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Julian Assange wants to hire the Google engineer who got fired for writing the controversial Google manifesto (GOOG … – Markets Insider

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On Monday Google fired an engineer who wrote a now infamous memo against diversity that went viral within the company, was published by the press and has been the cause of non-stop talk ever since.

But the engineer, James Damore, needn't worry about a job if he needs one.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has publicly offered to bring him on board:

As you might expect, Assange argued that the guy had a right to express an opinion, however unpopular.

However, Assange went even further and appeared to defend the ex-Google engineer's controversial viewsby tweeting and linking to various bits of content that seem to be about scientists backing up the engineer's claims.To recap: the engineerbasically argued that many traitsgenerallyconsidered sexist stereotypes are in factbasic attributes baked into human biology and argued that Google's true problem is that it alienates people based on their political viewpoint, noteably people on thepolitical right.

Later, after the controversy began, the engineer revised his memo to say that the world is misrepresenting his ideas, "I value diversity and inclusion, am not denying that sexism exists, and dont endorse using stereotypes," he wrote, and said that he's heard from a lot of Googlers that agreed with him but are afraid to say so for fear of getting fired. (Here's the full copy of the memo.)

It's also worth noting that Assange has a history with Google. In between his defense of the engineer on Tuesday,Assange also fired off a tweet that plugged his book which includes a chapter on Google. Assangebelieves that Google had a "special relationship" with Hillary Clinton.

The memo enrapt and enraged so many people inside Google and outside that Google CEO Sundar Pichai cut his family vacation short to come back and calm his employees down.

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Julian Assange wants to hire the Google engineer who got fired for writing the controversial Google manifesto (GOOG ... - Markets Insider

Can NEO Become The Largest Cryptocurrency in the World? – HuffPost

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Cryptocurrencies are the talk of the town these days, and investors and programmers around the world are searching for systems that will provide the greatest level of support and return. One such currency, NEO, has the makings of the largest and most important cryptocurrency in the world.

The cryptocurrencies that most people are familiar with are Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin has been in the news because of the recent fork in the currency, resulting in Bitcoin Cash. However, the blockchain that Bitcoin is supported by is limited in its effectiveness for creating and running programs. In fact, only currencies and not programs are not possible on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Ethereum was invented four years ago as a way to both monetize the blockchain and allow for programmers to build apps and programs on the chain itself. Ethereum is both a cryptocurrency (ETH) and a blockchain that allows for smart contracts and some programming languages. Built by Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum still retains the anti-establishmentarianism of Bitcoin, while allowing for more programming and transaction applications.

NEO is the new name for the upgraded version of Antshares, a digital platform developed in China. NEO is a radically different and more powerful version of Antshares and presents massive opportunity for investors and programmers alike.

To begin with, NEO creates a unique digital economy around its token. NEO is a full integration of digital assets, digital identity, and smart contracts, creating a fully digitized economy that will be transparent and safe, and make money laundering and underground dealings difficult or impossible. Because of the ability of the new NEO blockchain system, companies and developers will be seeking to use NEO for various applications. The proliferation of smart contracts will make investment on the NEO platform simple and safe.

Second, NEO is unique among blockchain cryptocurrencies because of the versatility of the blockchain it is based on. Unlike Bitcoin, which only allows for the cryptocurrencies and no programming, NEO is very simple to learn and understand (unlike Ethereum), and has the ability to work with nearly every (90%) programming language available. NEO uses compilers compatible with Java, C#, and .NET, and will support Python, Go, and others in the near future. Unlike Ethereum, this diversity allows for a far more complex array of programs and apps that can be run on the NEO blockchain, and opens doors for extensive partnerships. With ease of learning and robust compatibility, NEO is poised to overtake Ethereum and others as the blockchain of choice.

Third, NEO is different philosophically. Rather than seeking simple rejection of the overall control of governments, NEO is designed to work within the framework of existing government control, while still providing freedom and autonomy to its users. This is a far more realistic perspective than the anti-government rhetoric of other blockchains, and will result in far greater investment and acceptance.

Fourth, NEO is not based on a proof-of-work mechanism, and so there is no mining necessary. This has been a huge detriment to both Bitcoin and ETH, as mining is so energy intensive and public opinion is turning against miners and the blockchain systems they support. NEO utilizes an ether-gas system for production and continuation, but protects the environment against over consumption of energy.

NEO, though relatively new, has already entered the top ten list of cryptocurrencies based on overall market cap. While this may seem like a small feat, a newer coin that has been recently released never enters the top ten in this way. NEO has had an explosive beginning as a cryptocurrency.

The future for NEO is bright, as the world begins to understand the complexity and simple elegance that is built into the NEO blockchain system. NEO will continue to gain market share (as already evidenced), and may surpass even Bitcoin in terms of its market share. As companies, investment firms, programmers and others realize the power and versatility of NEO, it may well grow to be the largest cryptocurrency in the world. Its design and features have positioned NEO to be massively successful in the coming years.

Brian is an international speaker and branding expert. Say hi to Brian at connect@brianrashid.com

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Can NEO Become The Largest Cryptocurrency in the World? - HuffPost

Nvidia CEO: Cryptocurrencies Are ‘Here to Stay’ – CoinDesk

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Nvidia is riding high on the boom in cryptocurrency mining, according to the graphics card (GPU) manufacturer.

Revealedyesterday, the California-based company'ssecond-quarter earnings wereup 56 percent year over year, with its GPU division taking in $1.9 billion during the second quarter a rise of 59 percent compared to the same period in 2016.

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang struck a bullish tone about the prospects for selling to would-be miners, tellingVentureBeat:

"Cryptocurrency and blockchain are here to stay. Over time, it will become quite large. It is very clear that new currencies will come to market. Its clear the GPU is fantastic at cryptography. The GPU is really quite well positioned."

The firm's CFO, Colette Kress, echoed the remarks in statements, citing rising values in the global cryptocurrency market as a primary driver for GPU sales.

"Our PC OEM revenue includes GPUs designed for mainstream desktops, notebooks, and cryptocurrency mining," she said. "The recent rise in crypto coin prices resulted in increased demand in OEM GPU sales."

Huang's comments stand in contrast to those from rival GPU maker AMD, however. Last month, CEO Lisa Suindicated that the company doesn't see a long-term future for sales in the miningmarket. That aside, she indicatedthat hercompany would "continue to watch the developments" in the space.

Recent months have seen growing demand for GPUs from cryptocurrency miners, who usethe cards to add new transaction blocks to a blockchain and receive newly minted coins as reward. GPUs are used to mine cryptocurrencies like ethereumand litecointhat use the "scrypt" hashing algorithm. Bitcoin, by contrast, is chiefly mined today using dedicatedhardware called ASICs.

Jen-Hsun Huang image via Flickr/BagoGames (Creative Commons)

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$126 Billion: The Cryptocurrency Market Just Set a New All-Time High – CoinDesk

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The total value of all cryptocurrencies set a new all-time high today, rising above $126 billion for the first time in history, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

The new benchmark was set at 8:00 UTC and comes just four days after the crypto asset class set aprevious recordabove $116 billion.

At press time, the price increase appears to be driven by a new influx of capital into bitcoin, the markets oldest and perhaps best understood asset. Over the last seven days, the value of one bitcoin is up more than 20%, rising to over $3,500 from $2,854 last Friday.

During that time, the total value of its coin supply also rose, climbing in value to $57 billion from $47 billion a week ago.

Strong gains have also been seen in the top-10 cryptocurrencies by market cap.

Neo (formerly Antshares), a well-publicized project out of China saw its market capitalization pass $1 billion for the first time. Over the past seven days, it has seen its market capitalization rise to $1.7 billion, up from $550 million, as its price per coin climbed to $34, up from roughly $10 seven days ago.

Elsewhere, IOTA also rose to $1.7 billion, up from $1.1 billion, while ether, the native cryptocurrency on the ethereum blockchain, increased its total market cap to $28 billion, up from $21 billion aweek ago.

But that's not to say all cryptocurrencies have seen such big movementsduring the period.

Bitcoin cash, the cryptocurrency created in last week's bitcoin fork, added little new value to its market, inching up to $5.4 billion, from $5.1 billion a week ago.

Hot air balloons image via Shutterstock

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is an independent media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. Have breaking news or a story tip to send to our journalists? Contact us at [emailprotected].

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Ukraine’s Central Bank Moves Closer to Cryptocurrency Regulation – CoinDesk

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The National Bank of Ukraine, the country's central bank, has indicated it may soonseek to regulate the use of cryptocurrencies.

While a clear outline for the initiative is still absent, in its latest announcement, the central bank said the legal implications of cryptocurrencies will be discussed at the next Financial Stability Board of Ukraine meeting at the end of August.

The decision comes at a time when Ukraine is seeing increased bitcoin activity, from payments to mining to blockchain development, but also when regulatory uncertainty hasled its law enforcementto take steps to reprimand bitcoin users.

Just days ago, Ukrainian police arrested several suspects who allegedly set up 200 computers to mine bitcoins at an abandoned swimming pool withina state institute in Kiev.

According to local media Kyiv Post, the court documentaccused the suspectsof illegally taking advantage of state property, and producing a currency, which is currently a function only the National Bank is legally allowed to do. Further, the law also states that no other currency besides theUkrainian Hryvnia can be treated as legal payment in Ukraine.

Citing the different approaches taken by other countries in defining cryptocurrencies, the banking authority will now begin itsdiscussion withthe Ministry of Finance, State Fiscal Service, the State Financial Monitoring Service, Securities and Stock Market State Commission and the National Commission for the State Regulation of Financial Services Markets.

Ukraine imagevia Shutterstock

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is an independent media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. Have breaking news or a story tip to send to our journalists? Contact us at [emailprotected].

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Sensay advice bot to launch Ethereum-based cryptocurrency – VentureBeat

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Sensay, a bot that connects people with other people for anonymous advice, announced today plans to launch an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency called SENSE.The bot currently has hundreds of thousands of monthly active users, founder Crystal Rose told VentureBeat earlier this year. Token sales will begin Oct. 10.

Sensay has been used by 3 million people since its launch as an SMS bot in 2015.

In an interview earlier this year, Rose told VentureBeat Sensay views monetization as a priority in order to provide its human network of advice givers incentive to use the bot and continue to offer advice on subjects ranging from relationships (most popular) to where to find dank memes.

Today, advice givers can receive tips in the form of tokens, and roughly 20 million coins have been awarded already. Once SENSE becomes available, coinholders will be immediately rewarded in a 1:1 basis, a Sensay spokesperson told VentureBeat in an email.

The currency may be made available to bots, apps, and services beyond Sensay in the future, a company spokesperson told VentureBeat.

SENSE is the second cryptocurrency launched for the bot ecosystem in recent months. This spring, chat app Kik announced plans to create its own cryptocurrency called Kin.

Sensay is currently available on Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Slack, Kik, Skype, SMS, iMessage and Telegram.

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Sensay advice bot to launch Ethereum-based cryptocurrency - VentureBeat

WikiLeaks ‘CouchPotato’ Dump: CIA’s video hacking programme seemingly revealed – TrustedReviews

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WikiLeaks is at it again, this time unveiling what it claims are more details of a surveillance programme operated by the CIA.

Specifically, this latest data dump in the Vault 7 series contains information on the CIAs CouchPotato hacking tool.

This alleged CIA project concerns hacking video streams, its claimed, and is said to target devices running the Windows OS.

Related: Best VPN

According to WikiLeaks, CouchPotato is a system for intercepting video chat and security camera streams, and can remotely hack those streams, unlike the previous programme WikiLeaks claimed to uncover: Dumbo.

Dumbo was said to relate to the CIAs ability to hack and mute microphones and disrupt webcam recordings, and required the physical addresses of the devices it targeted.

But CouchPotato can, according to WikiLeaks, target IP-based surveillance cameras, and since the operator has the specific URLs for the video streams, those being targeted could theoretically be entirely unaware of any CIA intrusion.

WikiLeaks user guide for the latest revelations state:CouchPotato is a remote tool for collection against RTSP/H.264 video streams.

It provides the ability to collect either the stream as a video file (AVI) or capture still images (JPG) of frames from the stream that is of significant change from a previously captured frame.

Using CouchPotato, WikiLeaks says the CIA cansave specific video streams in AVI format or as JPEG images.

Whats more, the system is also supposedly capable of identifying movement in a video and only saving those specific parts cutting out any time periods where there was no activity.

How long has this been going on, according to WikiLeaks? Well, the system apparently dates back to 2014, with only the first version being detailed in the latest data dump.

Just where the programme is now remains unclear, so it could be the programme was developed or possibly even scrapped as the information seems to indicate CouchPotato put a huge strain on computers system resources.

Let us know your thoughts on CouchPotato on social media.

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WikiLeaks 'CouchPotato' Dump: CIA's video hacking programme seemingly revealed - TrustedReviews

Chelsea Manning appears in Vogue magazine’s September issue …

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Chelsea Manning was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue magazines 125th anniversary September issue. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea Manning, the former US Army analyst turned whistleblower, has graced the pages of Vogue magazines September issue.

Manning was photographed in a red swimsuit on a beach by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz for the magazines 125th anniversary September issue.

The 29-year-old was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 after one of the most high-profile intelligence leaks in modern times. In 2007, while on leave from service in Iraq, Manning sent hundreds of thousands of classified and sensitive documents to WikiLeaks, including the video known as Collateral Murder that showed US military killing dozens of unarmed Iraqi citizens.

Manning came out as transgender the day after she was sentenced. Lawyers successfully advocated for her to undergo hormone therapy while in prison. After six years behind bars, she was released from Fort Leavenworth prison on 17 May when, in one of his final acts as US president, Barack Obama commuted her sentence, saying justice has been served. Manning has been living in New York since her release.

In an interview with Vogues Nathan Heller, Manning spoke about her childhood in Oklahoma, her parents separation, her growing awareness and confusion around her sexuality and gender identity, and her decision to enter the military in 2007 in the hope that it would help her figure [herself] out.

She told Heller she accepted responsibility for her whistleblowing actions: I think its important to remember that when somebody sees government wrongdoing whether its illegal or immoral or unethical there isnt the means available to do something about it ... Everyone keeps saying: You should have gone through the proper channels! But the proper channels dont work.

She also spoke about her time in prison, the psychological toll of which involved her making multiple suicide attempts and being shut away in solitary confinement.

Since her release from prison, however, Mannings online persona has been a font of joy and positivity. In spite of relentless targeting by trolls and detractors, her tweets are frequently peppered with rainbows, hearts and smile emojis.

Manning is not the first trans woman to feature in Vogues pages, with models and trans women such as Hari Nef and Andreja Pejic having previously featuring in the fashion magazine. Earlier this year, French Vogue made headlines when Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio was revealed on the cover of their March issue the first time the magazine had featured a transwoman on the cover.

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Chelsea Manning doesn’t look glamorous in Vogue. And that’s great. – Washington Post

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There is a single thing worth noticing about the photo shoot of Chelsea Manning, this eras second-most-famous transgender woman, in the September issue of Vogue. She is not glamorous.

Mannings cropped strawberry blond hair is windswept and wet, and other than what appears to be a bit of mascara and perhaps some lip balm, there is little evidence of makeup. The styling, by Phyllis Posnick, is all about looking natural and relaxed or as much as one can while being attended to by a village of fashion editors and assistants. The backdrop is a nearly empty, rocky beach with foamy waves in the distance on a fairly overcast day. An empty lifeguards chair sits off to the side. There is nothing particularly sophisticated or chicabout the setting or the styling. This is not one of those white-sand beaches dotted with elegant cabanas and oiled-up bar boys standing at the ready.

Instead, this is Everymans beach a place for day trips, not summering.

This is Mannings fashion coming out in the pages of a magazine that transforms fashion into popular culture, politics into iconography, controversy into high gloss. However one might view Manning as a whistle-blower or a traitor the message of this photo is accessibility, normalcy, calm.

This is a far cry from the haughty, hyper-feminine Hollywood unveiling of Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair in 2015. Jenners long chestnut hair was done up in flowing waves. Inside, there were more pictures featuring perfect makeup, a glittering gold evening gown, retro ivory lingerie, contoured cleavage and legs stretched long like Marlene Dietrich. Everything about Jenners photographs, from the cover to the inside pages, declared, loudly and emphatically: I am the visual epitome of a woman, from the top of my perfect blow-out to my stiletto heels.

Manning is not so insistent that her femininity, her womanliness, is consistent with such narrow standards. Perhaps its because she is younger than Jenner by almost 40 years a millennial rather than a baby boomer. Perhaps its because the culture has shifted in the past two years. (And with a single presidential tweet, continues to shift.) Perhaps its simply because Manning and Jenner are two very different people, and blessedly, that is reflected in how they are photographed, even though both were shot by Annie Leibovitz.

In Vogue, Manning wears a red Norma Kamali one-piece swimsuit. With its sweetheart neckline and wide straps, it has a retro aesthetic. And had Manning been styled differently, with smoky eye makeup and tousled hair, it would have been the perfect costume for a pin-up. Instead, the suit, with its tummy concealing ruching along the sides, is more reassuring than sexy. As swimwear goes, its not especially revealing. Its conservative. Its purpose isnt to flaunt the body so much as it is to flatter it.

The accompanying story by Nathan Heller is filled with detailed descriptions of the various ensembles Manning wears as Heller accompanies her to a literary party and engages her in a conversation on the banks of the Hudson River. The list of designer wear is long and impressive: Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs, the Row, Vetements. Manning notes that she has a lot of fashion news to catch up on, thanks to her detention at Fort Leavenworth military prison. She has been a fast study and is particularly enamored of collections that blur gender lines, that do not aspire to create perfection but that revel in the off-beat the off-kilter.When she posted an image of herself on Instagram after leaving prison, her bright red lips stood out against her cropped hair and simple black dress. The picture was controlledbut inviting. She looked like she was headed to the office, not declaring her personal freedom. Although sometimes, freedom can simply mean the sweet ability to just be boring.

Manning isnt on the cover of Vogue. Jennifer Lawrencestars in four different versions of the September issue, which celebrates the magazines 125th anniversary. And shegets the full Vogue fantasy gloss, dressed up as everything from a screen siren to (sort of) a 19th-century debutante. Manning isnt even a head-turner. She doesnt startle you by how pretty she looks.She is so pale against the washed out sky and the sand. The swimsuit pops into focus before she does. Manning is looking directly at the camera and smiling. She doesnt look relaxed. (Perhaps only a professional celebrity could fully exhale in the bullseye of Leibovitzs lens.) But Manning definitely looks pleased.

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Chelsea Manning doesn't look glamorous in Vogue. And that's great. - Washington Post

Chelsea Manning makes waves with Vogue swimsuit spread – CTV News

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AFP Published Saturday, August 12, 2017 9:10AM EDT Last Updated Saturday, August 12, 2017 1:23PM EDT

Transgender soldier Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst jailed for leaking troves of classified information to WikiLeaks, has turned heads by posing in a red one-piece bathing suit for the September issue of Vogue.

"Guess this is what freedom looks like," Manning said in social media posts that included a picture from the shoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, showing Manning walking on a beach, her hands in her wet hair.

"Chelsea Manning changed the course of history. Now she's focusing on herself," says the headline of the fashion magazine's long-form interview with Manning, who has become an icon for transgender activists.

The photo and the article garnered major attention on social media Friday, eliciting comments both for and against Manning, who will turn 30 in December.

Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks three years earlier, when she was known as Bradley.

She served seven years, and twice tried to take her own life last year alone, before then-president Barack Obama commuted her sentence just days before he left office in January.

Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth's all-male prison in May.

During her incarceration, Manning battled for -- and won -- the right to start hormone treatment. She now has cropped blonde hair and a decidedly feminine look.

For some Americans, she is a hero who paid dearly for leaking embarrassing US diplomatic cables and classified military documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For others, she is a traitor.

So far, Manning's tweet with the Vogue photo has been retweeted about 3,600 times, and has raked in about 27,000 likes.

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