Daily Archives: April 30, 2017

Hollywood, DC come together for First Amendment-themed VIP party – The Hill (blog)

Posted: April 30, 2017 at 10:05 pm

It was a collision of Hollywood and the nations capital on the eve of the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner, with one of Los Angeles biggest talent agencies and a news outlet teaming up to host a VIP-filled soiree in Washington.

United Talent Agency and Mediaites Friday event at Fiola Mare restaurant in Washington a fave of former President Obama and Michelle ObamaMichelle ObamaHollywood, DC come together for First Amendment-themed VIP party Capitol File partygoers praise low-key start to correspondents dinner weekend USDA to ease school meal standards MORE was billed as a way to celebrate the First Amendment and excellence in journalism.

The packed bash which blasted tunes such as D.J. Khaleds All I Do is Win and the 2010 Cali Swag District hit Teach Me How to Dougie boasted an impressive crowd of Los Angeles and D.C. types.

Sen. Patrick LeahyPatrick LeahyHollywood, DC come together for First Amendment-themed VIP party The Hill's 12:30 Report Lawmakers talk climate for Earth Day, Science March MORE (D-Vt.) who has connections to Hollywood after making appearances in several Batman movies over the years perused an expansive raw bar before grabbing an oyster.

Veteran journalist Carl Bernstein, whos poised to present awards at the WHCA dinner on Saturday, was eyed doing a thorough investigation of the same raw bar before filling up his cocktail plate.

United Talent Agency made headlines earlier this year after canceling its annual Oscars party to protest President Trumps immigration ban. The agency instead announced it would hold a rally and make a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union and the International Rescue Committee.

Hosted by United Talent Agencys Jay Sures and Mediaites Dan Abrams, among the power-fueled crowd spotted at the festivities Friday: lobbyist Heather Podesta; MSNBCs Greta Van Susteren and husband, lawyer John Coale; SiriusXM Howard Stern Show executive producer Gary DellAbate and his wife, Mary (gushing about how beautiful Washington is); ABC News Rick Klein; Sen. Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon WhitehouseHollywood, DC come together for First Amendment-themed VIP party Overnight Energy: Trump set to sign offshore drilling order Trump's FDA nominee clears key Senate committee MORE (D-R.I.); Designated Survivor actor Kal Penn; model and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi; CNNs Jake Tapper, Don Lemon, Gloria Borger, Nia-Malika Henderson and Mary Katharine Ham; Tammy Haddad; NBC News Ali Velshi Shark Tank star Kevin OLeary; GOP strategist Ron Bonjean and wife Sara; and CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist.

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First Amendment under attack by liberals – Washington Times

Posted: at 10:05 pm

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

The only thing anyone is allowed to hear on campus is a slogan. Thinking is so 20th century (and early 20th century at that). The adults paid to be in charge have retreated to a safe place, where never is heard an encouraging word and the skies are cloudy all day.

The First Amendment has been under the latest assault for months, and this week Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont and onetime chairman of the Democratic Party, finally said out loud what certain prominent Democrats have hinted at and alluded to, that free speech does not necessarily include extending it to anyone who disagrees with them.

This poison spread, like so much of the toxic stuff polluting the body politic, from the campuses of the elite. Particularly the University of California at Berkeley, where visiting speakers with something to say cant say it because it might offend the sophomore class. Cowardice rules in the university presidents office and ignorance rules in Sproul Plaza. A speech by Ann Coulter, the firebrand columnist, was canceled because everyone was afraid of what she might say.

Miss Coulter, a slender woman who might weigh 90 pounds stepping out of a shower, was eager to take her chances facing down the mob to say her piece, whatever that piece might have been, but the Berkeley cops, the university administration, the sponsoring Young Americas Foundation and the College Republicans, all trembled, looked one way and then the other, and took a powder lest the hooded brownshirts dressed in black with robbers masks, actually disrupt the tranquility of the campus.

The editors of National Review magazine observed with a bit of acid that Janet Napolitano, the president of the University of California System, was Barack Obamas Director of Homeland Security and was responsible for keeping al Qaeda out of New York and Washington, but she cant secure a lecture hall on a California college campus.

But even in defending free speech and all that free speech means, the editors prefaced their condemnation of cowardice and outrage at Berkeley with something of an apology for defending Miss Coulter: We have had our differences with Ann Coulter over the years, differences that led to our eventually declining to continue publishing her work. She is charming and funny and sometimes brilliant. She is also a glib and irresponsible self-promoter. We suspect that she will not like having that written about her. We suspect that she might write something in reply. But the editors think it is nevertheless wrong, or at least inappropriate, to chase her off the campus. Probably.

Howard Dean likes free speech and the First Amendment well enough, but with appropriate edits and the proper emendations. He looked at the work of the Founding Fathers with a physicians eye and saw that the guarantee was not absolute, as the Founding Fathers thought it was. The amendment does not protect hate speech, which he thinks is anything unpleasant for a good fellow like him to hear.

The Founding Fathers thought they succeeded in writing the guarantee in stark, plain English so plain and so clear, in fact, that even a lawyer could understand it: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. No ifs, ands, or buts, and not a single whereas. Nothing there about hate speech, exclusions, preclusions or exceptions.

This gives some people palpitations. Its no mystery why such people are invariably at the likes of Berkeley and Yale and Middlebury. Youre not as likely to see or hear proposed footnotes to the First Amendment at the likes of Southeast North Dakota State, Utah A&M or Ouachita Baptist College.

In First Amendment law, says Glenn Harlan Reynolds, the distinguished professor of constitutional law at the University of Tennessee, the term hate speech is meaningless. All speech is equally protected whether its hateful or cheerful. It doesnt matter if its racist, sexist or in poor taste, unless speech falls into a few very narrow categories like true threats, which have to address a specific individual, or incitement, which must constitute an immediate and intentional encouragement to imminent lawless action its protected.

Theres a reason why the Founders put the First Amendment first. Its the most important part of the Constitution, and as important as the rest of the Bill of Rights is, the First Amendment is the most important. With free speech, the people are armed to protect all other rights. Without it, the people are disarmed, and tyrants, the vile and ignorant like the students on certain campuses among us, rule. We allow that at our deadly peril.

Wesley Pruden is editor in chief emeritus of The Times.

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Ripple Rising: Centralized Cryptocurrency Sees 30% Gain in One Day – CryptoCoinsNews

Posted: at 10:04 pm

Bank-friendly Ripple (XRP) still exists, to the surprise of many, the author included. Not only that, but it has continued its apparent strategic partnership initiative, partnering with Asian and Australian banks in conjunction with its stated goal of acting as a sort of Paypal mechanism for large interbank transfers.

Four short weeks ago, the coin was sitting around a penny a pop. But with more enthusiasm building among traders, it has steadily risen, and today saw a spike of over 30%, rounding out just under 5 cents each.

Ripple has been getting a ton of attention as of late, and not the negative kind like it once received for managing to get a $700,000 fine from the federal government and thereby underscoring the risk of having a known entity backing a cryptocurrency. Just a couple of examples of this are this recent video in Bloomberg News and inclusion in a Bank of England program.

Skepticism among more traditional cryptocurrency people still thrives. The centralization aspect and the inherent issue of being able to identify coin users as well as reverse transactions certainly is a specter of wrongdoing for many of us. But as one writer put it, one mans sh**coin is another mans treasure.

The fact that the Ripple project has continued to develop its platform and strategic partnerships, continued to bring on talent, and continued to grow its community means that they are at least serious, not scammers looking for a quick buck. The Paypal of banks aspect is important, and paralysis in the Bitcoin community over a simple issue certainly gives any bank pause when it comes to partnering with cryptocurrencies. A recent report from IBM shows that over 90% of banks are investing in some form of blockchain technology.

Another factor of improvement for Ripple is the unofficial Swiss sector of its network. Something called PathShuffle has been introduced which aims to anonymize transactions in the same way that they are on the likes of the DASH network.

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are both very young technologies, and the future is wide open. The first mover, Bitcoin, continues to have its share of problems, and as its drama continues it becomes easier and easier to envision a future where alternatives actually stand a fighting chance. The recent, impressive success of Ethereum is one example, along with DASH, and perhaps Ripple will be up there with them, centralized though it is, serving its own corner of the market.

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Bitcoin Hits New All-Time High | Fortune.com – Fortune

Posted: at 10:04 pm

A year ago, one Bitcoin could be had for about $450. On Thursday, the cryptocurrency peaked at just over $1,340, as measured by the Coindesk price index , before retrenching slightly to $1318 by this morning. Thats still a return of nearly 200%.

Bitcoin has seen a remarkably steady rise since early 2016, fueled by global regulatory normalization , broad interest in the technology from enterprises and banks , and rising transaction volumes. Cryptocurrency analysts, according to Coindesk, think the trend will continue , citing among other factors that most Bitcoin investors are long-term bulls who will take profits conservatively.

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But the very transaction volume that is Bitcoins key fundamental also presents a serious medium-term threat, as the system has struggled to keep up. Transaction speeds have become impractical for merchant payments, and fees have risen, making the system less competitive with conventional payment systems such as credit cards. Struggles over how to fix the problem have raised the spectre of a network split though that could, at least theoretically, give holders additional value in a manner akin to a stock split.

Bitcoin had a notable previous peak of around $979 way back in November of 2013 (Coindesks number seems conservative here Coinmarketcap records a 2013 peak of $1149). That push was fueled by a wave of mainstream media attention, but prices slumped through 2015 on the realization that the techs promise would take some time to fulfill, dipping as low as $204 that August.

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Brazilian Criminals Kidnap Woman And Demand a Bitcoin Payment – newsBTC

Posted: at 10:04 pm

In the end, it is good to learn the woman was unharmed despite her being kidnapped.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are often used in criminal activity. While most of these attacks take place on the Internet, Bitcoin also has an allure for regular criminals. In Brazil, a few men kidnapped a 32-year-old woman this week. In exchange for her release, they demand a bitcoin payment. Luckily, the Civil Police was able to defuse the situation without money changing hands.

It is rather intriguing to learn regular criminals want a Bitcoin payment. That is very strange, considering bitcoin is anything but an anonymous cryptocurrency. In fact, one can argue bitcoin should never be used for criminal activity whatsoever. All transactions can be tracked in real-time without special software. Transactions always leave a digital trail, which is the last thing criminals want.

Then again, a few thugs in Florianopolis, Brazil, thought otherwise. Earlier this week, they kidnapped the wife of a local businessman. In exchange for her release, they asked for an undisclosed Bitcoin payment. The businessman alerted the Civil police to this incident, who were able to extract her from the criminals claws successfully. In the end, no money changed hands, yet it makes for a remarkable story.

It is the first time criminals ask for a cryptocurrency payment when kidnapping someone in Brazil. The goal was to have the husband pay up a sum of bitcoin in exchange for his wifes release. However, demanding a payment in virtual currency is very risky at best. It is impossible to streamline such a deal, as there are many variables to take into account. Buying Bitcoin in Brazil, for example, is not impossible, yet very difficult for a lot of people.

The husband successfully negotiated with the criminals in an effort to delay the payment. Interestingly enough, the Civil Police was successful in determining the location where his wife was being held. It remains unclear how this was achieved exactly, though. It is possible for criminals observed their target for some time before striking. Regardless of their preparation, the venture was unsuccessful. This goes to show cryptocurrency and criminal activity do not make for a good mix whatsoever.

In the end, it is good to learn the woman was unharmed despite her being kidnapped. The Civil Police is still conducting the investigation as we speak. So far, six potential criminals have been identified as part of this operation. Only one person is arrested at this time, although that number may increase over the coming weeks.

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Bitcoin Will Soon Gain Traction in Antigua & Barbuda As Government Proposes to Draft new Laws – newsBTC

Posted: at 10:04 pm

This is another validation for Bitcoin as a new global currency.

The Caribbean has always been an interesting region for cryptocurrency. Bitcoin and consorts can make a big impact in this part of the world over the coming years. The Cabinet of Antigua & Barbuda is looking to regulate Bitcoin usage in the coming months. The local Attorney General is tasked with drafting allows for the implementation of Bitcoin. An intriguing development, that much is certain.

It is refreshing to see legislators take an open-minded approach to Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. The Cabinet of Antigua & Barbuda wants to draft new laws pertaining to Bitcoin usage. However, it does not appear the government wants to hinder the use of cryptocurrencies in any way. Instead, they want to give Bitcoin legal recognition, which is beneficial to the status of this popular cryptocurrency on a global scale.

The decision is a result of a meeting between the Cabinet and representatives of the Antigua Leisure & Gaming Association. As a result of this meeting, Antigua & Barbuda think highly of Bitcoin as of right now. New developments are taking center stage in the region, that much is certain. Moreover, the nation wants to be a trendsetter in the Caribbean. Embracing innovative technology is an excellent way to maintain that status.

Since Bitcoin is an immutable currency, it is of keen interest to the local government. Moreover, anyone can trace Bitcoin transactions at any time without needing special software or access. In fact, the government sees Bitcoin as an ally when it comes to fighting tax evasion efforts. An intriguing train of thought, considering other countries see Bitcoin as a way to facilitate money laundering and tax evasion.

Minister of Trade and Consumer Affairs EP Chet Greene stated:

The currency benefits us in Antigua & Barbuda in respect to our Internet gaming sector. It will allow us the satisfaction needed as a jurisdiction in respect to questions that would be asked of us in the Global Environment.

This is another validation for Bitcoin as a new global currency. Japan and South Korea have been looking favorably on Bitcoin as of late. More countries giving cryptocurrency legal status are quite an intriguing development, to say the least. Things are changing in favor of Bitcoin, that much is certain.

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Is Bitcoin a Great Hedge Against Struggling Debt-Based Economies? – CryptoCoinsNews

Posted: at 10:04 pm

The US is known to the vast majority of the world as the global financial and economic powerhouse. Yet, the US holds the largest amount of external debt at $19.9 trillion. The UK, France and Germany fall behind the US respectively as the second, third and fourth largest debt holders in the world.

Since mid-2016, investors and traders in the largest bitcoin exchange markets including US, China and Japan began to perceive bitcoin as a safe haven asset and wealth management product (WMP). Since then, bitcoin has been the go-to asset for avoiding economic uncertainty and financial instability.

Conceptually, the debt of the US carries a low level of importance to both the country and the rest of the world due to the US government and its economys impact to the global economy and financial system. As the holder of the worlds largest reserve currency, at times of economic and financial instability, the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the US, rely on its ability to print massive amounts of money to keep the countrys economy afloat.

But, such strategy is leading to the build up of perhaps the largest bubble in modern history; the bubble of the central banks and the global financial system.

Realistically, financial systems of countries are overseen, manipulated and controlled by their respective governments. Thus, similar to the attempts of Greece in 2015, central banks and regulators could impose harsh regulations or policies such as a haircut to seize funds from private investors, individuals and businesses through private banks.

Simply put, funds or money stored in bank accounts and even fiat money or cash carry no actual value that is wholly dependent on the market. Their value is completely based on the governing party and its central bank. As seen in the decline of the British pound, the value of a currency could plunge in short period of time due to political conflicts and financial disagreements.

At this rate, fiat money is approaching its decline and the emergence of a decentralized and market-based currency such as bitcoin or any other cryptocurrencies that hold the philosophy of bitcoin could threaten the global financial system. The US is able to hold on to massive amounts of debt due to their leverage over the global economy and financial system. If it loses its leverage due to a complete restructuring of the financial system as a result of the popularization of bitcoin or other decentralized stores of value, the country could be placed under serious economic trouble.

For instance, the gross debt of the Australian government in 2007 was valued to be $53.25 billion. Today, the debt of Australia is $484.6 billion. Within a decade, the national debt of Australia increased by over 9x, as seen in the chart below.

Bitcoin is a practical and viable hedge against debt-based economies because its value solely depends on its market. Since bitcoin is decentralized by nature and has a fixed monetary supply, the value of bitcoin is decided by a simple concept of supply and demand. But, since the supply of bitcoin is fixed, as long the demand for bitcoin continues to increase, the value of bitcoin will proportionally surge.

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Stock Portfolio App Stockfolio Adds Bitcoin and Altcoin Price Support – newsBTC

Posted: at 10:04 pm

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have become quite popular investment vehicles as of late as well.

It is evident mainstream traders are paying more attention to cryptocurrency. Not only are they looking at bitcoin and altcoin prices, but app developers are doing so as well. Stockfolio, a rather popular app among mainstream traders, added bitcoin price support. Additionally, they now also list some of the top altcoins. An interesting decision that may bring cryptocurrency to the mainstream.

Every time a major app adds cryptocurrency support, there is cause for celebration A lot of people on the planet remain unaware of bitcoin and altcoins. In some cases, that is due to sheer ignorance. On the other hand, there is very little mainstream attention for cryptocurrency as a whole. It is up to individual trading apps to change all of that.

Stockfolio, an application exclusively available on OSX, has done exactly that. Users who update their client will now have access to cryptocurrency information as well. Keeping tabs on the Bitcoin price is now a possibility, as well as the value of prominent altcoins. It is interesting to see investment apps pay attention to cryptocurrency at this point in time.

One caveat is how the app costs US$11.99. That is a bit of a steep price for an investment application. Then again, major traders need apps like this to keep track of their stock portfolio. At this rate, bitcoin may become part of these portfolios as well. Diversification remains key, as always. Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have become quite popular investment vehicles as of late as well.

As of right now, two altcoins are supported by Stockfolio. Both Ethereum and Litecoin prices are tracked in real-time. Moreover, there is also a built-in news feed for cryptocurrency news. All things considered, the Stockfolio app adds the necessary tools to keep tabs on cryptocurrency. Whether or not traders will invest in this market, remains to be seen.

It is good to see Apple approve these app updates related to cryptocurrency. The technology giant has a bit of a rocky history when it comes to bitcoin and altcoins. However, it appears the situation is slowly improving. It is not unlikely more financial apps will focus on cryptocurrency support in the future.

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Augmented reality increases maintenance reliability at a space station – Space Daily

Posted: at 10:03 pm

VTT participates in the development of new AR tools for the European Space Agency (ESA)

An international project led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland developed a new augmented reality (AR) tool for the ESA. In the future, it is envisaged that astronauts will be able to use this tool to perform maintenance tasks and real-time equipment monitoring in the demanding conditions of space. The first practical tests carried out at ESA's European Astronaut Centre produced excellent results.

The two-year EdcAR project (Engineering data in cross platform AR) led by VTT developed a solution to the challenges involved in maintenance and the provision of work instructions, which have been an issue for more than a decade.

Since maintenance and other work tasks in space are critical, they must be carried out without errors and at the right time. Preparing for these requires in-depth practising, which involves coordinating the activities of various experts. Since astronauts' time is extremely valuable, their tasks and maintenance instructions must be unambiguous.

Proceeding step by step, making the invisible visible The EdcAR project developed a new AR system intended to improve the performance of manual tasks in the frame of the Space Industry. The system is expected to reduce mistakes, speed up the tasks and improve the clarity of the instruction by the use of AR technology. The major benefit is the real-time location of the point requiring maintenance.

This information is transmitted to the astronaut's AR glasses explicitly and at the right time by using text, graphics, video, sound etc. The system displays detailed visual instructions on the astronauts' AR glasses, guiding them step by step to perform the necessary procedures in the right order, such as "now press this button", "then turn the lever (B)".

The new system also makes the invisible visible by enabling the visualization of telemetry data from equipment and other systems on board the space station, such as fault diagnostics, the latest maintenance data, life cycle, radiation, pressure or temperature - both in space and on the ground. All of this information can be displayed on the AR glasses.

"The AR system that we developed runs on the Microsoft HoloLens platform. It supports the astronauts' work in a completely new way by displaying key telemetry data through an IoT (Internet-of-Things) interface," explains Project Manager Kaj Helin of VTT.

"This is very impressive! We are exploring possibilities for an EdcAR follow on," says David Martinez Oliveira, Technical Officer, ESA.

The first practical tests of the new AR systems have been performed in the ISS-Columbus training mock-up located in the ESA's on-ground European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The test team included an experienced astronaut.

The AR system can be applied in a number of sectors, such as the aviation industry, machine building, ships, mining machines and power plants.

The two-year project was funded by ESA. The project partners are VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Thales Alenia Space, Italy and France, and ICCS (Institute of Communications and Computer Systems), Greece.

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The Houston Texans went to space to announce their Round 4 NFL Draft pick – For The Win

Posted: at 10:02 pm

By the time the NFL Draft reaches Day 3, things are starting to get less interesting. So bring on the hijinks!

The Houston Texans won Round 4, not because offensive tackle Julien Davenport was some remarkably great pick though his raw tools and smarts should make him a nice project but because they tapped into their citys astronomicroots.

The woman in suspension was Peggy Whitson on the International Space Station. She holds the record for most consecutive days living in space, and shes doing something tremendously important to the human race in researching how we all could one day survive out there. She obviously had to pre-tape her segment, so she threw it down to retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly from Space Center Houston.

Houston, we have a draft pick, Kelly said before announcing the Davenport pick.

Very good. All drafts should be on space ships.

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