Sydney real estate agency begins accepting bitcoin

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Sydney real estate agency Forsyth Real Estate has begun accepting virtual cryptocurrency bitcoin for house deposits and property advertising, through a partnership with Australian bitcoin payments provider CoinJar.

The 115-year-old real estate agency on Sydney's north shore said that it took on bitcoin to offer another avenue for online payment to the influx of international investors and expats entering the prominent Sydney market.

Forsyth managing director James Snodgrass said the agency had become a strong supporter of the bitcoin economy recently, as it allowed overseas transactions with less fees and exchange rate fluctuations.

"Prior to launching, we had discussions with our financial division who outlined the risks and opportunities of bitcoin and we were happy with our findings," he said.

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But the director of Max Walls International Real Estate in Manly, Anthony Walls, said he was not convinced.

"I must tell you I'm very concerned about the bitcoin situation," Mr Walls said.

"I just don't need to deal with those [virtual currencies] and I don't need the grief."

Mr Walls was referring to the hacking of 850,000 bitcoins from the high-profile Mt Gox currency exchange worth about $US500 million ($548 million) earlier this month. The attack ruined Mt Gox, which was reportedly handling up to 70 per cent of the world's bitcoin transactions.

"I would need to be convinced and I'd want a whole team of lawyers sitting at the table signing off on it," Mr Walls said in response to whether he would ever accept bitcoin.

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Sydney real estate agency begins accepting bitcoin

Comets Take the I-70 Series in St. Louis with 8-5 Victory

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January 3, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Missouri Comets ST. LOUIS, MO - Over two hundred fans drove four hours across the state to St. Louis to see the Missouri Comets (11-0) remain undefeated in the 2014/15 Major Arena Soccer League season after an 8-5 victory over the Ambush at a Family Arena, which recorded an attendance of 7,360.

Andre Braithwaite was elected Borden Man of the Match with two goals. In addition, league leader Leo Gibson recorded one tally and one assist to remain at the top of the MASL standings with 43 points.

Having dressed only 13 players after losing Max Touloute, Ramone Palmer and Coady Andrews due to injuries and without Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski on the bench, who had to pay a one-game suspension, the Comets were able to add another victory to their eleven-game winning streak.

The reigning MISL Champions started off strong and took a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter when rookie Kiel Williams notched his second professional goal followed by team captain's Vahid Assadpour sixteenth tally of the season. However, Manny Forbes found the back of the net to end the quarter 2-1.

St. Louis came back and took their first and only lead of the match early in the second quarter when Jeff Di Maria and Elvir Kafedzic each tallied a goal but John Sosa equalized with an outstanding free kick goal, taking a 3-3 tie to the locker rooms.

With goals scored by Robert Palmer and Braithwaite, the visitors retook the lead in the third quarter before Kory Dowell beat goalkeeper Danny Waltman with a shot that crossed the line in the top right corner, ending the third stanza with a partial 5-4 score.

Andonovski's team led by assistant coach Goran Koradzov sealed the victory in the fourth quarter when Braithwaite completed his brace followed by Gibson's twenty- second goal of the season before Matingou completed the scoring for the visitors.

With less than a minute left in the game, former Comets player Stefan St. Louis added another goal to the scoreboard to end the match with a final 8-5 score.

Next up, the Comets will return to the Independence Events Center for two weekends in a row when they host the Tulsa Revolution and the St. Louis Ambush.

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Comets Take the I-70 Series in St. Louis with 8-5 Victory

Boys basketball: Comets pull off double play

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ROCK FALLS Saturday was already set to be a long day for the Newman boys basketball team.

If the Comets continued to play like they had for the first quarter of its Saturday afternoon game against Mercer County, the day was going to be quite a bit longer.

Luckily for coach Ray Sharp and the Comets, improved play in the final three quarters allowed the afternoon to be a bit more enjoyable following a 39-27 victory over Mercer County in the Sauk Valley Bank Shootout.

Knowing we had to play [two] games today, maybe our kids were thinking about that, said Sharp, whose team fell behind 11-0 to start the contest and trailed 14-4 after the first quarter.

We cant be worrying about that, Sharp said. We needed to worry about this game and not worry about having to play two games today. That second game is just a bonus for us today.

Things couldnt have started worse for Newman. Shaky perimeter defense allowed the Golden Eagles (3-9) to get open looks from long range, and their shooters took advantage, connecting on four 3-point field goals. Meanwhile, the Comets looked lost offensively, turning the ball over several times in the first quarter. The poor play prompted a bold move from coach .

I subbed five for five to wake the first five up, and see if we find people that could play better, he said. Weve got to be ready to play from the start.

The Comets starters were back on the court to start the second quarter, and they quickly got into a groove, tying the game 14-14, 3 minutes into the frame on a bucket by junior center Noah McCarty, and taking its first lead at 19-17 on a basket by Nolan McGinn. McCarty led the Comets with 14 points and nine rebounds, and McGinn added with 10 points and six rebounds.

We had three turnovers and one missed shot in our first four possessions, McCarty said. We need to come out better. As the game went on, we settled down.

The Comets settled down to the tune of holding the Eagles to six points over the second and third quarters combined to put a stranglehold on the contest.

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Boys basketball: Comets pull off double play

Ambush Fall 8-5 to Unbeaten Comets

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January 4, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) St. Louis Ambush St. Charles, MO - The St. Louis Ambush became the latest victim of the indoor soccer juggernaut that is the Missouri Comets when the Comets defeated the Ambush 8-5 Saturday night, January 3 at the Family Arena. The Comets remain undefeated with an 11-0 record while the Ambush are now 3-6.

With eleven games remaining in the 2014-15 regular season, the Ambush are two games behind the Milwaukee Wave and the third of three playoff spots in the Central Division, so there is still time for St. Louis to find the right formula to clinch a playoff spot.

The Comets went up early on first quarter goals by Kiel Williams and Vahid Assadpour. Manny Forbes answered for St. Louis with a goal at 12:33.

St. Louis drew even (2-2) just 20 seconds into the second quarter on Jeff DiMaria's goal. Elvir Kafedzic put the Ambush on top 3-2 when a shot by Blake Ordell rebounded off the board and Kafedzic was able to put it into the back of the net. Missouri tied the game on John Sosa's restart goal at 6:58.

As with many of their other losses, the Ambush played a close first half of the match, only to see their opponents run away with the second half. The contest was tied 3-3 at the end of the first half, but the Comets outscored the Ambush 5-2 in the second half.

Robert Palmer and Andre Braithwaite gave the Comets a two point lead (5-3) on their goals less than two minutes apart in the third quarter. The Ambush closed the gap to 5-4 when a Chad Vandegriffe pass overshot Stefan St. Louis and came off the board at Kory Dowell, who buried it in the net at 5:43. Neither team scored again in the period, which ended with the Comets holding a one point lead.

At 5:07 in the final period, Andre Braithwaite scored his second of the night off a pass from Alain Matingou to increase the Comets' lead to 6-4. Leo Gibson gave Missouri a three point advantage (7-4) with a tally at 6:40, then earned an assist when he passed to Matingou, who scored at 13:43 to give the Comets at 8-4 lead. Stefan St. Louis scored against his former team at 14:50 but it was too little, too late for the Ambush who suffered the 8-5 loss.

Danny Waltman made 17 saves on 22 opportunities in goal for the Comets on his way to the win. Greg Crook continues to amaze in goal for the Ambush. Crook made 24 saves on 32 chances, but his team didn't produce the offense to match his stellar work in goal. You can't score if you don't shoot and a look at the shot count from the game shows in part why Missouri won. The Comets outshot the Ambush 51-29. Next up for the Ambush is a three-game road trip. Next Saturday, January 10, the Ambush visit Wichita for the first time to clash with the B-52s at Hartman Arena. The next weekend, the Ambush play road games on back- to-back nights. On Friday, January 16, the Comets host the Ambush at the Independence Events Center, then on Saturday, January 17, the Ambush return to Hartman Arena to again face the B-52s.

The Ambush return home to the Family Arena on Friday, January 23, when they host the Tulsa Revolution at 7:35 p.m. The following night, Saturday, January 24, the Ambush host the B-52s at 7:35 p.m.

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Ambush Fall 8-5 to Unbeaten Comets

Defense, rebounding lead Fatima girls past Blair Oaks

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WARDSVILLE, Mo. The Fatima Lady Comets might not have put together one of their best shooting performances of the season.

Photo by Kris Wilson

Lauren Viessman of Blair Oaks tries to shoot against the defense of Fatimas Annie Bock (24) during Saturday's game in Wardsville.

But they more than made up for it with their pressure defense and rebounding.

I was very pleased with those two aspects of the game, for sure, Fatima coach Dustin Hays said Saturday after the Lady Comets rolled to a 54-23 win against Blair Oaks. Were still a work in progress offensively.

Fatima (10-1) was 20-of-52 from the field, but forced 24 turnovers and out-rebounded Blair Oaks (4-4) 33-26 17-12 on the offensive glass.

Fatima is a good team, Blair Oaks coach Leroy Bernskoetter said. Theyre 10-1 for a reason. They scrap, theyre aggressive, theyre just a good team.

Morgan Brandt scored a game-high 12 points to lead Fatima, while Annie Bock added nine and Leah Kesel finished with eight for the Comets, who limited the Lady Falcons to a 8-of-35 performance from the field.

Defensively, we were talking about getting pressure up top, but also sprinting back, Hays said. We got a lot of turnovers on the other side of the floor when we sprinted back and got into position.

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Defense, rebounding lead Fatima girls past Blair Oaks

Travel letters: World's fairs remain a universal delight

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In talking about Expo 2015 in his article "Where to Head Next" [Dec. 28], Christopher Reynolds asserts that "world's fairs aren't the world-shaking spectacles they used to be." I respectfully disagree.

Universal expositions, which are held every five years, are as relevant and popular as ever. In fact, the last fair, in Shanghai in 2010, attracted 73 million people. Compare that with the number of people who attended the London 2012 Olympics just over 9 million.

Because our country let its membership lapse in the Bureau of International Expositions the equivalent of the Olympic Committee and the fact that a fair hasn't happened in our country since 1984, Americans have largely forgotten about world's fairs.

That 147 nations are participating in Milan, Italy, proves that, indeed, bringing people together to showcase a country's people, industry and most of all, their ideals, remains relevant.

Todd Duncan

Aliso Viejo

London letdown

Good article on London at the holidays and accurate, but you owe it to your readers to warn them that London is stone dead around Christmas ["London Glows at Christmas" by Darren Loucaides, Dec. 21]. Many restaurants are closed, except at some of the larger hotels.

The streets are empty, and there are very few taxis to be found. No concerts.

We visited during Christmas years ago and stayed at a hotel near the American Embassy in Mayfair. Its only restaurant open had all the charm of your local Denny's, and the menu was pretty sparse.

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Travel letters: World's fairs remain a universal delight

Acer Unveils Super-Sized Chromebook

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When thinking of Chromebooks, two things come to mind: their compact size and their low price point.

Acer is redefining the idea of the Chromebook by releasing a 15.6-inch version of the computer.

In one of the first big announcements at the upcoming International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Acer unveiled the larger notebook, which starts at $249.99.

With more screen real estate. the company called the super-sized Chromebook an "excellent primary computing device."

Expect a speedy next generation Intel Celeron processor, along with the option of a crisper than ever 1920 x 1080 display, ideal for watching movies and gaming and also cuts down on the need to scroll.

The downside: Acer's new Chromebook doesn't have the same portability of its smaller ancestors.

Nearly one-inch thick, it also weighs in at 4.85 pounds, meaning it's more likely to stay on your desk than your carry-all bag.

Acer said exact specifications and availability will vary in the United States. It was not immediately known when the 15.6-inch Chromebook would be available for pre-orders.

The company said it has 40 percent of the world's market share for Chromebooks, which run Google's Chrome operating system and store most applications and user data in the cloud instead of a local hard drive.

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Acer Unveils Super-Sized Chromebook

SuperTooth debuts super-cheap multi-room speaker system at 2015 CES

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LAS VEGAS French manufacturer SuperTooth announced a new and inexpensive multi-room audio system based on the Bluetooth protocol. The system includes up to five total speakers, each of which can be placed in different locations around the home, allowing for an uninterrupted transition of audio content when moving from room to room.

The speaker system connects to SuperTooths free multi-room app, from which a user can control both total system volume and which speakers are set to mono versus stereo. A multi-room speaker system can be a great audio solution for both social gatherings and individual use. The company plans to offer the all-in-one system at a relatively affordable price.

SuperTooths goal was to deliver a package of multi-room speakers already pre-installed to make the experience seamless, said Yves Le Reun, vice president of sales and marketing, in a press release. For $299, a three speaker set comes at the price of a single speaker from competitors, and since the initial connection is made via Bluetooth, users have far more versatility when streaming their music.

The Bluetooth connection opens up a large amount of streamable content from devices like computers, tablets and smartphones, including music from apps like Spotify, Pandora and YouTube, as well as the owners music library. By using Bluetooth, customers can take advantage of easy-to-use interfaces that already exist through mobile and computer apps instead of having to struggle with a complicated speaker system. SuperTooths multi-room speaker system, then, is designed to be a painless way to stream and listen to audio content.

Why this matters: Sonos currently dominates the multi-room audio market and has proven to be a very tough competitor. But the least-expensive Sonos speaker, the Play:1, is priced at $199. Building a three-speaker system using SuperTooth speakers would cost half as much. The key question, however, is whether it will sound as good or be as flexible as a Sonos system.

Well get one in for review as soon as we can to answer that.

Chanelle is a freelance contributor who writes about smart home products and connected devices. She has written for Fortune and Forbes covering business and technology. More by Chanelle Bessette

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SuperTooth debuts super-cheap multi-room speaker system at 2015 CES

Ten years in, California's stem cell program is getting a reboot

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Turning 10 years old may not quite mark adolescence for a human child, but for a major government research effort such as California's stem cell program, it's well past middle age.

So it's a little strange to hear C. Randal Mills, the new president and chief executive of the program known formally as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, say it's time to instill in CIRM "a clear sense of mission."

But that's what Mills is planning for the coming year, as he launches CIRM 2.0, a comprehensive reboot of the program.

Mills, a former biotech company chief executive, took over as CIRM's president last May. His first task, he told me, was to "take a step back and look broadly at how we do our business." He reached the conclusion that "there was a lot of room for improvement."

That's a striking admission for a program that already has allocated roughly two-thirds of its original $3-billion endowment.

Biomedical researchers are sure to find a lot to like about CIRM 2.0, especially Mills' commitment to streamline the program's grant and loan approval process for projects aimed at clinical trials of potential therapies. Reviews of applications take about 22 months on average; Mills hopes to cut that to about three months. The process can be made more efficient without sacrificing science: "We need to do it quickly and also focus on quality," he says in a videotaped presentation on the CIRM website. The CIRM board last month approved a six-month, $50-million round of funding under the new system, all to be aimed at testing new therapies.

Yet the focus on drug development shows that CIRM remains a prisoner of the politics that brought it into existence. The Proposition 71 campaign in 2004 employed inflated promises of cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes and other therapy-resistant conditions to goad California voters into approving the $3-billion bond issue ($6 billion with interest) for stem cell research.

CIRM says it has funded clinical trials of 10 therapies and has backed an additional 87 projects "in the later stages of moving toward clinical trials." In scientific terms that's progress, but it may fall short of the public expectations of "cures" stoked by the initiative's promoters 10 years ago.

And that poses a political problem. At its current rate of grant and loan approvals of about $190 million a year, CIRM has enough funding to last until 2020. What happens after that is an open question, but any campaign to seek new public funding may depend on CIRM's having a successful therapy to show off to voters.

Mills says winning approval for more public funding isn't the goal of CIRM 2.0. "It's not our job at CIRM to extend the life of CIRM," he told me. Instead, he couches the need for urgency in terms of serving patients. As chief executive of Maryland-based Osiris Therapeutics, where he worked before joining CIRM, he says, he had "a firsthand view into the significance of stem cell treatment, and of how important urgency is in this game." Osiris received approval from the Food and Drug Administration and Canadian regulators for a stem cell drug to treat children with severe complications from bone marrow and other blood transplants.

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Ten years in, California's stem cell program is getting a reboot