young generation. This is the reason space exploration is an integral part of overall space activities. It has always been so, and it will be even more important in the future.

ESA describes its work in two overlapping ways:

According to the ESA website, the activities are:

Every member country must contribute to these programmes, listed according to:[14]

Depending on their individual choices the countries can contribute to the following programmes, listed according to:[15]

ESA member states

ESA associate members

ECS states

Signatories of the Cooperation Agreement

By 2015, ESA was an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states.[6] Member states participate to varying degrees in the mandatory (25% of total expenditures in 2008) and optional space programmes (75% of total expenditures in 2008).[16] The 2008 budget amounted to 3.0 billion the 2009 budget to 3.6 billion.[17] The total budget amounted to about 3.7 billion in 2010, 3.99 billion in 2011, 4.02 billion in 2012, 4.28 billion in 2013, 4.10 billion in 2014 and 4.33 billion in 2015.[18][19][20][21][22] Languages generally used are English and French. Additionally, official documents are also provided in German and documents regarding the Spacelab are also provided in Italian. If found appropriate, the agency may conduct its correspondence in any language of a member state.

The following table lists all the member states and adjunct members, their ESA convention ratification dates, and their contributions in 2018:[3]

Currently the only associated member state is Slovenia.[34] Previously associated members were Austria, Norway and Finland, all of which later joined ESA as full members.

Since 1 January 1979, Canada has had the special status of a Cooperating State within ESA. By virtue of this accord, the Canadian Space Agency takes part in ESA's deliberative bodies and decision-making and also in ESA's programmes and activities. Canadian firms can bid for and receive contracts to work on programmes. The accord has a provision ensuring a fair industrial return to Canada.[36] The most recent Cooperation Agreement was signed on 2010-12-15 with a term extending to 2020.[37][38] For 2014, Canada's annual assessed contribution to the ESA general budget was 6,059,449 (CAD$8,559,050).[39] For 2017, Canada has increased its annual contribution to 21,600,000 (CAD$30,000,000).[40]

ESA is funded from annual contributions by national governments as well as from an annual contribution by the European Union (EU).[41]

The budget of ESA was 5.250 billion in 2016.[42] Every 34 years, ESA member states agree on a budget plan for several years at an ESA member states conference. This plan can be amended in future years, however provides the major guideline for ESA for several years.[citation needed] The 2016 budget allocations for major areas of ESA activity are shown in the chart on the right.[42]

Countries typically have their own space programmes that differ in how they operate organisationally and financially with ESA. For example, the French space agency CNES has a total budget of 2015 million, of which 755 million is paid as direct financial contribution to ESA.[43] Several space-related projects are joint projects between national space agencies and ESA (e.g. COROT). Also, ESA is not the only European governmental space organisation (for example European Union Satellite Centre).

After the decision of the ESA Council of 21/22 March 2001, the procedure for accession of the European states was detailed as described the document titled "The Plan for European Co-operating States (PECS)".[44]Nations that want to become a full member of ESA do so in 3 stages. First a Cooperation Agreement is signed between the country and ESA. In this stage, the country has very limited financial responsibilities. If a country wants to co-operate more fully with ESA, it signs a European Cooperating State (ECS) Agreement. The ECS Agreement makes companies based in the country eligible for participation in ESA procurements. The country can also participate in all ESA programmes, except for the Basic Technology Research Programme. While the financial contribution of the country concerned increases, it is still much lower than that of a full member state. The agreement is normally followed by a Plan For European Cooperating State (or PECS Charter). This is a 5-year programme of basic research and development activities aimed at improving the nation's space industry capacity. At the end of the 5-year period, the country can either begin negotiations to become a full member state or an associated state or sign a new PECS Charter.[45] Many countries, most of which joined the EU in both 2004 and 2007, have started to co-operate with ESA on various levels:

During the Ministerial Meeting in December 2014, ESA ministers approved a resolution calling for discussions to begin with Israel, Australia and South Africa on future association agreements. The ministers noted that concrete cooperation is at an advanced stage with these nations and that prospects for mutual benefits are existing.[68]

A separate space exploration strategy resolution calls for further co-operation with the United States, Russia and China on "LEO exploration, including a continuation of ISS cooperation and the development of a robust plan for the coordinated use of space transportation vehicles and systems for exploration purposes, participation in robotic missions for the exploration of the Moon, the robotic exploration of Mars, leading to a broad Mars Sample Return mission in which Europe should be involved as a full partner, and human missions beyond LEO in the longer term."[68]

The political perspective of the European Union (EU) was to make ESA an agency of the EU by 2014,[69] although this date was not met. The EU is already the largest single donor to ESA's budget and non-ESA EU states are observers at ESA.

ESA has a fleet of different launch vehicles in service with which it competes in all sectors of the launch market. ESA's fleet consists of three major rocket designs: Ariane 5, Soyuz-2 and Vega. Rocket launches are carried out by Arianespace, which has 23 shareholders representing the industry that manufactures the Ariane 5 as well as CNES, at ESA's Guiana Space Centre. Because many communication satellites have equatorial orbits, launches from French Guiana are able to take larger payloads into space than from spaceports at higher latitudes. In addition, equatorial launches give spacecraft an extra 'push' of nearly 500m/s due to the higher rotational velocity of the Earth at the equator compared to near the Earth's poles where rotational velocity approaches zero.

The Ariane 5 rocket is ESA's primary launcher. It has been in service since 1997 and replaced Ariane 4. Two different variants are currently in use. The heaviest and most used version, the Ariane 5 ECA, delivers two communications satellites of up to 10 tonnes into GTO. It failed during its first test flight in 2002, but has since made 82 consecutive successful flights until a partial failure in January 2018. The other version, Ariane 5 ES, was used to launch the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to the International Space Station (ISS) and will be used to launch four Galileo navigational satellites at a time.[70][71]

In November 2012, ESA agreed to build an upgraded variant called Ariane 5 ME (Mid-life Evolution) which would increase payload capacity to 11.5 tonnes to GTO and feature a restartable second stage to allow more complex missions. Ariane 5 ME was scheduled to fly in 2018[72], but the whole project was scrapped in favor of Ariane 6, planned to replace Ariane 5 in the 2020s.

ESA's Ariane 1, 2, 3 and 4 launchers (the last of which was ESA's long-time workhorse) have been retired.

Soyuz-2 (also called the Soyuz-ST or Soyuz-STK) is a Russian medium payload launcher (ca. 3 metric tons to GTO) which was brought into ESA service in October 2011.[73][74] ESA entered into a 340 million joint venture with the Russian Federal Space Agency over the use of the Soyuz launcher.[11] Under the agreement, the Russian agency manufactures Soyuz rocket parts for ESA, which are then shipped to French Guiana for assembly.

ESA benefits because it gains a medium payload launcher, complementing its fleet while saving on development costs. In addition, the Soyuz rocketwhich has been the Russian's space launch workhorse for some 40 yearsis proven technology with a very good safety record. Russia benefits in that it gets access to the Kourou launch site. Due to its proximity to the equator, launching from Kourou rather than Baikonur nearly doubles Soyuz's payload to GTO (3.0 tonnes vs. 1.7 tonnes).

Soyuz first launched from Kourou on 21 October 2011, and successfully placed two Galileo satellites into orbit 23,222 kilometres above Earth.[73]

Vega is ESA's carrier for small satellites. Developed by seven ESA members led by Italy, it is capable of carrying a payload with a mass of between 300 and 1500kg to an altitude of 700km, for low polar orbit. Its maiden launch from Kourou was on 13 February 2012.[75] Vega began full commercial exploitation in December 2015 [76]

The rocket has three solid propulsion stages and a liquid propulsion upper stage (the AVUM) for accurate orbital insertion and the ability to place multiple payloads into different orbits.[77][78]

Historically, the Ariane family rockets have been funded primarily "with money contributed by ESA governments seeking to participate in the program rather than through competitive industry bids. This [has meant that] governments commit multiyear funding to the development with the expectation of a roughly 90% return on investment in the form of industrial workshare." ESA is proposing changes to this scheme by moving to competitive bids for the development of the Ariane 6.[79]

At the time ESA was formed, its main goals did not encompass human space flight; rather it considered itself to be primarily a scientific research organisation for unmanned space exploration in contrast to its American and Soviet counterparts. It is therefore not surprising that the first non-Soviet European in space was not an ESA astronaut on a European space craft; it was Czechoslovak Vladimr Remek who in 1978 became the first non-Soviet or American in space (the first man in space being Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union) on a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft, followed by the Pole Mirosaw Hermaszewski and East German Sigmund Jhn in the same year. This Soviet co-operation programme, known as Intercosmos, primarily involved the participation of Eastern bloc countries. In 1982, however, Jean-Loup Chrtien became the first non-Communist Bloc astronaut on a flight to the Soviet Salyut 7 space station.

Because Chrtien did not officially fly into space as an ESA astronaut, but rather as a member of the French CNES astronaut corps, the German Ulf Merbold is considered the first ESA astronaut to fly into space. He participated in the STS-9 Space Shuttle mission that included the first use of the European-built Spacelab in 1983. STS-9 marked the beginning of an extensive ESA/NASA joint partnership that included dozens of space flights of ESA astronauts in the following years. Some of these missions with Spacelab were fully funded and organizationally and scientifically controlled by ESA (such as two missions by Germany and one by Japan) with European astronauts as full crew members rather than guests on board. Beside paying for Spacelab flights and seats on the shuttles, ESA continued its human space flight co-operation with the Soviet Union and later Russia, including numerous visits to Mir.

During the latter half of the 1980s, European human space flights changed from being the exception to routine and therefore, in 1990, the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany was established. It selects and trains prospective astronauts and is responsible for the co-ordination with international partners, especially with regard to the International Space Station. As of 2006, the ESA astronaut corps officially included twelve members, including nationals from most large European countries except the United Kingdom.

In the summer of 2008, ESA started to recruit new astronauts so that final selection would be due in spring 2009. Almost 10,000 people registered as astronaut candidates before registration ended in June 2008. 8,413 fulfilled the initial application criteria. Of the applicants, 918 were chosen to take part in the first stage of psychological testing, which narrowed down the field to 192. After two-stage psychological tests and medical evaluation in early 2009, as well as formal interviews, six new members of the European Astronaut Corps were selected - five men and one woman.[80]

The astronauts of the European Space Agency are:

In the 1980s, France pressed for an independent European crew launch vehicle. Around 1978 it was decided to pursue a reusable spacecraft model and starting in November 1987 a project to create a mini-shuttle by the name of Hermes was introduced. The craft was comparable to early proposals for the Space Shuttle and consisted of a small reusable spaceship that would carry 3 to 5 astronauts and 3 to 4 metric tons of payload for scientific experiments. With a total maximum weight of 21 metric tons it would have been launched on the Ariane 5 rocket, which was being developed at that time. It was planned solely for use in low Earth orbit space flights. The planning and pre-development phase concluded in 1991; the production phase was never fully implemented because at that time the political landscape had changed significantly. With the fall of the Soviet Union ESA looked forward to co-operation with Russia to build a next-generation space vehicle. Thus the Hermes programme was cancelled in 1995 after about 3 billion dollars had been spent. The Columbus space station programme had a similar fate.

In the 21st century, ESA started new programmes in order to create its own crew vehicles, most notable among its various projects and proposals is Hopper, whose prototype by EADS, called Phoenix, has already been tested. While projects such as Hopper are neither concrete nor to be realised within the next decade, other possibilities for human spaceflight in co-operation with the Russian Space Agency have emerged. Following talks with the Russian Space Agency in 2004 and June 2005,[85] a co-operation between ESA and the Russian Space Agency was announced to jointly work on the Russian-designed Kliper, a reusable spacecraft that would be available for space travel beyond LEO (e.g. the moon or even Mars). It was speculated that Europe would finance part of it. A 50 million participation study for Kliper, which was expected to be approved in December 2005, was finally not approved by the ESA member states. The Russian state tender for the project was subsequently cancelled in 2006.

In June 2006, ESA member states granted 15 million to the Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS) study, a two-year study to design a spacecraft capable of going beyond Low-Earth orbit based on the current Soyuz design. This project was pursued with Roskosmos instead of the cancelled Kliper proposal. A decision on the actual implementation and construction of the CSTS spacecraft was contemplated for 2008.In mid-2009 EADS Astrium was awarded a 21 million study into designing a crew vehicle based on the European ATV which is believed to now be the basis of the Advanced Crew Transportation System design.[86]

In November 2012, ESA decided to join NASA's Orion programme. The ATV would form the basis of a propulsion unit for NASA's new manned spacecraft. ESA may also seek to work with NASA on Orion's launch system as well in order to secure a seat on the spacecraft for its own astronauts.[87]

In September 2014, ESA signed an agreement with Sierra Nevada Corporation for co-operation in Dream Chaser project. Further studies on the Dream Chaser for European Utilization or DC4EU project were funded, including the feasibility of launching a Europeanized Dream Chaser onboard Ariane 5.[88][89]

ESA has signed co-operation agreements with the following states that currently neither plan to integrate as tightly with ESA institutions as Canada, nor envision future membership of ESA: Argentina,[90] Brazil,[91] China,[92] India[93] (for the Chandrayan mission), Russia[94] and Turkey.[95]

Additionally, ESA has joint projects with the European Union, NASA of the United States and is participating in the International Space Station together with the United States (NASA), Russia and Japan (JAXA).

ESA and EU member states

ESA-only members

EU-only members

ESA is not an agency or body of the European Union (EU), and has non-EU countries (Norway, and Switzerland) as members. There are however ties between the two, with various agreements in place and being worked on, to define the legal status of ESA with regard to the EU.[96]

There are common goals between ESA and the EU. ESA has an EU liaison office in Brussels. On certain projects, the EU and ESA co-operate, such as the upcoming Galileo satellite navigation system. Space policy has since December 2009 been an area for voting in the European Council. Under the European Space Policy of 2007, the EU, ESA and its Member States committed themselves to increasing co-ordination of their activities and programmes and to organising their respective roles relating to space.[97]

The Lisbon Treaty of 2009 reinforces the case for space in Europe and strengthens the role of ESA as an R&D space agency. Article 189 of the Treaty gives the EU a mandate to elaborate a European space policy and take related measures, and provides that the EU should establish appropriate relations with ESA.

Former Italian astronaut Umberto Guidoni, during his tenure as a Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009, stressed the importance of the European Union as a driving force for space exploration, "since other players are coming up such as India and China it is becoming ever more important that Europeans can have an independent access to space. We have to invest more into space research and technology in order to have an industry capable of competing with other international players."[98]

The first EU-ESA International Conference on Human Space Exploration took place in Prague on 22 and 23 October 2009.[99] A road map which would lead to a common vision and strategic planning in the area of space exploration was discussed. Ministers from all 29 EU and ESA members as well as members of parliament were in attendance.[100]

ESA has a long history of collaboration with NASA. Since ESA's astronaut corps was formed, the Space Shuttle has been the primary launch vehicle used by ESA's astronauts to get into space through partnership programmes with NASA. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Spacelab programme was an ESA-NASA joint research programme that had ESA develop and manufacture orbital labs for the Space Shuttle for several flights on which ESA participate with astronauts in experiments.

In robotic science mission and exploration missions, NASA has been ESA's main partner. CassiniHuygens was a joint NASA-ESA mission, along with the Infrared Space Observatory, INTEGRAL, SOHO, and others. Also, the Hubble space telescope is a joint project of NASA and ESA. Future ESA-NASA joint projects include the James Webb Space Telescope and the proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.[citation needed] NASA has committed to provide support to ESA's proposed MarcoPolo-R mission to return an asteroid sample to Earth for further analysis.[citation needed] NASA and ESA will also likely join together for a Mars Sample Return Mission.[101]

Since China has started to invest more money into space activities, the Chinese Space Agency has sought international partnerships. ESA is, beside the Russian Space Agency, one of its most important partners. Two space agencies cooperated in the development of the Double Star Mission.[102] In 2017, ESA sent two astronauts to China for two weeks sea survival training with Chinese astronauts in Yantai, Shandong.[103]

ESA entered into a major joint venture with Russia in the form of the CSTS, the preparation of French Guiana spaceport for launches of Soyuz-2 rockets and other projects. With India, ESA agreed to send instruments into space aboard the ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 in 2008.[104] ESA is also co-operating with Japan, the most notable current project in collaboration with JAXA is the BepiColombo mission to Mercury.

Speaking to reporters at an air show near Moscow in August 2011, ESA head Jean-Jacques Dordain said ESA and Russia's Roskosmos space agency would "carry out the first flight to Mars together."[105]

With regard to the International Space Station (ISS) ESA is not represented by all of its member states:[106] 10 of the 21 ESA member states currently participate in the project: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Austria, Finland and Ireland chose not to participate, because of lack of interest or concerns about the expense of the project. The United Kingdom withdrew from the preliminary agreement because of concerns about the expense of the project. Portugal, Luxembourg, Greece, the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland joined ESA after the agreement had been signed. ESA is taking part in the construction and operation of the ISS with contributions such as Columbus, a science laboratory module that was brought into orbit by NASA's STS-122 Space Shuttle mission and the Cupola observatory module that was completed in July 2005 by Alenia Spazio for ESA. The current estimates for the ISS are approaching 100 billion in total (development, construction and 10 years of maintaining the station) of which ESA has committed to paying 8 billion.[107] About 90% of the costs of ESA's ISS share will be contributed by Germany (41%), France (28%) and Italy (20%). German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter was the first long-term ISS crew member.

ESA has developed the Automated Transfer Vehicle for ISS resupply. Each ATV has a cargo capacity of 7,667 kilograms (16,903lb).[108] The first ATV, Jules Verne, was launched on 9 March 2008 and on 3 April 2008 successfully docked with the ISS. This manoeuvre, considered a major technical feat, involved using automated systems to allow the ATV to track the ISS, moving at 27,000km/h, and attach itself with an accuracy of 2cm.

As of 2013, the spacecraft establishing supply links to the ISS are the Russian Progress and Soyuz, European ATV, Japanese Kounotori (HTV), and the USA COTS program vehicles Dragon and Cygnus.

European Life and Physical Sciences research on board the International Space Station (ISS) is mainly based on the European Programme for Life and Physical Sciences in Space programme that was initiated in 2001.

According to Annex 1, Resolution No. 8 of the ESA Convention and Council Rules of Procedure,[4] English, French and German may be used in all meetings of the Agency, with interpretation provided into these three languages. All official documents are available in English and French with all documents concerning the ESA Council being available in German as well.

The Flag of Europe is the one to be flown in space during missions (for example it was flown by ESA's Andre Kuipers during Delta mission)

The Commission is increasingly working together towards common objectives. Some 20 per cent of the funds managed by ESA now originate from the supranational budget of the European Union.

However, in recent years the ties between ESA and the European institutions have been reinforced by the increasing role that space plays in supporting Europes social, political and economic policies.

The legal basis for the EU/ESA co-operation is provided by a Framework Agreement which entered into force in May 2004. According to this agreement, the European Commission and ESA co-ordinate their actions through the Joint Secretariat, a small team of ECs administrators and ESA executive. The Member States of the two organisations meet at ministerial level in the Space Council, which is a concomitant meeting of the EU and ESA Councils, prepared by Member States representatives in the High-level Space Policy Group (HSPG).

ESA maintains a liaison office in Brussels to facilitate relations with the European institutions.

In May 2007, the 29 European countries expressed their support for the European Space Policy in a resolution of the Space Council, unifying the approach of ESA with those of the European Union and their member states.

Prepared jointly by the European Commission and ESAs Director General, the European Space Policy sets out a basic vision and strategy for the space sector and addresses issues such as security and defence, access to space and exploration.

Through this resolution, the EU, ESA and their Member States all commit to increasing co-ordination of their activities and programmes and their respective roles relating to space.[111]

On 3 August 1984, the ESA's Paris headquarters were severely damaged and six people were hurt when a bomb exploded, planted by the far-left armed Action Directe group.[112]

On 14 December 2015, hackers from Anonymous breached the ESA's subdomains and leaked thousands of login credentials.[113]

Coordinates: 485054N 21815E / 48.8482N 2.3042E / 48.8482; 2.3042

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European Space Agency - Wikipedia

Genetic Engineering Will Change Everything Forever …

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Designer babies, the end of diseases, genetically modified humans that never age. Outrageous things that used to be science fiction are suddenly becoming reality. The only thing we know for sure is that things will change irreversibly.

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Thanks to Volker Henn, James Gurney and (prefers anonymity) for help with this video!

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Jeffrey Schneider, Konstantin Kaganovich, Tom Leiser, Archie Castillo, Russell Eishard, Ben Kershaw, Marius Stollen, Henry Bowman, Ben Johns, Bogdan Radu, Sam Toland, Pierre Thalamy, Christopher Morgan, Rocks Arent People, Ross Devereux, Pascal Michaud, Derek DuBreuil, Sofia Quintero, Robert Swiniarski, Merkt Kzlrmak, Michelle Rowley, Andy Dong, Saphir Patel, Harris Rotto, Thomas Huzij, Ryan James Burke, NTRX, Chaz Lewis, Amir Resali, The War on Stupid, John Pestana, Lucien Delbert, iaDRM, Jacob Edwards, Lauritz Klaus, Jason Hunt, Marcus : ), Taylor Lau, Rhett H Eisenberg, Mr.Z, Jeremy Dumet, Fatman13, Kasturi Raghavan, Kousora, Rich Sekmistrz, Mozart Peter, Gaby Germanos, Andreas Hertle, Alena Vlachova, Zdravko aek

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:

The best book we read about the topic: GMO Sapiens

https://goo.gl/NxFmk8

(affiliate link, we get a cut if buy the book!)

Good Overview by Wired:http://bit.ly/1DuM4zq

timeline of computer development:http://bit.ly/1VtiJ0N

Selective breeding: http://bit.ly/29GaPVS

DNA:http://bit.ly/1rQs8Yk

Radiation research:http://bit.ly/2ad6wT1

inserting DNA snippets into organisms:http://bit.ly/2apyqbj

First genetically modified animal:http://bit.ly/2abkfYO

First GM patent:http://bit.ly/2a5cCox

chemicals produced by GMOs:http://bit.ly/29UvTbhhttp://bit.ly/2abeHwUhttp://bit.ly/2a86sBy

Flavr Savr Tomato:http://bit.ly/29YPVwN

First Human Engineering:http://bit.ly/29ZTfsf

glowing fish:http://bit.ly/29UwuJU

CRISPR:http://go.nature.com/24Nhykm

HIV cut from cells and rats with CRISPR:http://go.nature.com/1RwR1xIhttp://ti.me/1TlADSi

first human CRISPR trials fighting cancer:http://go.nature.com/28PW40r

first human CRISPR trial approved by Chinese for August 2016:http://go.nature.com/29RYNnK

genetic diseases:http://go.nature.com/2a8f7ny

pregnancies with Down Syndrome terminated:http://bit.ly/2acVyvg( 1999 European study)

CRISPR and aging:http://bit.ly/2a3NYAVhttp://bit.ly/SuomTyhttp://go.nature.com/29WpDj1http://ti.me/1R7Vus9

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Best Nootropics 2018 (Updated) Nootropics Expert

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Ask a group of neurohackers which are the best nootropics and youll get a symphony of opinions. But when you drill down to what people are taking every day you start to see a pattern.

Experienced biohackers working on cognitive enhancement find its easier to focus their brain hacking goals into a few well-defined categories. Then look for the best nootropic to address each one. It looks something like this

I have my favorite nootropics after 10-years of trial and error. And chances are that what works for me may work well for you too. The nootropics Im talking about here are part of the stack I use every day.

Youll notice in the categories above that some nootropics work in multiple areas of cognitive enhancement. The obvious benefit is fewer nootropics in a well-rounded stack.

And once you dive into the neuroscience behind each nootropic, youll find synergy on how many of these compounds work together. This extends to smaller doses of each for a bigger benefit.

Brain optimization comes with a lot of experimenting to find what works best. Trying different compounds, keeping a log of what works and how well, and a considerable investment.

Naturally, Im on the lookout for how to save money without cutting corners. So once Ive narrowed my stack choices, the search begins for a quality pre-made nootropic stack that will save me buying individual packs, tubs of powder or capsules.

Fortunately, I found the best pre-made nootropic stack in late 2015 which covered the bulk of the nootropics Id selected for my stack. Its called Mind Lab Pro.

Ill talk more about Mind Lab Pro in a few minutes and how it ties into my brain hacking goals.The company that makes MLP just recently introduced a new line of supplements called Performance Lab. Offering even more options for brain optimization. More on that later as well.

Before I get into detail on how my stack works, here are what many neurohackers consider the best nootropics available today.

For a more detailed dive into how to build the best nootropic stack, check my other posts:

Beginners Guide to Nootropic Stacks

How to Create the Best Nootropic Stack

Here well do a quick review on building a great nootropic stack.

The more we learn about some of nootropics that have been used for thousands of years for cognitive enhancement. The more we realize these natural compounds are often as good as or better than modern prescription medications.

As you gain experience, youll also come to realize that some pre-made nootropic stacks simply dont make sense. Amounts are well below therapeutic doses to expect any reasonable kind of benefit.

And understand that no one is a master at the science and art of nootropics. Dont believe anything I have to say. Find out for yourself if something is true. And change course when you need to if you want to achieve your neurohacking goals.

Next, well take a closer look at each of the nootropics I recommend and use every day.

Each of the nootropics covered below contain links through to a complete and thorough report. When you click through to each individual nootropic supplement review youll find more detail on what it is, why we use it as a nootropic, how it feels, mechanism of action in the brain, side effects, forms available and recommended doses.

Youll also notice in the table above and each nootropic listed below some are marked with an asterisk (*). This means its part of the Mind Lab Pro formula of two capsules per day.

Each of these nootropics are generally regarded as safe and non-toxic at recommended doses. Your mileage may vary. How you respond to each of these compounds depends on a host of variables including:

So please click through to each nootropic and read the side effects, drug interactions and any other notes or warnings. But in general, these are among the safest cognitive enhancers we know of.

Read more about Nootropics Safety and Side Effects

ALCAR helps transport of fatty acids into mitochondria where theyre needed for energy metabolism.[i] Fueling your cells power plants can boost physical and mental energy.

ALCAR is a necessary ingredient for acetylcholine formation.[ii] Which boosts memory, mental alertness, and fluid thought.

The antioxidant properties of Acetyl-L-Carnitine provide neuroprotective qualities, boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), and promotes cerebral blood circulation.

Aniracetam is one of the best nootropics available today. Its well-known among experienced nootropics users for reducing anxiety, depression, fear and improving sociability.[iii] But it does so much more.

Aniracetam enhances your brains ability to repair damaged cell membranes. It desensitizes glutamate (AMPA) receptors in your brain.[iv] Which boosts neural signaling by increasing the effectiveness of glutamate. Resulting in better focus and concentration.

Aniracetam also improves memory and recall by releasing 200 300% more acetylcholine in the brain.[v] Which increases focus, and clarity of thought.

Bacopa Monnieri is one of the best nootropics for studying. Researchers at Banaras Hindu University in India showed Bacopa as effective for anxiety as the benzodiazepine drug lorazepam. Unlike benzodiazepines, Bacopa did not cause memory loss. But in fact, it boosted cognition.[vi]

Another study done in Portland Oregon demonstrated that 300 mg of Bacopa per day for 12 weeks:

A valuable addition to any great nootropic stack, CDP-Choline is a multitasker which improves cognition and brain function, improves focus and motivation, and reduces fatigue.

CDP-Choline aids in the synthesis of acetylcholine, and the release of dopamine.[viii] Both neurotransmitters involved in learning and memory.

CDP-Choline also helps in the repair of brain cell membranes. The cytidine in CDP-Choline converts to uridine in your body. And works as a bridge between choline and neuron membrane synthesis. Uridine is needed to synthesize phosphatidylcholine (PC) which is needed to repair damaged neuron membranes.[ix]

Choline is so vital to cognition and nerve function that, without it, we couldnt move, think, sleep or remember anything. And one the best ways to provide your brain and body with the choline it needs is with CDP-Choline.

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega-3 fatty acid. DHA is crucial for the healthy structure and function of your brain. Your brain is made up of 60% fat. And much of that fat is DHA.

DHA has the ability to turn on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Improving neuroplasticity leading to better learning and memory. And DHA acts as an anti-inflammatory by reducing the enzyme COX-2.

If you suffer from chronic depression, within a few weeks of adding DHA to your nootropic stack, you should feel the depression lift. Your cognition will be better. Youll think clearer and quicker. Your memory and ability to learn will improve. And youll likely have more energy and motivation.

But it is very likely you wont think to attribute these improvements to adding DHA to your stack. Something else will get the credit.

Lions Mane Mushroom is an ancient Chinese remedy for improving cognitive performance, and overall health.

In our modern world, Lions Mane makes it into some of the top nootropic stacks. Why?

Because Lions Mane stimulates enzyme production that releases Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).[x] It stimulates the repair and creation of neurons (neurogenesis). Boosting neurotransmitters and signaling that effects memory, learning, recall, and mood. And Lions Mane helps eliminate brain fog. Restoring memory and mental alertness. And lowers anxiety and depression symptoms.[xi]

Lions Mane is a great compliment to any nootropic stack including Aniracetam, CDP-Choline and DHA (Omega-3s) for an immediate cognitive boost.

N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine produces the catecholamine-triad of neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. As your dopamine levels increase, youre better able to concentrate, organize your thoughts, and stay productive.

NALT can be an effective treatment for ADHD symptoms. NALT works in synergy with pharmaceutical drugs like Ritalin and Adderall by boosting extracellular levels of dopamine. Helping these drugs be more effective. And mitigating side effects like crashes when the drug wears off.

N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine also improves memory and cognition under acute stress.[xii] It helps improve decision making, flow state and creativity, cognitive flexibility, and working memory.

NALT is a great addition to any nootropic stack, especially if youre dealing with ADHD.

For more tips on how to deal with ADHD and ADD symptoms, see my post:Best Nootropics for ADHD/ADD

Phosphatidylserine is a favoritenootropicbecause:

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is arguably one of the most effective and important nootropics we have available today. It has a reputation for improving alertness, attention, cognition, memory, recall and mood.[xiii]

Pine Bark Extract is one of the best nootropics around but relatively unknown to the nootropic community. Its a naturally derived standardized extract of French maritime pine bark.

Pine Bark Extract helps prevent decreases in dopamine, norepinephrine, and the glutathione (GSH) and GSH-disulphide reductase (GSSG-R) ratio. Neurotransmitter problems which contribute to hyperactivity in ADHD.[xiv]

Pine Bark Extract helps boost blood flow to and within your brain.[xv] By increasing nitric oxide which helps dilate blood vessels. And helping repair and maintain the health of the lining of blood vessels. Crucial to overall brain health, maintaining signaling pathways and leading to improved learning and memory.

And Pine Bark Extract prevents accumulation of oxidatively damaged proteins. And may reduce the risk of diseases like Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and Huntingtons.

Recommended dosage of Pine Bark Extract containing 95% proanthocyanidins is up to 100 mg 3-times per day.

In Russia, Rhodiola Rosea is widely used as a remedy for fatigue, poor concentration, and decreased memory. Its also believed to make workers more productive.

This adaptogen helps reduce stress and fatigue, increase energy, alertness and stamina, while boosting mental performance under periods of chronic stress. Research shows Rhodiola Rosea can increase attention to detail-oriented tasks by improving concentration over a prolonged period. Making it one of the topnootropics for studying.

Rhodiola Rosea boosts mood by influencing serotonin and norepinephrine levels in your brain, and the feel-good opioids like beta-endorphins. It also helps in neurogenesis by repairing and growing new neurons. As well as activating the synthesis and re-synthesis of ATP, your body and brain cells main energy source.

One more reason to add Rhodiola to your nootropic stack it helps reduce the inflammatory C-reactive protein. And salidroside, one of many components of this incredible herb, protects neurons from oxidative stress-induced cell death.

Sulbutiamine is one favoritenootropics in my stack. Its a synthetic derivative of Vitamin B1 (thiamine). Two Vitamin B1 molecules joined together help thiamine more easily cross the blood-brain barrier.

Sulbutiamine is directly involved in the citric acid cycle that provides adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy for your mitochondria. It has been shown to improve glutamatergic, cholinergic, and dopaminergic neurological transmissions. It may also increase the density of D1 dopamine receptors.[xvii]

Sulbutiamine also contributes to the production of the enzyme PDH which is essential in making the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

I love this nootropic because it boosts cognition, memory, decision-making, improves athletic performance, reduces chronic fatigue[xviii] and erectile dysfunction,[xix] and is one of the best antidepressants Ive ever used.[xx]

L-Theanine is an amino acid which naturally occurs in green and oolong tea. Many consider it their favorite nootropic stack when combined with caffeine for the synergistic effect of lowering blood pressure, rejuvenate and relax, boost thinking ability, improve focus and change your mood.

This amazing amino acid:

Most neurohackers report a calming effect within 30 45 minutes of taking L-Theanine. Cognition gets a boost, and energy levels rise without the jitteriness caused by stimulants like caffeine. Some report L-Theanine has stopped their anxiety and panic attacks. (Just dont combine it with anti-anxiety meds like Xanax).

Vinpocetine is often found in some of the premiumnootropic stacks. This semi-synthetic derivative of the lesser periwinkle plant is known for increasing cerebral circulation, taming inflammation and oxidative stress, and boosting alertness, cognition, concentration, memory and mood.

Vinpocetine inhibits the enzyme PDE1 which boosts cerebral blood flow. It blocks the accumulation of sodium in neurons, reduces the toxic effects of oxidative stress, scavenges free radicals, and protects neurons from glutamate and NMDA toxicity.

And by inhibiting PDE1, Vinpocetine increases cAMP and cGMP.[xxiii] Boosting neuroplasticity which enhances cognition and memory.

The B-Vitamins that should be part of every nootropic stack include:

You may not realize the full benefit of a nootropic stack containing CDP-Choline, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, any of the racetams, or any nootropic for that matter without adding a good quality B-Vitamin Complex. Possibly the most important and least expensive addition to your stack.

Some nootropic supplement labels recommend taking it with a meal. The implication behind this recommendation is that the nootropic is fat-soluble. And requires some fat for proper absorption and to increase bioavailability.

Each of the nootropics listed above have links through to a full review which includes information about solubility fat or water soluble.

To be on the safe side, I take one tablespoon of organicunrefined coconut oil with my nootropic stack. This healthy oil provides the fat I need for better bioavailability. And I dont have to worry about taking it with a meal.

Using coconut oil with my stack does not interfere with the water-soluble supplements either. Its a win-win.

Ive tried a lot of different nootropic stacks in the last 10 years. But in late 2015, I finally found one high quality pre-made stack that covered all the bases. That stack is Mind Lab Pro.

I used MLP as the base for my personal nootropic stack throughout 2016 and 2017. And continue to use the same stack in 2018. Its that good.

In fact, in 2017 Opti Nutra, the company that makes Mind Lab Pro upgraded their formula. Their B-Vitamins are now their own proprietary BioGenesis vitamins. Nature-identical nutrients that your body recognize as food.

Then in 2018, Opti Nutra introduced an entire new supplement brand called Performance Lab. The company recognized the demand for more choices when it comes to brain optimization. And the need to support the rest of your body.

Performance Lab offers the pre-formulated nootropic stacks Performance Lab Mind and Performance Lab Energy.

Their nootropic stacks are supported by the Performance Lab Whole-Food Multi containing nature-identical BioGenesis vitamins and minerals for whole-body performance. This multivitamin supplement works very well with Mind Lab Pro as well.

Performance Lab also offers supplement stacks for Vision, Sleep, a Prebiotic, Sports formulas, and a T-Booster for men.

So if youre feeling frustrated in finding the ideal stack, my hope is this page provides the pointers you need to create your optimalnootropic stack.

My attitude on brain optimization is that good enough isnt nearly good enough until Im performing my best. In all areas of life.

The right combination of nootropics in the right amounts have helped me get to the point where I feel Im performing better than ever.

Near the beginning of this page we identified the main points that lead to cognitive improvement; cognition, decision-making, focus, thinking, memory, anxiety, depression, energy, motivation, brain repair and maintenance.

What I love about the nootropicsoutlined on this page is that it covers each of those categories.

But to help you fine-tune your nootropic stack further. You may want to take a look at each of the following posts I wrote on individual areas of brain optimization.

Best Nootropics for Learning & Memory

Best Nootropics for Social Anxiety

Best Nootropic for ADHD

Best Nootropics for Depression

Best Nootropics for Motivation

Best Nootropics for Hacking a Flow State

13 Nootropics to Boost BDNF

Psychobiotics: The Gut-Brain Connection

[i] Berg J.M., Tymoczko J.L., Stryer L.Biochemistry. 5th edition. New York: W H Freeman; 2002. (source)

[ii] White H.L., Scates P.W. Acetyl-L-carnitine as a precursor of acetylcholine.Neurochemical Research1990 Jun;15(6):597-601. (source)

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Bitcoin USD – BTCUSD Overview – MarketWatch

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Breaking Stock market at risk of snapping a four-day rally as partial government shutdown enters 19th day

U.S. stocks opened lower Thursday, with a multiday streak of gains for the three main indexes at risk, as a partial government shutdown enters its 19th day and optimism about trade talks fades somewhat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 120 points, or 0.5%, at 23,762, the S&P 500 index fell 0.6% at 2,570, while the Nasdaq Composite Index gave up 0.7% at 6,906. All three benchmarks have enjoyed four sessions in positive territory, with the S&P 500 and the Dow on the verge of breaking out of correction, defined as a drop of at least 10% from a recent high. By some measures, an asset is viewed as emerging from correction when it climbs at least 10% from its correction low. Meanwhile, China's economic data underlined a sharp slowdown in the world's second-largest economy, with a decline in consumer and producer prices. In economic news in the U.S., initial jobless claims, a rough way to measure layoffs, declined by 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 216,000. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast a 227,000 reading in the seven days ended Jan. 5. Also, market participants await Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and his top deputy Vice Chairman Richard Clarida who are both set to speak later Thursday. Meanwhile, hedge-fund manager Eddie Lampert has reportedly submitted a $5 billion offer for Sears Holdings Corp. . Against that backdrop the partial government shutdown has entered its 19 day.

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Bitcoin is one of many cryptocurrencies currently finding its way across the world of business and finance, Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency and was thought of as Internet money in its early beginnings. Unlike fiat currencies Bitcoin is considered a decentralized currency that means that a network of users control and verify transactions instead of a central authority like a bank or a government.Bitcoin still works like real money one person pays another person for goods and services however once Bitcoin is exchanged, the record of the transaction is publicly recorded onto a ledger known as a blockchain, which other Bitcoin users known as miners verify the transactions in the blockchain via Proof of Work. After a certain amount of transactions have been verified by a miner, they will receive newly minted bitcoins for their work and thus new bitcoins will be added into circulation, while the number of bitcoins in circulations are now in the multi-millions range, the maximum amount of bitcoins that can ever be created is capped at 21 million. The creation rate is automatically halved every few years as more bitcoins are added into circulation, whilst this system is modeled after gold, mining difficulty is always increasing and makes finding new bitcoins more rare as the number of available bitcoins reaches the 21 million cap.As bitcoin has matured as a cryptocurrency there has been more companies warming to the idea of using various bitcoin exchange facilities to gain exposure to the volatile bitcoin price while a few websites such as reddit WordPress and overstock have begun accepting bitcoins, most major retailers have yet to take the plunge into the cryptoverse whils other pioneers have decided to create their own bitcoin forks and have listed new projects on other cryptocurrency exchanges.

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Bitcoin – Investopedia – Sharper Insight. Smarter Investing.

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What is Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a digital currency created in 2009. It follows the ideas set out in a white paper by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, whose true identity has yet to be verified. Bitcoin offers the promise of lower transaction fees than traditional online payment mechanisms and is operated by a decentralized authority, unlike government-issued currencies.

There are no physical bitcoins, only balances kept on a public ledger in the cloud, that along with all Bitcoin transactions is verified by a massive amount of computing power. Bitcoins are not issued or backed by any banks or governments, nor are individual bitcoins valuable as a commodity. Despite its not being legal tender, Bitcoin charts high on popularity, and has triggered the launch of other virtual currencies collectively referred to as Altcoins.

Bitcoin is a type ofcryptocurrency: Balances are kept using public and private "keys," which are long strings of numbers and letters linked through the mathematical encryption algorithm that was used to create them. The public key (comparable to a bank account number) serves as the address which is published to the world and to which others may send bitcoins. The private key (comparable to an ATM PIN) is meant to be a guarded secret, and only used to authorize Bitcoin transmissions.

Style notes: According to the official Bitcoin Foundation, the word "Bitcoin" is capitalized in the context of referring to the entity or concept, whereas "bitcoin" is written in the lower case when referring to a quantity of the currency (e.g. "I traded 20 bitcoin") or the units themselves. The plural form can be either "bitcoin" or "bitcoins."

Bitcoin is one of the first digital currencies to use peer-to-peer technology to facilitate instant payments. The independent individuals and companies who own the governing computing power and participate in the Bitcoin network, also known as "miners," are motivated by rewards (the release of new bitcoin) and transaction fees paid in bitcoin. These miners can be thought of as the decentralized authority enforcing the credibility of the Bitcoin network. New bitcoin is being released to the miners at a fixed, but periodically declining rate, such that the total supply of bitcoins approaches 21 million. One bitcoin is divisible to eight decimal places (100 millionth of one bitcoin), and this smallest unit is referred to as a Satoshi. If necessary, and if the participating miners accept the change, Bitcoin could eventually be made divisible to even more decimal places.

Bitcoin miningisthe process through which bitcoins are released to come into circulation. Basically, it involves solving a computationally difficult puzzle to discover a new block, which is added to the blockchain, and receiving a reward in the form of few bitcoins. The block reward was 50 new bitcoins in 2009; it decreases every four years. As more and more bitcoins are created, the difficulty of the mining process that is, the amount of computing power involved increases. The mining difficulty began at 1.0 with Bitcoin's debut back in 2009; at the end of the year, it was only 1.18.As of April 2017, the mining difficulty is over 4.24 billion. Once, an ordinary desktop computer sufficed for the mining process; now, to combat the difficulty level, miners must use faster hardware like Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), more advanced processing units like Graphic Processing Units (GPUs), etc.

In 2017 alone, the price of Bitcoin rose from a little under $1,000 at the beginning of the year to close to $19,000, ending the year more than 1,400% higher.

Bitcoin's price is also quite dependent on the size of its mining network, since the larger the network is, the more difficult and thus more costly it is to produce new bitcoins. As a result, the price of bitcoin has to increase as its cost of production also rises. The Bitcoin mining network's aggregate power has more than tripled over the past twelve months.

Aug. 18, 2008: The domain name bitcoin.org isregistered. Today, at least, this domain is "WhoisGuardProtected," meaning the identity of the person who registered it is not public information.

Oct. 31, 2008: Someone using the name Satoshi Nakamotomakes anannouncement on The Cryptography Mailing list at metzdowd.com: "I've been working on a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party. The paper is available athttp://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf."This link leads to the now-famous white paper published on bitcoin.org entitled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." This paper would become the Magna Carta for how Bitcoin operates today.

Jan. 3, 2009: The first Bitcoin block is mined, Block 0. This is also known as the "genesis block" and contains the text: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks," perhaps as proof that the block was mined on or after that date, and perhaps also as relevant political commentary.

Jan. 8, 2009: The first version of theBitcoinsoftware isannouncedon The Cryptography Mailing list.

Jan. 9, 2009:Block 1is mined, andBitcoin mining commences in earnest.

No one knows. Not conclusively, at any rate. SatoshiNakamotois the name associated with the person or group of people who released the originalBitcoinwhitepaperin 2008 and worked on the originalBitcoinsoftware that was released in 2009. TheBitcoinprotocol requires users to enter a birthday upon signup, and we knowthat an individual named SatoshiNakamotoregistered and put down April 5 as a birth date. And that's about it.

Though it is tempting to believe the media's spin that Satoshi Nakamoto is a lone, quixotic genius who created Bitcoin out of thin air, such innovations do not happen in a vacuum. All major scientific discoveries, no matter how original-seeming, were built on previously existing research. There are precursors toBitcoin:Adam BacksHashcash, invented in 1997, and subsequently WeiDaisb-money, NickSzabosbit-gold and Hal Finneys Reusable Proof of Work. The Bitcoin white paper itself cites Hashcashand b-money, as well as various other works spanning several research fields.

There are two primary motivations for keeping Bitcoin's inventor keeping his or her or their identity secret.One is privacy.AsBitcoinhas gained in popularity becoming something of a worldwide phenomenon SatoshiNakamoto would likely garner a lot of attention from the media and from governments.

The other reason is safety.Looking at 2009 alone, 32,489 blockswere mined; at the then-reward rate of 50BTC per block, the total payout in 2009 was 1,624,500BTC, which at todays prices is over $900 million. One may conclude that only Satoshi and perhaps a few other people were mining through 2009, and that they possess a majority of that $900 million worth ofBTC. Someone in possession of that muchBTCcould become a target of criminals, especially sincebitcoinsare less like stocks and more like cash, where the private keys needed to authorize spending could be printed out and literally kept under a mattress. While it's likely the inventor ofBitcoinwould take precautions to make any extortion-induced transfers traceable, remaining anonymous is a good way for Satoshi to limit exposure.

Numerous people have been suggested as possible SatoshiNakamotosby major media outlets.On Oct. 10, 2011, TheNew Yorkerpublished an article speculating thatNakamotomight be Irish cryptography student Michael Clear, or economic sociologistViliLehdonvirta. A day later,Fast Companysuggested thatNakamotocould be a group of three people Neal King, VladimirOksman and CharlesBry who together appear on a patent related to secure communications that was filed two months before bitcoin.org was registered. AVice articlepublished in May 2013 added more suspects to the list, including GavinAndresen, theBitcoinprojects lead developer; JedMcCaleb, co-founder of now-defunctBitcoinexchange Mt. Gox; and famed Japanese mathematicianShinichiMochizuki.

In December, 2013,Techcrunchpublished an interview with researcher Skye Grey who claimed textual analysis of published writings shows a link between Satoshi and bit-gold creator NickSzabo. And perhaps most famously, in March 2014,Newsweekran a cover article claiming that Satoshi is actually an individual named SatoshiNakamoto a 64-year-old Japanese-American engineer living in California. The list of suspects is long, and all the individuals deny being Satoshi.

It would seem even early collaborators on the project dont have verifiable proof of Satoshis identity. To reveal conclusively who SatoshiNakamoto is, a definitive link would need to be made between his/her activity withBitcoinand his/her identity.That could come in the form of linking the party behind the domain registration of bitcoin.org, email and forum accounts used by SatoshiNakamoto, or ownership of some portion of the earliest minedbitcoins. Even though thebitcoinsSatoshi likely possesses are traceable on theblockchain, it seems he/she has yet to cash them out in a way that reveals his/her identity. If Satoshi were to move his/herbitcoinsto an exchange today, this might attract attention, but it seems unlikely that a well-funded and successful exchange would betray a customer's privacy.

There are many Bitcoin supporters who believe that digital currency is the future.Those who endorse it are of the view that it facilitates a much faster, no-fee payment system for transactions across the globe. Although it is not itself any backed by any government or central bank,bitcoin can be exchanged for traditional currencies; in fact, its exchange rate against the dollar attracts potential investors and traders interested in currency plays. Indeed, one of the primary reasons for the growth of digital currencies like Bitcoin is that they can act as an alternative to national fiat money and traditional commodities like gold.

In March 2014, the IRS stated that all virtual currencies, including bitcoins, would be taxed as property rather than currency. Gains or losses from bitcoins held as capital will be realized as capital gains or losses, while bitcoins held as inventory will incur ordinary gains or losses.

Like any other asset, the principle of buy low and sell high applies to bitcoins.The most popular way of amassing the currency is through buying on a Bitcoin exchange, but there are many other ways to earn and own bitcoins. Here are a few options which Bitcoin enthusiasts can explore.

Bitcoins can be accepted as a means of payment for products sold or services provided. If you have a brick and mortar store, just display a sign saying Bitcoin Accepted Here and many of your customers may well take you up on it; the transactions can be handled with the requisite hardware terminal or wallet address through QR codes and touch screen apps. An online business can easily accept bitcoins by just adding this payment option to the others it offers, like credit cards, PayPal, etc. Online payments will require a Bitcoin merchant tool (an external processor like Coinbase or BitPay).

Those who are self-employed can get paid for a job in bitcoins. There are several websites/job boards which are dedicated to the digital currency:

Another interesting way (literally) to earn bitcoins is by lending them out, and being repaid in the currency. Lending can take three forms direct lending to someone you know; through a website which facilitates peer-to-peer transactions, pairing borrowers and lenders; or depositing bitcoins in a virtual bank that offers a certain interest rate for Bitcoin accounts. Some such sites are Bitbond, BitLendingClub and BTCjam. Obviously, you should do due diligence on any third-party site.

Its possible to play at casinos that cater to Bitcoin aficionados, with options like online lotteries, jackpots, spread betting and other games. Of course, the pros and cons and risks that apply to any sort of gambling and betting endeavors are in force here too.

The concept of a virtual currency is still novel and, compared to traditional investments, Bitcoin doesn't have much of a longterm track record or history of credibility to back it. With their increasing use, bitcoins are becoming less experimental every day, of course; still, after eight years, they (like all digital currencies) remain in a development phase, still evolving. "It is pretty much the highest-risk, highest-return investment that you can possibly make, says Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group, which builds and invests in Bitcoin and blockchain companies.

Not for the risk-adverse, in other words. If you are considering investing in bitcoin, understand these unique investment risks:

Regulatory Risk: Bitcoins are a rival to government currency and may be used for black market transactions, money laundering, illegal activities or tax evasion. As a result, governments may seek to regulate, restrict or ban the use and sale of bitcoins, and some already have. Others are coming up with various rules. For example, in 2015, the New York State Department of Financial Services finalized regulations that would require companies dealing with the buy, sell, transfer or storage of bitcoins to record the identity of customers, have a compliance officer and maintain capital reserves. The transactions worth $10,000 or more will have to be recorded and reported.

Although more agencies will follow suit, issuing rules and guidelines, the lack of uniform regulations about bitcoins (and other virtual currency) raises questions over their longevity, liquidity and universality.

Security Risk: Bitcoin exchanges are entirely digital and, as with any virtual system, are at risk from hackers, malware and operational glitches. If a thief gains access to a Bitcoin owner's computer hard drive and steals his private encryption key, he could transfer the stolen Bitcoins to another account. (Users can prevent this only if bitcoins are stored on a computer which is not connected to the internet, or else by choosing to use a paper wallet printing out the Bitcoin private keys and addresses, and not keeping them on a computer at all.) Hackers can also target Bitcoin exchanges, gaining access to thousands of accounts and digital wallets where bitcoins are stored. One especially notorious hacking incident took place in 2014, when Mt. Gox, a Bitcoin exchange in Japan, was forced to close down after millions of dollars worth of bitcoins were stolen.

This is particularly problematic once you remember that all Bitcoin transactions are permanent and irreversible. It's like dealing with cash: Any transaction carried out with bitcoins can only be reversed if the person who has received them refunds them. There is no third party or a payment processor, as in the case of a debit or credit card hence, no source of protection or appeal if there is a problem.

Fraud Risk: While Bitcoin uses private key encryption to verify owners and register transactions, fraudsters and scammers may attempt to sell false bitcoins. For instance, in July 2013, the SEC brought legal action against an operator of a Bitcoin-related Ponzi scheme.

Market Risk: Like with any investment, Bitcoin values can fluctuate. Indeed, the value of the currency has seen wild swings in price over its short existence. Subject to high volume buying and selling on exchanges, it has a high sensitivity to news." According to the CFPB, the price of bitcoins fell by 61% in a single day in 2013, while the one-day price drop in 2014 has been as big as 80%.

If fewer people begin to accept Bitcoin as a currency, these digital units may lose value and could become worthless. There is already plenty of competition, and though Bitcoin has a huge lead over the other 100-odd digital currencies that have sprung up, thanks to its brand recognition andventure capital money, a technological break-through in the form of a better virtual coin is always a threat.

Tax Risk: As bitcoin is ineligible to be included in any tax-advantaged retirement accounts, there are no good, legal options to shield investments from taxation.

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Bitcoin - Investopedia - Sharper Insight. Smarter Investing.

Bitcoin Price – Live Chart, BTC Forecast, News & Trading Analysis

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Bitcoin is a digital currency, sometimes referred to as a cryptocurrency, best known as the world's first truly decentralized digital currency. Bitcoin is traded on a peer-to-peer basis with a distributed ledger called the Blockchain, and the Bitcoin exchange rate to the US Dollar and other major currencies is determined by supply and demand as with other global exchange rates. The traded value of Bitcoin has proven volatile through various booms and busts in demand. Ultimately, however, many see Bitcoin as a store of value against government-backed fiat currencies.

Abbreviated as BTC, Bitcoin is actively traded against the world's major currencies across decentralized markets. Bitcoins are kept in so-called Bitcoin wallets, which depend on private keys and cryptography to secure its Bitcoins to a specific entity or user.

By comparison to government-backed global currencies, Bitcoin remains fairly complex for the typical user to acquire and use in regular transactions. Growing interest and significant global investments in Bitcoin wallet and Blockchain technology have nonetheless made buying and selling Bitcoin far more accessible to the average user. And indeed growing acceptance by government entities have ameliorated the ambiguity of legal and regulatory status for Bitcoin and Bitcoin exchanges.

You can find historical price of Bitcoin on our chart and latest news and analysis on the Bitcoin exchange rate.

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Bitcoin Price - Live Chart, BTC Forecast, News & Trading Analysis

Bitcoin (BTC) Price, Chart, Info | CoinGecko

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About Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the first successful internet money based on peer-to-peer technology; whereby no central bank or authority is involved in the transaction and production of the Bitcoin currency. It was created by an anonymous individual/group under the name, Satoshi Nakamoto. The source code is available publicly as an open source project, anybody can look at it and be part of the developmental process.

Bitcoin is changing the way we see money as we speak. The idea was to produce a means of exchange, independent of any central authority, that could be transferred electronically in a secure, verifiable and immutable way. It is a decentralized peer-to-peer internet currency making mobile payment easy, very low transaction fees, protects your identity, and it works anywhere all the time with no central authority or banks.

Bitcoin is design to have only 21 million BTC ever created, thus making it a deflationary currency. Bitcoin uses the SHA-256 hashing algorithm with an average transaction confirmation time of 10 minutes. Miners today are mining Bitcoin using ASIC chip dedicated to only mining Bitcoin, and the hash rate has shot up to peta hashes.

Being the first successful online cryptography currency, Bitcoin has inspired other alternative currencies such as Litecoin, Peercoin, Primecoin, and so on.

The cryptocurrency then took off with the innovation of the turing-complete smart contract by Ethereum which led to the development of other amazing projects such as EOS, Tron, and even crypto-collectibles such as CryptoKitties.

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The Bahamas | Facts, History & News

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Geography

The Bahamas are an archipelago of about 700 islands and 2,400 uninhabited islets and cays lying 50 mi off the east coast of Florida. They extend for about 760 mi (1,223 km). Only about 30 of the islands are inhabited; the most important is New Providence (80 sq mi; 207 sq km), on which the capital, Nassau, is situated. Other islands include Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, Andros, Cat Island, and San Salvador (or Watling's Island).

Parliamentary democracy.

The Arawak Indians were the first inhabitants of the Bahamas. Columbus's first encounter with the New World was on Oct. 12, 1492, when he landed on the Bahamian island of San Salvador. The British first built settlements on the islands in the 17th century. In the early 18th century, the Bahamas were a favorite pirate haunt.

The Bahamas were a Crown colony from 1717 until they were granted internal self-government in 1964. The islands moved toward greater autonomy in 1968 after the overwhelming victory in general elections of the Progressive Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Lynden O. Pindling, over the predominantly white United Bahamians Party. With its new mandate from the black population (85% of Bahamians), Pindling's government negotiated a new constitution with Britain under which the colony became the Commonwealth of the Bahama Islands in 1969. On July 10, 1973, the Bahamas became an independent nation.

Once heavily reliant on agriculture and fishing, the Bahamas has diversified its economy into tourism, financial services, and international shipping. While the nation enjoys a per capita income that is among the top 30 in the world, there is a big gap between the urban middle class and poor farmers. In addition, the nation is vulnerable to hurricanes, which regularly inflict serious damage.

Hubert Ingraham became prime minister in May 2007 after his Free National Movement, an opposition party, won parliamentary elections. As of 2012, the Bahamas remains one of the wealthiest countries (GDP per capita) in the Americas, after Bermuda, the U.S., the Cayman Islands, Canada, and the Virgin Islands.

On May 7, 2012, parliamentary elections were held. The Progressive Liberal Party took 29 of the 38 seats. Progressive Liberal Party member Perry Christie was sworn in as prime minister and finance minister. Christie served one prior term as prime minister from 2002 to 2007.

See also Encyclopedia: Bahamas .U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: The Bahamas

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The Bahamas | Facts, History & News

Mind Hacks Neuroscience and psychology news and views.

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Spaced repetition is a memory hack. We know that spacing out your study is more effective than cramming, but using an app you can tailor your own spaced repetition schedule, allowing you to efficiently create reliable memories for any material you like.

Michael Nielsen, has a nice thread on his use of spaced repetition on twitter:

He covers how he chooses what to put into his review system, what the right amount of information is for each item, and what memory alone wont give you (understanding of the process which uses the memorised items). Nielsen is pretty enthusiastic about the benefits:

The single biggest change is that memory is no longer a haphazard event, to be left to chance. Rather, I can guarantee I will remember something, with minimal effort: it makes memory a choice.

There are lots of apps/programmes which can help you run a spaced repetition system, but Nielsen used Anki (ankiweb.net), which is open source, and has desktop and mobile clients (which sync between themselves, which is useful if you want to add information while at a computer, then review it on your mobile while you wait in line for coffee or whatever).

Checking Anki out, it seems pretty nice, and Ive realised I can use it to overcome a cognitive bias we all suffer from: a tendency to forget facts which are an inconvenient for our beliefs.

Charles Darwin notes this in his autobiography:

I had, also, during many years, followed a golden rule, namely, that whenever a published fact, a new observation or thought came across me, which was opposed to my general results, to make a memorandum of it without fail and at once; for I had found by experience that such facts and thoughts were far more apt to escape from the memory than favourable ones. Owing to this habit, very few objections were raised against my views which I had not at least noticed and attempted to answer.

(Darwin, 1856/1958, p123).

I have notebooks, and Darwins habit of forgetting unfavourable facts, but I wonder if my thinking might be improved by not just noting the facts, but being able to keep them in memory using a spaced repetition system. Im going to give it a go.

Links & Footnotes:

Anki app (ankiweb.net)

Wikipedia on space repetition systems

The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 18091882, edited by Nora Barlow. London: Collins

For more on the science, see this recent review for educators: Weinstein, Y., Madan, C. R., & Sumeracki, M. A. (2018). Teaching the science of learning. Cognitive research: principles and implications, 3(1), 2.

I note that Anki-based spaced repetition also does a side serving of retrieval practice and interleaving (other effective learning techniques).

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Mind Hacks Neuroscience and psychology news and views.