NeuCoin Is A Bitcoin Alternative Designed For Microtransactions

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Meet NeuCoin, a new cryptocurrency designed specifically to tip content creators and make online micropayments. NeuCoin is both a startup based in Paris and a new currency. It raised $2.25 million from dozens of business angels and signed partnerships with a few content distribution websites.

NeuCoin explained me why we need yet another new cryptocurrency. Bitcoin presents a few risks when it comes to microtransactions. First, it is incredibly complicated to understand what a wallet is, how it works and why you would need one to pay for a song or a movie. It basically replaces your credit card for online transaction. Yet, this is not enough to convince mainstream users.

On the mining side, there are now very few players and there is a risk that mining becomes an oligopoly. Bitcoins original mission of killing banking fees could fade away.

Other currencies, such as Ripple and Stellar are either focusing on other use cases such as international transactions (Ripple) or failed to attract enough users and merchants so far (Stellar). These shortcomings are the reason why NeuCoin is designing yet another cryptocurrency.

NeuCoin uses a proof-of-stake design and economic model, meaning that you dont need to have more computing power or hold more coins to get even more coins. At the same time, people who choose to use NeuCoins on content websites will receive a few coins for free when they create their online wallets. Companies who decide to work on this new currency and investors will also receive coins. You can read more about all this on the companys wiki.

The first content partners who also act as a proof of concept are animation studio MondoMedia, music service Jango, and artist promotion company Radio Airplay. NeuCoin wants to make it as seamless as possible to give between $0.10 and $1 to content creators. In some way, it reminds me of Flattr.

Investors include Patrik Stymne (King co-founder), Rob Goldman (Facebook head of growth), Emil Michael (Uber SVP of business), Henrik Kjellberg (Hotwire president). Right now, the company wants to raise public awareness and get feedback from the bitcoin community. NeuCoin will release 3 billion pre-mined coins in April.

The companys success will also depend on the overall user experience. It will need to be much easier than managing a wallet (something more like Circle than a local software wallet) and much simpler to explain than bitcoin.

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NeuCoin Is A Bitcoin Alternative Designed For Microtransactions

Exchange Ukash GBP, Ukash EUR, Ukash USD to PayPal, Perfect Money, Skrill, Bitcoin, Webmoney. – Video

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Exchange Ukash GBP, Ukash EUR, Ukash USD to PayPal, Perfect Money, Skrill, Bitcoin, Webmoney.
Ukash to emoney : http://www.ukash-paid.com/ Instantaneous exchange of Ukash vouchers on international electronic money online payment systems : PayPal, Perfect Money, Skrill (Moneybookers),...

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Exchange Ukash GBP, Ukash EUR, Ukash USD to PayPal, Perfect Money, Skrill, Bitcoin, Webmoney. - Video

Bitcoin's True Revolutionary Potential

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It is easy for those of us who live in the U.S. to see Bitcoin, and altcoins in general, only through the prism of the U.S. Dollar. The Dollar is, after all, still the worlds reserve currency, and is what most regard as real money. It could be, though, that the real value and potential of Bitcoin is to be found elsewhere, in developing countries and among the billions of people who currently dont have access to banking services that we take for granted.

There have always been people who distrust their own currency and banking system, even in developed countries where the official exchange medium has a history of relative soundness; gold bugs are nothing new. That position is understandable following the events of 2007-8, but most observers would probably consider it an extreme one. Those who have not lived with the luxury of a major currency, however, have many more reasons to embrace alternatives.

Taken as a whole, governments in developing counties hardly have a reputation for fiscal and monetary responsibility. Moreover, even when the best efforts are made, the value of currencies in Third World countries is always in the hands of the market. Central banks in such countries are simply not powerful enough to impose their will on a foreign exchange market that has a daily turnover of over $350 billion, and extreme volatility is always too close for comfort. For people who have lived every day in that situation, the volatility of Bitcoin against major currencies is not that worrying. It is certainly not enough to outweigh the many advantages.

Even those who cannot seem to get their heads around the basic concept of a virtual currency can easily understand the point of the blockchain as a payment system. However, the ability to transfer funds instantly at minimal cost may seem like a marginal advantage over existing payment systems to some people who are comfortable with the existing banking and payment infrastructure in the developed world. To somebody who has been denied access to those systems for most of their life, though, it is revolutionary.

For a person in the Third World of an entrepreneurial bent, Bitcoin and the blockchain solve two basic problems. Firstly, compared to their own currency, Bitcoin offers the possibility of building wealth insulated from the corrosive effects of inflation. Right now, given the dramatic popping bubble that we have seen in BTC, that possibility looks remote. It will, however, take only a relatively short period of stability to make the currency more attractive than many local options. Now that we are back to roughly pre-bubble levels, that is a distinct possibility.

What the blockchain offers, on the other hand, is the chance to participate in commerce, either at a national or even international level. In order to do so, it is not necessary to have a bank account, just a phone. As strange as it would have seemed just a few years ago, that is something that the majority of people have, even in the poorest of countries. There are, of course, some mobile micro banking systems available to those people, but when both traditional and alternative systems are considered side by side and without one having the advantage of familiarity, the speed and low cost of transacting in Bitcoin looks like a much bigger advantage. We are creatures of habit, so starting with a new technology often makes more sense than switching to it.

The world of Bitcoin is prone to hyperbole. Supporters have a vision of there someday being only one global currency, resulting in the destruction of the existing order in banking. Opponents apparently see some scam or inherent evil in BTC and anticipate it self-destructing in short order. As is often the case in polarized debates, the truth is probably at neither extreme. There is no reason that Bitcoin cannot exist parallel to the current systems, offering a real alternative. When and if that situation is realized, it is the adoption of Bitcoin, or some future version of it, by entrepreneurs in the Third World that will fundamentally change lives and be truly revolutionary.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

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Bitcoin's True Revolutionary Potential

Arctic bitcoin mine switches to 16nm chip to boost efficiency

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A bitcoin mine near the Arctic Circle is to start using 16 nanometer chips to improve mining efficiency. KnCMiner said the technology would make mining cheaper and allow it to increase production.

The move from 20nm to 16nm reduces the die and transistor size, improving the power efficiency of the chip and cutting the cost of power-intensive mining. The new technology should protect bitcoin mines against fluctuations in the value of the cryptocurrency and the challenge of mining bitcoin.

The Stockholm-based firm has also secured $15m (10m) in Series B funding led by Accel Partners. It said the extra money would allow it to expand and future-proof its mining operation.

KnCMiner CEO Sam Cole said the use of more advanced proprietary hardware was allowing bitcoin mines to cut costs. He also dismissed concerns that it was becoming too expensive to mine bitcoin.

"We do not think the cost is prohibitively high, if we did we'd turn our farms off. We're also developing our own hardware in-house, using several proprietary techniques to achieve higher efficiency."

He said that at the current rate of exchange (158 is equal to one bitcoin at the time of writing) there would be "no problems". Cole explained that KnCMiner was also able save money by using natural cooling as its bitcoin mines are all based either in or near the Arctic Circle.

KnCMiner worked with Taiwanese component manufacturer Alchip to create its new 16nm chip, which has been specially designed for bitcoin mining. Bitcoin mines around the world are investing heavily in new chip technology. In September 2014 Texan firm CoinTerra also announced the switch to 16nm chips, which are expected to start work in the coming months.

KnCMiner's new chip is the first of its kind to enter production. The company has generated over $100m (66m) in revenue since it launched in 2013 and plans to invest a further $150m over the next 18 months to improve and expand its services.

Cole said that KNCMiner's proprietary mining system would speed up the hashing process while reducing power consumption. He added that focusing on the bitcoin algorithm was also keeping his company ahead of its competitors.

"People tend to overestimate the impact of new technology in the short-term, but greatly underestimate the impact in the longer term. We're in this for the long-term, believing that Bitcoin technology will make steady inroads and increase in usefulness as well as in value over many, many years to come."

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Arctic bitcoin mine switches to 16nm chip to boost efficiency

Azerbaijan travel guide – World travel guide – Asia travel guide – SCC – Video

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Azerbaijan travel guide - World travel guide - Asia travel guide - SCC
The original #39;East-meets-West #39; destination, Azerbaijan sashays concerning space-age cityscapes and Arabian Nights exotica, taking in some of the most remarka...

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Supermicro Expands its Range of Low-Latency Server and Storage Solutions Featuring Hot-Swap NVMe Technology

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-- Non-Volatile Memory Express Platforms Deliver 6x Throughput Gains and 7x Lower Latency

SAN JOSE, California, Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI), a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server, storage technology and green computing is expanding its range of server and storage solutions supporting Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe) technology with the industry's first, true hot-swap NVMe capability. Supermicro' wide range of NMVe solutions are available across its 1U Ultra and WIO SuperServers, 2U Ultra, TwinPro, EXDP 32DIMM and DCO SuperServers, 4U FatTwin and 7U SuperBlade platforms. Supermicro's NVMe performance advantages include up to 6x throughput gains and 7x lower latency vs current SATA3/SAS3 SSD technology. Supermicro NVMe solutions deliver maximum performance in HPC, Oil and Gas, HFT, High Security Encryption, VDI, 3D visualization for Aerospace and Automotive design, Hyper-scale Data Center, Cloud, Virtualization, and Enterprise environments.

"Supermicro NVMe solutions deliver the latest low-latency storage technologies first to market with our true hot-swap drive functionality offering an unparalleled serviceability advantage," said Charles Liang, President and CEO of Supermicro. "With over thirty server and storage platforms across 1U, 2U, 4U server and 7U blade form factors Supermicro is unrivaled in variety and choice to meet any performance or configuration requirement. In addition, with our advanced cooling architecture and high efficiency Titanium level power supplies Supermicro solutions offer maximum performance per watt, per dollar, per square foot to lower overall TCO."

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150131/172685

For complete details on Supermicro's expanding lines of Industry leading NVMe server and storage solutions visit http://www.supermicro.com/NVMe. Download Supermicro's Hot-Plug NVMe Bandwidth and Latency Performance whitepaper here.

For information on Supermicro NVMe Server Solutions featuring Intel SSD DC P3700/P3600 Series Solid-State Drives visit http://intelssd-supermicro.com/.

For more information on Supermicro's complete range of high performance, high-efficiency Server, Storage and Networking solutions, visit http://www.supermicro.com.

Follow Supermicro on Facebook and Twitter to receive their latest news and announcements.

About Super Micro Computer, Inc. Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/Big Data, HPC and Embedded Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its "We Keep IT Green" initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market.

Supermicro, Building Block Solutions and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.

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Supermicro Expands its Range of Low-Latency Server and Storage Solutions Featuring Hot-Swap NVMe Technology

Topeka Zoo Black Bear Undergoes Stem Cell Therapy

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Peek the American black bear (Courtesy: Topeka Zoo)

Peek the bear is shown undergoing a CT scan at St. Francis Health Center in this photo from the Topeka Zoo.

St. Francis Health Center staff watch as a CT scan is performed on Peek the black bear. (Courtesy: Topeka Zoo)

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - An American black bear at the Topeka Zoo may be the first bear ever to undergo stem cell treatment for a spinal problem.

Zoo Director Brendan Wiley says Peek, who is 20-years old, started losing control of her hind legs two weeks ago. The condition worsened and zoo staff says pain medication was not having any impact on the situation.

One of the unique things about this scenario is that Peek hasnt acted like anything is hurting her. It is like the front half of her body can no longer communicate with the back half, said Animal Care Supervisor Shanna Simpson.

The zoo worked with St. Francis Health Center to perform a CT scan. Peek was tranquilized and transported to St. Francis' imaging facilities.

"Our first priority is human patient safety and access," says Brent Wilkins, director of Imaging Services at St. Francis Health. "We work with the Topeka Zoo to accommodate animals that need CT scans in off hours when one of our CT scanners is available. We made sure the bear was separated from any other patients and performed a high-level decontamination and cleaning of the area, called a terminal cleaning, after the bears visit."

The scan revealed an area of Peek's spine with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of her spinal column, causing pressure on the spinal cord.

In anticipation of future treatment, Dr. Larry Snyder and Dr. Travis Gratton, veterinarians from Topeka's University Small Animal Hospital were contacted. Before Peek was transported for the CT scan, the two harvested fat cells, which they converted to stem cells to inject back into her. The theory behind the treatment is that the stem cells can stimulate damaged area to repair and heal itself.

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Topeka Zoo Black Bear Undergoes Stem Cell Therapy

Ashra Kwesi discusses African Origins of religion, Metu Neter, Egyptian Spirituality – Video

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Ashra Kwesi discusses African Origins of religion, Metu Neter, Egyptian Spirituality
Time For An Awakening" special guest was Historian, Lecturer, and "Master Teacher" Ashra Kwesi. The "African Origin of the Bible and the Koran" will be the topic of conversation. Hosted by...

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