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Daily Archives: September 24, 2021
Check Out the Futuristic ‘Naval Cockpit’ of the Italian Navy’s PPA – Naval News
Posted: September 24, 2021 at 11:12 am
The Italian Navy released the first cleared photos of the bridge of its latest class of surface combatant, the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol ship (PPA), and it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Xavier Vavasseur 23 Sep 2021
The Italian Navy released the first cleared photos of the bridge of its latest class of surface combatant, the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol ship (PPA), and it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.
According to the Italian Navy release (which announced the qualification of the first bridge officers for the first-in-class ship, ITS Thaon di Revel), the Naval Cockpit is:
an integrated station that allows the conduct of the ship as well as sea and air operations by only two operators, the Pilot and the Copilot, who fulfill the duties of Officer of the Watch on the bridge and Commander. From this location it is in fact possible to manage both the machines, the rudders, the platform systems and the combat system at the highest level
The Naval Cockpit, designed by Italian defense electronics company Leonardo and local shipbuilder Fincantieri, really is inspired by the aerospace domain: Pilot and Copilot use joysticks, engine throttles and control wheels (very reminiscent to yokes found in aircraft cockpits) to drive the ship. A central console located between the two sailors and featuring a large number of switches, lights and knobs add to that aircraft cockpit feel:
For many months, staff training has begun during the numerous sea trips dedicated to the new class of Patrol Vessels. Navigations that have allowed the officers designated to this new position to undergo practical training of the on job training type. Another part of the training course took place both at the Navy Bodies on simulation systems, and at the Leonardo and Seastema companies, with the attendance of preparatory courses: in fact, 2 weeks took place at the Navy Programming Center to which they did followed by another 2 weeks for the Platform System part and another week for the Combat System. From now on, this will therefore be the training path that officers will have to follow to learn about this innovative system and conduct the navigation and air-naval operations of the new Offshore Multipurpose Patrol vessels of the Thaon di Revel class. Path that led to the delivery of the first Naval Cockpit Certificates.
Italian Navy statement
The launching ceremony of the first the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship (PPA)Paolo Thaon di Reveltook placeon June 15 2019at Fincantieris shipyard in Muggiano (La Spezia). The first ship-in-class started sea trialson November 19. 2019. It is set to be commissioned this year. The second vessel of the class, Francesco Morosini, was launchedon 22 May 2020. The third ship, Raimondo Montecuccoli, was launched in March 2021 and just started sea trials according to OCCAR.
Based on a common platform, PPAs will be delivered in three configurations with incremental capabilities: Light, Light+ and Full. The first two ships are in the Light version and the third one is a Light+. The PPA full version will see its total displacement increased to 6,270 tons (compared to 5,880 tons for the light+ version and 5830 tons for the light version). PPA full will thus be comparable to Italian FREMM type frigates (total displacement of 6900 tons). The crew complement of the PPA full configuration should be 173 people.
The sensor and weapon suite of these patrol ships is quite impressive, as the PPA in full configuration will be fitted withthe Leonardo dual-band radar system AFAR (C and X bands), which provides missile defense capabilities as well as a towed and hull mounted sonar.
The armament of the ship should include the SAAM-ESD anti-aircraft missile system with 16 vertical launchers for Aster 15 and Aster 30 SAM, eight Teseo / Otomat Mk 2A Evolutio anti-ship missiles, a 127-mm / 64 Leonardo LW main gun and a 76mm secondary gun with Strales / Davide guided ammunition, two 25-mm remote weapon systems, two 533-mm torpedo launchers. The hangar will be able to accommodate two NH90 or a single AW101 helicopter. At the stern of the ship there is a ramp to quickly launch and recover a 11-meter RHIB, as well as two so-called modular zones with the possibility of placing there a total of 13 standard containers for reconfigurable payload.
PPA Specifications
133 meters longbetween perpendiculars (143 meters overall) Speed more than 31 knots depending on vessel configuration and operational conditions Crew of 171 sailors Equipped with a combined diesel, a gas turbine plant (CODAG) and an electric propulsion system Capacity to supply drinking water to land Capacity to provide electricity to land with 2000 kw of power 2 modular zones at the stern and at the center of the ship that allow the embarking of various types of containerized operating/logistic/residential/healthcare modules (in particular, the stern area may receive and handle within a covered area up to 5 modules in ISO 20 containers, while the central zone may receive and handle up to 8 ISO 20 containers)
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Brain Protein Named After Sonic the Hedgehog May Be Key to Treating Parkinson’s – Futurism
Posted: at 11:12 am
Image by Getty / Futurism
A team of scientists say theyve identified a possible new way to treat Parkinsons disease and improve the quality of life for patients thanks,in a strange twist, to a protein named after the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog.
In patients with Parkinsons, the brain loses the neurons that produce the brain molecule dopamine. Treatments exist to replace dopamine with a molecule called L-dopa, but doing so also tends to cause involuntary tremors known as L-dopa induced dyskinesia (LID).
However, coupling L-dopa treatment with agonists that increase the activity of a protein named sonic hedgehog (Shh) seems to prevent those tremors, according to animal research published in the journal Communications Biology on Wednesday. The discovery not only reveals new insight into sonic hedgehogs previously unknown role as a neurotransmitter, but could also lead to better, more accessible treatments for Parkinsons Disease patients if, that is, the animal research translates to human patients.
Typically, tremors are counteracted by deep brain stimulation, so the emergence of a less complicated treatment could make a huge difference in the lives of patients who have Parkinsons.
Deep brain stimulation doesnt help everyone, its very invasive, and not all people are eligible for the surgery, study coauthor and CUNY School of Medicine professor Andreas Kottmann said in a press release. The procedure is also not accessible to everyone.
Sonic hedgehog, which, yes, is inhibited by another protein called Robotnikinin, helps embryos form, but scientists had no idea it also functions as a neurotransmitter. By discovering that the same dopamine-producing neurons killed off by Parkinsons also produce Shh, the CUNY scientists say they have a better shot at restoring a Parkinsons patients brain to its healthiest, pre-disease state because they know now to replace more of the molecules eradicated by the disease.
Thats still a long way off,not the least because this current research was conducted on mice and primates. But if future studies continue to show a therapeutic benefit, we may soon find ourselves with better and more accessible treatment for a debilitating neurological condition.
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MG MAZE Concept Proves That Futuristic Pod-Like Vehicles Don’t Have To Look Boring – autoevolution
Posted: at 11:12 am
SAIC Design has unveiled the MG MAZE concept, a compact two-seater concept study aimed at the next generation of car users, specifically people who want to do interactive and multimedia-related things inside their vehicles, other than simply driving from point A to point B.
Heres how that works: theres a sophisticated UI covering the entire front of the car, with a 3D map, avatar status and mission information. Players can build their status by discovering Easter Eggs, using the overlaying of images and digital content from the occupants perspective.
Sounds cool right? Well, you havent seen anything yet, because the actual driving aspect might just be the most interesting feature. Once you climb into the Zero gravity seats, you can drive this vehicle using nothing but your smartphone in order to steer.
As for all the visual and mechanical highlights, we count the canopy-like top, the transparent shell (emulating high-end gaming PCs with their exposed componentry) and a visible chassis, housing the motors and interchangeable battery in a plug and play style configuration.
With MAZE we wanted to consider what the future of a car community might look like, building MGs fan base and following. The move to digital is unstoppable, so we wanted to create a concept that connected this digital realm to the physical one that gives us the real joy in driving, said Carl Gotham, advanced design director.
The concept is a reaction to our lives during recent months, where we have been met with restrictions and limitations on our ability to move around and interact. Exploring the idea of mobile gaming, we used MAZE as a platform for people to get out and rediscover their environment in a new and relevant way, opening up new experiences with their city, he added.
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Harvard Study: Melting Polar Ice Is Physically Warping the Planet – Futurism
Posted: at 11:12 am
As ice melts, the crust seems to warp for hundreds of miles.Elastic Earth
As rising temperatures melt Arctic ice at an alarming rate, the resulting rise in the sea level stands to reshape coastlines around the world. But the effects on the planet itself may be even more dramatic, according to a new study on how melting ice physically reshapes the Earths crust.
The outermost layer of our planet is surprisingly elastic, according to research published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters last month. In the study, Harvard scientists discovered that the crust rebounds outward after the ice on top of it melts away, but doesnt always return to a perfectly spherical shape.
The study shows that these deformations are not only larger than scientists thought, but also that they can have significant influences on ecosystems in anarea for thousands of years.
For example, parts of the crust around the Arctic are still expanding like an extremely slow balloon after the weight of the ice age which ended 11,000 years ago was lifted off of it. As even more ice melts away thanks to climate change, the expansions and warping effects are compounded, creating an increasingly-complex landscape.
On recent timescales, we think of the Earth as an elastic structure, like a rubber band, whereas on timescales of thousands of years, the Earth acts more like a very slow-moving fluid. Harvard planetary scientist Sophie Coulson said in a press release. Ice age processes take a really, really long time to play out, and therefore we can still see the results of them today.
Being able to monitor this ballooning is valuable for scientists. Understanding how the earth is changing shape makes it easier to study and predict tectonic movements, earthquakes, and other geological processes, Coulson said in the release.
But it also has implications for climate change. As Antarctic ice melts and the crust pushes outward, Coulson said, it may deform and push bedrock out of position, further displacing ice and creating a vicious cycle leading to even greater melting.
READ MORE: Melting of polar ice shifting Earth itself, not just sea levels [Harvard University]
More on melting ice: Switzerland Covers Glacier With Giant Blankets To Keep It From Melting
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Apple TV+’s new sci-fi Foundation: The real-life science of predicting the future – BBC Science Focus Magazine
Posted: at 11:12 am
The prophetic art of Mystic Meg is taken to extremes in new science fiction show Foundation, Apple TV+s long-awaited adaptation of one of Isaac Asimovs most famous stories. It is based around the idea of psychohistory, a fictional science which uses history, sociology and mathematics to predict the future of large populations.
But instead of using it to play the lottery, its inventor (a genius called Hari Seldon) uses psychohistory to predict that the galactic empire he is living under will collapse within 300 years prompting him to put in motion plans to grow a new one.
Asimov modelled psychohistory on the kinetic theory of gases, where its difficult to predict the behaviour of a single molecule in a gas, but easier to predict the movements of a large collective. Throughout his series of books, it is used to forecast with alarming accuracy the comings of various Seldon Crises, often taking the form of war, political upheaval or systemic inertia.
It is an idea with obvious similarities to real-life fields of futurism, but how similar is it? Tom Cheesewright, a futurist who has advised companies such as Facebook and Google, doesnt predict psychohistory becoming a reality any time soon.
If everyones behaviour was predictable, you could calculate the future based on where we are at any time, he says. It would be like lining up a trick shot in snooker with seven billion balls in a row. It would be incredibly complicated and need more computing power than we probably have today, but ultimately you could calculate the outcome.
However, were not like snooker balls. Our behaviour might be different on any given day influenced by what we ate, or how well we slept by factors that are not just complex but incalculable. We cannot calculate the future with that much certainty.
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Cheesewright adds that Asimovs theory is even more unworkable now than it was in the 1940s and 50s, thanks to technology fragmenting society into myriads of tribes. Large groups seem to be getting smaller, he says, and it has made social trend analysis harder. You talk to a teenager now and say, who are the two tribes in your school and theyll just look at you blankly.
He also touches upon an issue explored in Foundation itself: if a population gains knowledge of the future, will their behaviour change enough to thwart the coming of that future? The more robust your prediction, the more attention people pay to it, the more effect your predictions are going to have on the future. And that feels like an unsolvable conundrum to me.
Rather than deal in deterministic prophecy like psychohistory, futurists like Cheesewright tend to deal more in analysis and probabilities. One big company rang me up and said weve had eight consecutive record years and then everything fell apart. We didnt see it coming. Can you help us make sure we see it coming next time?
Cheesewright will then look at the intersection between existing pressures and incoming trends, along with analysing data and interviewing people at every level of the industry, before preparing a variety of probable futures and solutions. Its mostly about recognising patterns and convincing people of things that they dont want to believe in.
Unsurprisingly, the further in the future you go, the more unstable predictions become. The what is usually straight forward, Cheesewright explains. But the further you look into the future, its the when that gets harder.
He uses the possibility of automation eliminating a large percentage of jobs within the next 50 years as an example. Will we do it? Yes, I think so. How fast will we do it? Well, thats a very different question. Will we do it so slowly that we find either an alternative economic model or create a whole new range of industries we cant even envision yet? Or will we do it relatively quickly and cause rapid disruption to employment? Both remain possible.
Leah Harvey as Salvor Hardin Apple TV+
The obvious question for any futurist of course is what their big predictions for the future are. The most misunderstood one is the shift into the metaverse, he says, referring to the idea that the virtual and physical worlds will eventually blur. It is not us living in virtual reality. Its you being able to have your avatar being visible to people as you walk down the street. Thats undoubtedly coming.
In the longer term theres also self-driving cars. Thats going to happen, but the idea of a truly autonomous vehicle that can pick you up and whisk you off to your destination is much further out than people think.
And then, of course, theres Earths very own Seldon Crisis: the looming spectre of climate change.
Ive done quite a lot of work on the future of food in the last few years and the impact of climate change on that, says Cheesewright. If we get some of the predicted impacts on rainfall, for example, we will get large parts of the wheat-growing regions suddenly subjected to either drought or flood and in some cases both.
So suddenly, wheat gets much more expensive. All your classic staples in terms of pasta, bread, pizza, which have been cheap, suddenly start to become quite expensive. Are there other alternative grains? Are we going to shift to different growing regions? There are all sorts of interesting possibilities there.
Tom is a futurist with experience in broadcasting, writing and speaking on the subject. He has appeared on TV and radio across the BBC, Channel 4, 5, and Sky News, and he has consulted for Facebook and Google.
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Should you buy the dip in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency prices? – Moneycontrol.com
Posted: at 11:12 am
Thecryptocurrency market is witnessing a turbulent time in 2021. On the one hand, El Salvador has adopted Bitcoin as a legal tender, whereas the US SEC is planning to sue Coinbase Global, a cryptocurrency exchange platform.
So, 2021 has been highly volatile so far for Bitcoin and other cryptos. Bitcoin was hovering around $28,000 in Januaryand reached a peak of more than $63,000 in April. And since then, it has moved between $29000 and $48000 (currently). The recent price correction has again echoed those magical words buy the dip. Should you really should buy the dip?
Hope versus reality
The crypto market is volatile. Now, the underlying assumption or the hope to buy the dip, whether in the stock or crypto market, is that prices would ultimately rise. And you tend to make more returns by investing at a lower entry point for a possible upside in prices. But that does not always apply to all cryptos. Remember that stock or crypto prices often fall for all the wrong reasons.
Since thecrypto market is still at a nascent stage, there is no long-term historical data to decipher its price movements, and we cannot tell with certainty how far the prices can go up after every correction. Though short-term data suggests that crypto prices have gone up after previous crashes, there is no guarantee that it will keep on happening, and that too for all the cryptocurrencies in circulation.
So, should you not buy the dip?
The assumption behind buying the dip is that you have sufficient cash/ surplus available. If you look at the stock market crash of the year 2008, a few investors bought and averaged out their investments when the BSE Sensex crashed to 15000 levels. It dipped more, and some brave heart souls again bought at 12000 levels. Do you know how many lucky souls were left to buy when it further crushed to less than 9000? Overall, by the end of 2008, the BSE Sensex had dropped after touching more than 20,000 to less than 9000.
I dont suggest not buying the dip, but it is essential to be cautious. My advice: invest money you can afford to lose and avoid the trap of averaging or buying the dip because it is nothing but timing the market, which is futile.
Follow the 5 percent Rule
Keep your crypto investments under 5 percent of your overall net worth. If your crypto investments are below the 5 percent limit, you can buy on dips subject to available surplus. Remember that this 5 percent is not a standard rule but is designed to keep your hard-earned money safe from a highly volatile asset class. You can always increase your allocation on the basis of your risk profile. I suggest you dont break this rule until we get the regulatory clarity on this and let the overall crypto market also mature with time.
Be a HODLer
HODL is an acronym for 'hold on for dear life' to encourage investors not to sell their crypto investments under panic and be genuine long-term investors. You don't want to become a long-term investor for the wrong reason, meaning when you invest in the crypto market to make quick money in the short term, and the market falls. Make sure you don't become a long-term investor for this reason.
Create your crypto index, find the next bitcoin!
Similar to the stock market, where you have large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap, and penny stocks, the crypto market also has hundreds of tokens to choose from. Remember that not all cryptocurrencies are equal, and you need to stick to those with use cases and the projects you understand and believe in. You can create your crypto index, consisting of Bitcoins, Ethereum, Cardano, XRP, Binance coin, and more, but do not invest in any coin blindly, do your research well and stick to your risk profile.
Avoid FOMO
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Understand NFTs and cryptocurrency with this affordable training guide – New York Post
Posted: at 11:12 am
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Want to better understand all the hype behind NFTs? Or get in on the trend and start trading cryptocurrencies? Though this world may seem intimidating, you can get a well-rounded education on the world of NFT and Cryptocurrency from the comfort of your couch with The Complete NFT & Cryptocurrency Wealth Building Masterclass Bundle. This bundle gives you access to six info-packed courses for the low price of $29.99, making each valuable course on these potentially lucrative topics just $5.
Start learning all about Non-Fungible Tokens and Cryptocurrency straight from the pros. Benjamin Wilson, an entrepreneur with a 4.5-star instructor rating, kicks things off with How To Create Your First NFT: The Beginners Guide. Perfect for those with no prior knowledge on this buzzy topic, this course shows you how to register and own your art in an open marketplace, giving you a history on Non-Fungible Tokens, minting, and the crypto wallet in an easily digestible 25 minutes.
Benjamin also teaches the 4.5-star-rated course Complete NFT Master Class for Artists and Entrepreneurs. This one-hour course covers the significance of NFTs and shows you how to take your power back as a creator and not be a middleman. Then fellow entrepreneur Leon Chaudhari, who has a 4.3-star instructor rating, takes over with Cryptocurrency Master: The Complete Crypto Trading Course.
If youd like to know the difference between Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Altcoins, this course is for you. Rated 4.6 stars from former students, youll go from an amateur to a cryptocurrency expert in no time. It serves as an A-Z guide to cryptocurrency trading and is the perfect pick for beginners.
Three other informative courses round out this bundle, which gives you 11 hours worth of informative knowledge on NFTs and cryptocurrency. If youre ready to get involved in this new frontier, grab The Complete NFT & Cryptocurrency Wealth Building Masterclass Bundle for just $29.99 today.
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Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency Exchange Gemini Is Growing Fast And Aggressively Hiring – Forbes
Posted: at 11:12 am
Roughly 14% of the U.S. population owns cryptocurrency. This translates to 21.2 million U.S. adults ... [+] who own cryptocurrency.
I didnt plan to write about Gemini, the large, well-respected cryptocurrency exchange, on the same day that China announced its ban on trading of Bitcoin and digital assets. This piece is also in the wake of the new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair, Gary Gensler, calling for heightened regulatory scrutiny of this space and prognosticators portending the demise of this asset class.
It's apropos that this coincidentally happened. Bitcoin and the crypto sector has a history of wild, volatile swings. The professionals in this area have become accustomed to the jarring ups and downs. They take the long-term view, and dont worry too much about the daily gyrations.
The history of Gemini can be traced back to a volatile situation. Undeterred by Mark Zuckerberg allegedly taking advantage of fellow Harvard classmates Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, by running with the Facebook concept and cutting them out of the project, the twin brothers ultimately proved themselves as successful businessmen.
The Winklevoss twins accepted a multimillion-dollar settlement in the matter and used some of the proceeds to buy bitcoin, ether and to build the Gemini Trust Company in 2014. The cryptocurrency exchange and custodian provides customers the platform to buy, sell, trade and store digital assets. It is regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
The company is built upon the belief that digital assets and blockchain technology offer the power to change the world. They are mission-driven to achieve this goal. The crypto exchange is working toward wider acceptance. Its Gemini Pay mobile app is accepted at about 30,000 retailers. It offers interest on digital assets and is rolling out a branded credit card with Mastercard with a 300,000 waiting list.
Jonathan Tamblyn, the director of talent at the exchange, has his work cut out for him. Hes actively searching for over 200 people to join the company. His needs run the gamut. They range from software engineers to compliance, marketing and business development.
Tamblyn says that job seekers dont need to have crypto-related experience. He looks for people who are interested and passionate about this new and fast-growing asset class. Since the company is still relatively new, there is a large amount of upside potential for employees. Possessing an entrepreneurial mindset is important, as the company will keep innovating with new products and services.
The head of talent acquisition has a refreshing and progressive take on hiring and retaining people. While most human resources professionals want to be the point person for rsums and introductions, Tamblyn says that candidates who are interested in working at the company should reach out to a manager directly. This is a welcome change. A job seeker could then cut through all of the red tape and get right to the decision makers.
As the organization is dynamic and entrepreneurial, it understands that workers may elect to leave after gaining a few years of experience. Tamblyn is realistic about this, recognizing that young, motivated people want to learn, build knowledge and a network of cohorts and then pursue challenges at other places. Theres no hard feeling, as he understands that this mentality is a shift from past generations when it was de rigueur for workers to remain at the same corporations for decades.
Noah Perlman, a long-time Wall Street legal and compliance professional and former Assistant U.S Attorney, is the current chief operating officer at Gemini. He said about the study, "This new research signals a valuable and welcome diversification of crypto's investor base. A broader set of participants establishes a positive long-term evolution of the market."
Perlman added, "Trading platforms that prioritize security and smart regulation, while making it simple for anyone to use, make cryptocurrencies accessible and attractive. We believe digital assets are a strategic part of a well-rounded portfolio and providing crypto education will help remove barriers to entry."
A career in the digital asset space wont be a smooth ride. According to a statement from the Chinese government, it appears that cryptocurrencies and related transactions are now considered illegal in China. The Peoples Bank of China claims that this is needed for national security and social stability. The government cited money laundering and illegal activities, among other reasons for the crackdown.
John Paulson, the billionaire who famously made a fortune shorting the market during the housing bubble in 2008, which led to the financial crisis, said in an interview that cryptocurrencies are in a bubble and a limited supply of nothing. He added, Cryptocurrencies, regardless of where theyre trading today, will eventually prove to be worthless. Once the exuberance wears off, or liquidity dries up, they will go to zero. I wouldnt recommend anyone invest in cryptocurrencies.
Bloomberg reported that the Biden administration intends to nominate Saule Omarova, a vocal cryptocurrency critic, to head a key banking regulatory agencythe Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Gensler, the newly installed head of the SEC, is emerging as a crypto critic. While the industry doesnt consider digital assets as securities, it looks like he disagrees and plans to assert his authority over this sector. In a new interview with the Washington Post, Gensler said that he doesnt believe the crypto market has a long-term future, stating, History tells us that private forms of money dont last long.
Over the years, this industry has weathered many storms, including hacking, claims of harming the environment and tax avoidance. In the face of adversity, this marketplace keeps moving forward with new ideas and projects. Despite the challenges, this still represents an exciting growth opportunitywith some turbulence along the way.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and Square, believes bitcoin is the answer to the worlds problems.
At a conference in July, the chief executive touted bitcoin as the solution to world peace. Dorsey stated, Elon [Musk] said it earlier. We have all these monopolies of violence, and the individual doesnt have power. The amount of cost and distraction that comes from our monetary system today is real, and it takes away attention from the bigger problems, some of the bigger problems that Elon is trying to solvelike getting us to multiplanetary humanity. All these distractions that we have to deal with on a daily basis take away from all those bigger goals that affect every single person on this planet, increasingly so. It may sound a little bit ridiculous, but you fix that foundational level and everything above it improves, in such a dramatic way. Its gonna be long term, but my hope is definitely peace.
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Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency Exchange Gemini Is Growing Fast And Aggressively Hiring - Forbes
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Biden is Combating Ransomware with Crackdown on Cryptocurrency Payments – The New York Times
Posted: at 11:12 am
The Biden administration took action on Tuesday to crack down on the growing problem of ransomware attacks, expanding its use of sanctions to cut off digital payment systems that have allowed such criminal activity to flourish and threaten national security.
The Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on a virtual currency exchange called Suex, in the administrations most pointed response to a scourge that has disrupted U.S. fuel and meat supplies this year, when foreign hackers locked down corporate computer systems and demanded large sums of money to free them.
The illicit financial transactions underpinning ransomware attacks have been taking place with digital money known as cryptocurrencies, which the U.S. government is still determining how to regulate.
The Treasury Department said Suex had facilitated transactions involving illegal proceeds from at least eight ransomware episodes. More than 40 percent of the exchanges transactions had been linked to criminal actors, the department said.
Ransomware and cyberattacks are victimizing businesses large and small across America and are a direct threat to our economy, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement.
The department offered few details about Suex, declining to say where the company was based or what kinds of transactions it dealt with, though a Russian computer executive confirmed on Tuesday that he was the founder.
Treasury officials did say that while some virtual currency exchanges are exploited by criminals, Suex was facilitating illegal activities for its own gain.
Cybersecurity experts see exchanges as a weak point for ransomware gangs that otherwise operate wholly in the ether of the internet, all but untouchable by law enforcement. But the exchanges are an interface with the real world used to cash out cryptocurrency and public-facing companies that are vulnerable to financial sanctions.
Vasily Zhabykin, a graduate of a prestigious Russian university that trains diplomats, said by telephone on Tuesday that he had founded Suex to develop software for the financial industry. He denied any illegal activity and said it was possible that the Treasury Department had mistakenly targeted his company.
I dont understand how I got mixed up in this, he said in a brief interview. Suex, which is registered in the Czech Republic, was mostly a failure and had conducted only a half dozen or so transactions since 2019, Mr. Zhabykin said, adding that he had three employees.
Russia is believed to be home to the most sophisticated ransomware groups, where they seem to operate with impunity. Other countries such as Iran and North Korea host the groups, cybersecurity experts say.
Over the past decade or so, key technologies came together in a tool kit for the ransomware industry: malware to scramble victims computers, routers that render communication anonymous and digital currencies for payments.
A weak point, according to a study of ransomware published in 2019 in The Journal of Cybersecurity, is exchanges: the businesses that convert digital currency into cash, where criminals lurking in the digital world eventually have to make an appearance to be paid.
Many exchanges have popped up in Russia in recent years, often leasing office space in Moscows financial district alongside banks. Russia pivoted from trying to ban digital currencies outright to enacting regulation this year allowing ownership.
The Treasury Departments action came three months after President Biden, meeting in Geneva with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, demanded a crackdown on ransomware operators suspected of working from Russian territory. Mr. Putin made no promises. Before the meeting, one attack had taken out Colonial Pipeline, which provides much of the East Coasts gasoline and jet fuel; another had penetrated JBS, a major U.S. meat supplier.
Attacks seemed to abate for a few months, and a major ransomware operator, DarkSide, appeared to have shut down.
But late this summer, attacks began to rise again. Paul M. Abbate, the F.B.I.s deputy director, who specializes in cybercrimes, said at a conference last week that there is no indication that the Russian government has taken action to crack down on ransomware actors that are operating in the permissive environment that theyve created there.
He added that few actions had taken against those in Russia facing indictments in the United States.
Intelligence officials report the same, and they say they believe that some Russian military and intelligence services make use of the ransomware operators to hide actions that may be conducted on behalf of the state, or at least with its acquiescence.
An attack against another food supplier was playing out on Monday, even as the Treasury Department was preparing its action. New Cooperative, a grain cooperative in Iowa, said it was part of critical infrastructure and noted that BlackMatter, a relatively new ransomware group, had promised not to attack such groups. But in responses that appeared in screenshots on Twitter, BlackMatter said it did not consider New Cooperative to be critical infrastructure. The two were in an open dispute over the definition of the category.
We dont see any critical areas of activity, the ransomware group responded.
BlackMatter demanded just shy of $6 million to decrypt the companys files. That figure declined drastically over time.
The Treasury Department said that in 2020, ransomware payments topped $400 million, four times as high as they were in the previous year. The economic damage, it said, was far greater.
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Biden is Combating Ransomware with Crackdown on Cryptocurrency Payments - The New York Times
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A New Cryptocurrency Has Everyone Buzzing in Mongolia 10 Million USD Within 30 Seconds – NewsBTC
Posted: at 11:12 am
Decentralized finance is the future. Cryptocurrency helps people live in a community without the traditional middleman expenses. It provides equal opportunities for everyone. Ider-Od, co-founder of IHC.
Mongolia is a landlocked developing country, sandwiched between two giant neighbors China and Russia, located in the center of the Asian continent, far away from seas, oceans, and most importantly, from international trading networks. It is also the 17th largest country by its territory, with a land richly endowed with natural resources. Nevertheless, its unfavorable geographical position has prevented the country from becoming an export-oriented economy and achieving sustainable economic growth. Moreover, Mongolias economy, which is the 132nd largest based on its gross domestic product, has experienced the worst setback since its economic transition in the early 1990s due to the strict COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the government over the past two years.
Five entrepreneurs, Ider-Od Bat-Erdene, Erkhembayar Byarsaikhan, Gantig Bayarmagnai, Munkhjin Otgonbaatar, and Munkh-Erdene Burenjargal, are seeking innovative solutions for achieving economic growth and alleviating poverty by making cryptocurrency the main driving force for generating and bringing wealth into the country.
Cryptocurrency is borderless. It is the key solution for countries like Mongolia for tackling economic issues. We want to empower the powerless by keeping big money, government, and federal banks in check to provide equal opportunities for everyone. Gantig, co-founder of IHC.
With over 100 billion token orders fulfilled after its launch at 11 a.m. on August 25, the Inflation Hedging Coin (IHC), a new cryptocurrency created by tech-savvy entrepreneurs, broke the internet. Within just 30 seconds, thousands of enthusiasts invested 10 million USD in the newly created tokens, making it one of the fastest-selling cryptocurrencies in the world.
IHC released 100 billion tokens with 25 billion equally placed on four different cryptocurrency exchanges: coinhub.mn, trade.mn, complex.mn, and dax.mn. IHC has a total supply of one trillion coins, of which 100 billion are now publicly owned. It took only 11 seconds on DAX, 43 seconds on Coinhub, 1 hour on Complex, and Trade for people to buy up all the available tokens, with two of the platforms crashing and overwhelmed by over 100 thousand visitors.
Based on blockchain technology, Inflation Hedging Coin aims to introduce an ecosystem of financial services, including seamless transactions. IHC founders share a vision for creating a decentralized solution to combating inflation.
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A New Cryptocurrency Has Everyone Buzzing in Mongolia 10 Million USD Within 30 Seconds - NewsBTC
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