Investors file police complaints alleging MyCoin of bitcoin fraud – Video

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Investors file police complaints alleging MyCoin of bitcoin fraud
More than 25 people on Wednesday (11 February) flocked to the police headquarters in Hong Kong to complain over a scam involving the digital currency that media estimate could have duped ...

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Investors file police complaints alleging MyCoin of bitcoin fraud - Video

More than a currency, bitcoin is an enabling technology

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The promise of bitcoin and blockchain extends well beyond its potential disruption as a currency. In this Radar Podcast episode, Balaji Srinivasan, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, explains how bitcoin is an enabling technology and why its like the Internet, in that bitcoin will do for value transfer what the Internet did for communication make it programmable. I met up with Srinivasan at our recent OReilly Radar Summit: Bitcoin & the Blockchain, where he was speaking you can see his talk, and all the others from the event, in the complete video compilation now available.

More than just a digital currency, bitcoin can serve as an instigator for new markets. Srinivasan explained the potential for everything to become a liquid market:

Bitcoin is a platform for programmable money, programmable interchange, or anything of value. Thats very general. People have probably heard at this point about how you can use a blockchain to trade in theory stocks, or houses, or other kinds of things, but programmable value transfer is even bigger than just trading things which we know already exist.

One analogy I would give is in 1988, it was not possible to find information on anything instantly. Today, most of the time it is. From your iPhone or your Android phone, you can google pretty much anything. In the same way, I think what bitcoin is going to mean, is markets in everything. That is, everything will have a price on it everything will be a liquid market. Youll be able to buy and sell almost anything. Where today the fixed costs of setting up such a market is too high for anything other than things that are fairly valuable, tomorrow itll be possible for even images or things you would not even think of normally buying and selling.

In interviews, Marc Andreessen has noted that the group is increasingly viewing bitcoin as an enabling technology, especially in regard to machine-to-machine technologies. Srinivasan explained, likening the coming shift to the transition from telephone numbers to IP addresses:

One observation I make there is, if you think about the transition from a human telephone number to a machine IP address, that was an important transition because it now meant that machines could communicate with other machines without a human intermediary. You do not need a switchboard operator for your computer to connect to a server, or perhaps more interestingly, for your computer to load a webpage and connect to many servers pulling a lot of assets, right? Those are all basically automated. Humans give the high level direction of, Id like to go and view Google.com, but do not have to deal with the low level aspect of hitting 20 different servers and phoning all these numbers and so on. In kind of the same way, what Bitcoin does is it allows us to move from a human bank account to a machine wallet. So, its a transition of comparable importance that will, we believe, have an impact on machine value transfer thats comparable to what the transition from telephone numbers to IP addresses did for machine information transfer.

Bitcoins potential for disruption could be on par with the Internet, and thats not a comparison, Srinivasan said, that they make lightly. He explained how bitcoin is Internet-like:

If you look at previous eras of innovation, you had in 2009, roughly, the mobile era; 2004, social; 1999, search; 1994, Internet. The previous three eras were things where one or a few companies really dominated Google, Facebook, and then Google and Apple with mobile, and obviously Facebooks doing fine, but we didnt think of it as the company in mobile. These were things where there were dotcoms that were running the platforms.

You go all the way back 20 years to the Internet, and it was not one single company that controlled the Internet. It was decentralized; anybody could build on it. Bitcoin is like that. As an enabling technology, its a commons that people can contribute to. They can contribute to it in such a way that they know their contribution will always be available to them and others can build upon it. Thats very exciting; that is Internet like. We think of it as doing for value transfer what the internet did for communication, making it programmable.

Given his role in venture capital, I couldnt resist asking Srinivasan about his take on the Next Big Thing. He explained why hes keeping a close eye on the regulation landscape:

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More than a currency, bitcoin is an enabling technology

Bitcoin value will rise with transparency

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Friday, February 13, 2015

Bitcoin is a new currency with a lot of uncertainties and asymmetrical information. Its relative value inevitably fluctuates against all other goods more than anything else and is therefore loved by adventurous speculators.

MyCoin Exchange styles itself as a bitcoin exchange, but in essence is a scam. Its operator disappeared along with nearly HK$3 billion.

The so-called exchange has nothing to do with bitcoin. Rather, it is only a casino for people to gamble against each other on the price movement of bitcoin.

When the stakes on the table are high, there is also an irresistible incentive for the house to grab all the stakes and leave.

Politicians, who are conditioned to respond to any question by asking for more laws, say the government should regulate bitcoin.

The culprits, however, are the unregulated financial exchanges.

Believers in crypto-currencies prefer to be governed by mathematics, rather than the ephemeral whims of politicians. On the contrary, those who prefer crypto-currencies to fiat currencies always find politically driven central banks untrustworthy.

Bitcoin is only one crypto-currency and there are literally hundreds more out there. In theory, there is no limit on the kinds of crypto-currencies that are offered globally. Bitcoin has become the de facto standard thanks to the network effect.

But banning bitco

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Bitcoin value will rise with transparency

Amerks Slip by the Comets 2-1

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February 11, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets One goal made all the difference in Wednesday night's match-up as the Utica Comets (28-13-5-1) fell to the Rochester Americans (21-26-3-0) 2-1 at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The loss broke the Comets four-game winning streak dating back to Jan. 31. Twenty-nine of the Comets 47 games this season have ended in one-goal decisions.

Carter Bancks found the Comets' lone goal of the game but Rochester's goaltender Matt Hackett pulled through for the Americans by winning just his third game of the season for the Buffalo Sabres American Hockey League affiliate.

The Comets got things rolling just a few minutes after the initial puck drop following a quick play that developed just inside the crease. At 4:27, Hackett prepared himself for an incoming slapshot from Andrey Pedan. Hackett was able to make the initial save, but the rebound he left in front came back to haunt him as Bancks picked it up and threw it in on the backhand for the early 1-0 advantage. Brendan Gaunce was credited with the secondary assist on the play.

After being outshot through the entire first period, the Comets eventually faltered as the clock was winding down. After some board play behind Jacob Markstrom's net, William Carrier popped the puck out to Jerome Leduc just above the center slot. Leduc spiked one towards net, which ended up going top-shelf past Markstrom for the 1-1 equalizer.

Just as everyone was getting up out of their seats for the first intermission, Brady Austin buried a shorthanded buzzer beater with one second left on the clock that put Rochester up 2-1. The shorthanded goal was the first the Comets have let in all season on home ice. Former Comets forward Zac Dalpe assisted on the one-timer and the eventual game-winning goal.

The Comets were unable to capitalize on the five power-play chances that they were awarded throughout the night, which leaves them at a standstill with a total of 13 power-play goals on home ice.

The Comets will gear up for another one against the Rochester Americans this Saturday at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial at 7 p.m.

Three Stars: 1. RCH Matt Hackett (W, 22 Saves) 2. RCH William Carrier (2 assists) 3. UTI Carter Bancks (1 goal)

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Journey around the world at travel show

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Tahiti is among the exotic global destinations that will be represented at San Diego's second annual Travel & Adventure Show at the convention center.

For anyone who has relied on the Internet for scoping out a vacation destination, ask yourself this question, have you ever seen an unflattering photo of a hotel online?

Probably not, suspects trade show producer John Golicz, whose two-day Travel & Adventure Show is headed this weekend to San Diego for the second year in a row.

Where: San Diego Convention Center, Halls E and F

When: Sat., Feb. 14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 15, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: One-day ticket, $16; two-day ticket, $25. Discounts online at: travelshows.com/sandiegoInfo

As much as the Internet and online travel agencies like Travelocity and Expedia have come to be go-to resources for avid travelers, Golicz insists theres no substitute for the face-to-face conversations with the pros that a wide-ranging consumer show offers.

The San Diego show, which will be held at the bayfront convention center Saturday and Sunday, will be 40 percent larger than last years, with more than 1,000 travel pros staffing 200 booths representing cruise lines, tour operators and tourism bureaus, from New Zealand to Israel. U-T San Diego is among several sponsors of the show.

All I know is everything online looks great but when you come to our show, you have 1,200 experts who fly in to meet people who like to travel, said Golicz, CEO of Unicomm, which operates similar shows in six other cities across the country. They might be the tour operator or guide or someone who works for the tourism board who will tell you the information you cant get anywhere else.

With the travel industry continuing to rebound at an impressive pace since recession-era lows, industry purveyors are taking advantage of consumers abiding interest in travel, a passion that has never faded, says travel expert Peter Greenberg, who has spoken at previous travel shows but will not be a featured speaker in San Diego. Overseas travel, especially, continues to grow in popularity, he noted.

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Super computer reveals FINAL Premier League top seven!

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Next picture 7th place Southampton 64 points Click the arrow to see who are above them Saints are sitting pretty in fourth place at the time of writing, but according to the boffins at Bloomberg, they will pick up just 18 more points out of a possible 39 over the course of the rest of the season. Ronald Koemans side recently stumbled against West Ham, but interestingly do not have as hard a run-in as the rest of their top four counterparts. photo 1 of 7

If there is one thing weve all learned about the Premier League, its that nothing is ever decided until the final whistle on the final day of the season, and that doesnt look like changing this year.

As it stands there is a fierce battle raging for the top four spots, while right at the top of the table Man City are attempting to reel in a Chelsea side that at the moment look unstoppable.

But how will it all turn out? The boffins at Bloomberg Sports have crunched the numbers on their infamous super computer to predict the final table and there are some pretty big surprises in store.

Weve condensed it down to a top seven, which starts off with Southampton, but how does the order look above them? Click the arrow to see.

To see the final predicted Premier League table, visit bsports.com

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Super computer reveals FINAL Premier League top seven!

New Age – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This article is about the New Age movement and its spirituality. For the astrological age in western astrology, see Age of Aquarius. For other uses with the term New Age, see New Age (disambiguation).

The New Age movement is a religious or spiritual movement that developed in Western nations during the 1970s. Precise scholarly definitions of the movement differ in their emphasis, largely as a result of its highly eclectic structure. Nevertheless, the movement is characterised by a holistic view of the cosmos, a belief in an emergent Age of Aquarius from which the movement gets its name an emphasis on self-spirituality and the authority of the self, a focus on healing (particularly with alternative therapies), a belief in channeling, and an adoption of a "New Age science" that makes use of elements of the new physics.

The New Age movement evolved from an array of earlier religious movements and philosophies, in particular nineteenth-century groups such as the Theosophical Society and Gurdjieff. It also incorporates strands from metaphysics, perennial philosophy, self-help psychology, and various Indian teachings such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Yoga[1] In the 1970s, it developed a social and political component.[2] Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational psychology".[3] The term New Age refers to the coming astrological Age of Aquarius.[4]

The New Age movement includes elements of older spiritual and religious traditions ranging from monotheism through pantheism, pandeism, panentheism, and polytheism combined with science and Gaia philosophy; particularly archaeoastronomy, astrology, ecology, environmentalism, the Gaia hypothesis, psychology, and physics. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Sufism (Islam), Judaism (especially Kabbalah), Sikhism; with strong influences from East Asian religions, Esotericism, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Idealism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Wisdom tradition.[5]

Religious studies scholar Paul Heelas characterised the New Age movement as "an eclectic hotch-potch of beliefs, practices and ways of life" which can be identified as a singular phenomenon through their use of "the same (or very similar) lingua franca to do with the human (and planetary) condition and how it can be transformed." Similarly, historian of religion Olav Hammer termed it "a common denominator for a variety of quite divergent contemporary popular practices and beliefs" which have emerged since the late 1970s and which are "largely united by historical links, a shared discourse and an air de famille." Sociologist of religion Michael York described the New Age movement as "an umbrella term that includes a great variety of groups and identities" but which are united by their "expectation of a major and universal change being primarily founded on the individual and collective development of human potential". Adopting a different approach, religious studies scholar Wouter Hanegraaff asserted that "New Age" was "a label attached indiscriminately to whatever seems to fit it" and that as a result it "means very different things to different people."

Many of those groups and individuals who could analytically be categorised as part of the New Age movement nevertheless reject the term "New Age" when in reference to themselves. Thus, religious studies scholar James R. Lewis identified "New Age" as a problematic term, but asserted that "there exists no comparable term which covers all aspects of the movement" and that thus it remained a useful etic category for scholars to use.

York described the New Age movement as a new religious movement (NRM). Conversely, Heelas rejected this categorisation; he believed that while elements of the New Age movement represented NRMs, this was not applicable to every New Age group. Hammer identified much of the New Age movement as corresponding to the concept of "folk religiosity" in that it seeks to deal with existential questions regarding subjects like death and disease in "an unsystematic fashion, often through a process of bricolage from already available narratives and rituals". York also heuristically divides the New Age movement into three broad trends. The first, the "social camp", represents groups which primarily seek to bring about social change, while the second, "occult camp", instead focus on contact with spirit entities and channeling. York's third group, the "spiritual camp", represents a middle ground between these two camps, and which focuses largely on individual development.

The term "new age", along with related terms like "new era" and "new world", long predate the emergence of the New Age movement, and have widely been used to assert that a better way of life for humanity is dawning. It has, for instance, widely been used in political contexts; the Great Seal of the United States, designed in 1782, proclaims a "new order of ages", while in the 1980s the Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev proclaimed that "all mankind is entering a new age". It has also been widely used within various forms of Western esotericism. For instance, in 1809 William Blake described a coming era of spiritual and artistic advancement in his preface to Milton a Poem by stating: "...when the New Age is at leisure to pronounce, all will be set right..."[16] In 1864 the American Swedenborgian Warren Felt Evans published The New Age and its Message, while in 1907 Alfred Orage and Holbrook Jackson began editing a weekly journal of Christian liberalism and socialism titled The New Age.

Two nineteenth-century esoteric philosophers greatly influenced the New Age movement: Helena Blavatsky (left) and G.I. Gurdjieff (right)

The New Age movement is a form of Western esotericism, and thus has antecedents stretching back to southern Europe in Late Antiquity. As such, it has various antecedents within the esoteric milieu. Some of the New Age movement's constituent elements appeared initially in the 19th-century metaphysical movements: Spiritualism, Theosophy, and New Thought and also the alternative medicine movements of chiropractics and naturopathy.[4][20] The author Nevill Drury claimed there are "four key precursors of the New Age", who had set the way for many of its widely held precepts.

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New Age - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia