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Long before Taylor Swift was the subject of serious  ire  and  scrutiny , she was interested in laying out puzzles and being the sole keeper of the key. Her  album liner notes  have always had hidden clues, as complicated as a Zodiac cypher, put there obviously enough for fans to figure out but never quite so obviously as to be confirmable. She’s known for naming names, but more often than not she has actually let fans do that last bit of work for her. On her 2012 album  Red , she even didn’t have to say “Jake Gyllenhaal.” She said only “twin fire signs / four blue eyes,” left a liner puzzle that spelled out “SAGITTARIUS,” and appended  a bonus track  explicitly about being stood up on her birthday. Who else? Gyllenhaal’s birthday is December 19th; Swift’s is December 13th. Publicly, they broke up sometime in December 2010. she stumbled in the transition between paper notes and the notes app As the times shifted away from notes passed to fans...

The latest season of  Game of Thrones  is coming to an end this weekend, which means that you’re going to need to get your epic fantasy fix somewhere else,  possibly until 2019 . You could go back and re-read the entire  A Song of Ice and Fire  series, but you could also take the time to discover an entirely new fantasy world. Fantasy literature has a long history, and there are tons of excellent books that you might not have come across. Here’s 8 epic fantasy novels that kick off an entire series that you should check out, which should be more than enough to keep you occupied while we wait for the final season of  Game of Thrones . The Black Company  by Glen Cook Long ago, a rebellion overthrew an evil wizard known as The Dominator, who can turn his enemies into loyal servants. He and his companion, The Lady, along with their followers, were imprisoned, only to escape centuries later, and rebuild their former empire. Cook’s series follows an elit...

Unocoin recently launched its first ever  Application Programming Interface (API)  to drive global commerce while boosting digital currency markets in India.   After raising $1.5 million, a record in India , this advancement represents another milestone in Unocoin’s continued efforts to fuel the world's largest potential market for Bitcoin.   Through Unocoin’s API, individuals and companies in India can generate bitcoin wallets; buy, sell, send and receive bitcoin; securely store bitcoin; access real-time or historical price information; receive notifications for payments; facilitate merchant bitcoin payments; fulfil KYC requirements; as well as serve as a conduit for global companies seeking to remit bitcoin to India. The Unocoin API underwent rigorous testing and is primed for active use. The company’s robust iOS app and soon-to-be-released Android app are both built entirely off of the Unocoin API. Started in 2013, Unocoin is a Bangalore-based technology star...

Penalties imposed on major exchanges underscore  perceptions that bitcoin requires heavy regulation and oversight. Across China, blockchain technology is recognized as an increasingly important development; however, bitcoin as a “virtual good” in China is facing yet another challenge from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). On May 10, 2017, China’s top-tier financial media outlet,  Caixin , reported that “according to a person close to PBOC, PBOC will soon issue a notice of penalties to BTCC, OKCoin and Huobi for irregularities based on its previous inspection in the past few months. The major problems are [related to] illegal margin trading services and lack of internal controls for anti-money laundering. The related penalty details have already been confirmed internally; all that is left to do is go through approval procedures.” Caixin also stated that, according to their source, further “regulation on bitcoin exchange and regulation on anti-money laundering systems for b...

BTCC, a major bitcoin exchange and trading platform operator in China, officially launched its first mobile application, “ Mobi ,” introducing various features and products including Twitter payments and the company’s signature bitcoin-based Visa debit card. With its private blockchain, Mobi allows smartphone users to gain access to over 100 currencies including bitcoin, gold and reserve currencies such as USD, and allows users to instantly convert, store or transfer funds globally to other smartphone users. Mobi accounts are simply linked to users’ mobile numbers and therefore a smartphone is all that is needed to use the app. The main feature of BTCC’s Mobi app is the BTCC bitcoin debit card, which operates just like a normal bitcoin wallet. Funds in the wallet are pegged to the debit card and balance is automatically deducted when users make payments at retail points of sale (POS) that accept Visa or withdraw cash via bank ATMs. It is BTCC’s first initiative to target a global ...

Having unveiled the Galaxy Note 8 officially, Samsung can now get down to the business of selling its new flagship smartphone. The company’s carrier and retail partners in several markets across the globe started  taking pre-orders for the handset on August 24 . Samsung is going to release the Galaxy Note 8 in markets like North America and parts of Europe on September 15. Samsung’s regional arms will confirm pricing and availability details for their respective markets. According to a new report, the Galaxy Note 8 launch date in India is likely to be September 11. The report also mentions that the 64GB variant of the handset will be priced at Rs. 74,900 or $1,170. Amazon India is reportedly going to be the exclusive online retailer for the Galaxy Note 8. Customers will also be able to purchase it from Samsung’s retail locations as well as the company’s offline retail partners. Samsung will apparently only start taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 8 f...

Staying positive is much better than focusing on the negative, but that is much easier said than done. If staying positive during adversity was easy, there wouldn’t be millions of dollars going to books, classes, special speakers, and the like regarding the subject. For most people, focusing on the good things that are happening is hard when so many other things are going wrong. It is challenging, but it’s not impossible. There are some things that you can try to focus on when things go wrong that could help you keep the proper perspective and avoid negativity. Focus on the facts One of the worst things you can do when things go wrong is to dwell on them. Usually, this leads to pessimistic thoughts, which in turn leads to more negativity. However, many times these are only thoughts and not really facts. Therefore, it’s important to separate facts from fiction and stick to the facts. Be Grateful When life takes a bad turn we tend to forget about all the good thing...

You have to put a lot into a startup company, not just hard work and dedication, but also some of your money. A good rule of thumb is to never invest more than you can afford to lose. That means you need to know how much you have, how much you can invest,and how much you need to raise. Without a solid understanding of your finances you’re not prepared to start a company,and you probably won’t attract too many investors or lenders. When  you need to borrow money,the people you know best are usually the first people you could contact. Your family and friends will likely be your biggest supporters and thus,most likely to loan you the funds you need to get started. However, sometimes issues that involve money can put a strain on relationships, so be sure you are careful to consider all of the factors and to get everything down in writing. When it comes time to ask for money – whether it’s from a family member, a close friend,or an outside investor – you need to be prepared. Your busin...

Only Expedia's US site will accept bitcoin during the trial Travel website Expedia has become the latest company to accept bitcoin transactions as a form of payment for hotel bookings. When Expedia's US customers come to pay to reserve their hotel, bitcoins will be offered as a payment method alongside Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club and Paypal. To begin with, the company will only accept the virtual currency for hotel bookings, and will restrict the trial to its US site. Expedia boss Michael Gulmann said: "We're continually looking at ways consumers want to pay for their travel; bitcoin is a great example of how Expedia is investing early in an array of payment options to give our customers and partners more choice in the ways they interact with us." Other big businesses such as Virgin Galactic now accept bitcoin, as do a range of  UK companies from Theatre Tickets Direct to the law firm Sheridans.  Video:Shop Holds Bitcoin-Only Trial ...

If you aren’t sure which coins to mine then it can be a difficult process carrying out the required research to find the largest profit margins. Thankfully there are already websites available that simplify the selection process. First you need to establish whether you are mining with a GPU or ASIC’s device. Then head over to  whattomine.com  and then select GPU or ASICS link from the top of the page. You will instantly be presented with the crypto coins with the highest profitability in realtime. Now once you have mined your coins you may want to convert your cash back into a safer currency such as BTC or LTC. Well there are tools for this as well. Check out  Shapeshift  a website that allows you to instantly convert your coins from one coin to another. I for example would generally move some of my profits back into LTC or BTC as I feel more comfortable with the stability of these currencies. As of today the most profitable coins to mine by GPU are as follows ...

Welcome to the 206th Android Apps Weekly! Here are the the headlines from the last week: Android Oreo will get non-root theming . A third party app called Substratum will include the feature. There are some caveats. You have to use a computer to make it work. It also breaks a bit of basic functionality. It’s nothing serious, though. It’s a bit unconventional. However, it’s one step closer to native theming on Android. Plus, Substratum is a fairly excellent app on its own. Telltale Games launched a huge summer sale this week . Included are four The Walking Dead games, both Minecraft: Story Mode titles, The Wolf Among Us, Game of Thrones, Guardians of the Galaxy, and others. The sale includes the base game as well as the season pass for those titles. That means you can get the whole game at a discount. It might be worth it for adventure game fans. Google is trying to help depressed people . They’re working with the National Alliance of Mental Illness to get people help. Google Searchin...

Ethereum fans got a bit of a boost today from two different companies in the crypto space. UK-based cryptocurrency firm  Blockchain  and Luxembourg-based cryptocurrency exchange  Bitstamp  have each added ether to their platforms for the first time. Blockchain  says its customers can simply toggle between bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) to manage and transact funds quickly and easily. Additionally, Blockchain has also integrated ShapeShift’s API so trading bitcoin to ether and vice versa can happen all from one place. In an earlier, separate announcement to its customers, Bitstamp said it will allow full trading functionalities of ether today. Ether deposits and withdrawals opened at 9 am (UTC) and began to allow full trading functionalities at 1 pm (UTC). Nejc Kodrič, CEO of Bitstamp, said: "We've been encouraged by ether's potential and the demand shown for its inclusion among our trading pairs.” Ether now joins USD, EUR, bitcoin, litecoin...

The number of countries with banks experimenting with blockchain technology is growing rapidly. The Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG), north of Australia, has joined the movement with its own central Bank of Papua New Guinea running blockchain trials. Central Bank Governor Loi Bakani,  known  as a champion of new technologies as a way to enable financial inclusion, recently hosted a conference to showcase his country’s commitment to blockchain technology, with participants from at home and around the world, including Abt Associates, Paycase, Othera, IDbox, Pacific Markets, UCash, Seso and ADCCA. At the conference, Bakani described the blockchain trials underway at the  Bank of PNG  and introduced the  PNG Digital Commerce and Cryptocurrency Association  for the growing number of Papua New Guinea tech entrepreneurs and businesses interested in blockchain technology. Bakani said, “This will allow PNG to join the Global Blockchai...

Questions about how identity is tied to Bitcoin and its use are understandable. It can be more than a little confusing to parse what aspects of your name and personal information will be tied to the platform. While it carries a reputation for allowing users to operate in the shadows, you may also know that Bitcoin is tied to distributed ledger technology, which records every transaction and traces them back to their origin. So, is Bitcoin anonymous? The short answer is no, not entirely. While anonymity indicates that the identity of an actor is unknown, Bitcoin transactions are linked to a specific address and, thus, an “identity.” However, that address does not necessarily have to be tied to a real-life identity. That is why Bitcoin is often described as “pseudonymous.” If a user’s Bitcoin address is tied to their real identity, then it is possible to trace activity back to them. If not, it is possible only to trace activity back to their Bitcoin pseudonym. Bi...

An Initial Coin Offering, also commonly referred to as an ICO, is a fundraising mechanism in which new projects sell their underlying crypto tokens in exchange for bitcoin and ether. It’s somewhat similar to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in which investors purchase shares of a company. ICOs are a relatively new phenomenon but have quickly become a dominant topic of discussion within the blockchain community. Many view ICO projects as unregulated securities that allow founders to raise an unjustified amount of capital, while others argue it is an innovation in the traditional venture-funding model. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently  reached a decision regarding the status of tokens issued in the infamous DAO ICO which has forced many projects and investors to re-examine the funding models of many restrictionsICOs. The most important criteria to consider is whether or not the token passes the  Howey test . If it does, it must b...

Using our handy guide, you may have already familiarized yourself with the ins and outs of Bitcoin. But aside from bitcoin, there are hundreds of other digital currencies out there. These are known as “altcoins,” or alternatives to bitcoin; for example, ether, ripple, zcash, monero and dash, to name just a few. Altcoins can differ from Bitcoin in a range of ways. Some have a different economic model or a different coin-distribution method, like altcoins that were given away to all citizens of a country. Others employ different proof-of-work mining algorithms, perhaps to resist specialized mining hardware — or maybe they don’t even rely on proof of work at all. Several altcoins offer a more versatile programming language to build applications on top of, while yet others offer more privacy compared to Bitcoin. And there are also altcoins that serve very specific, non-monetary use cases, like domain name registry or data storage pointers. However, there are also ...

One of the fundamental questions many people have about Bitcoin revolves around the tokens themselves. Questions about its value, security and history, all eventually lead to one place: Where do bitcoins come from? While traditional money is created through (central) banks, bitcoins are “mined” by Bitcoin miners: network participants that perform extra tasks. Specifically, they chronologically order transactions by including them in the Bitcoin blocks they find. This prevents a user from spending the same bitcoin twice; it solves the “double spend” problem. Skipping over the technical details, finding a block most closely resembles a type of network lottery. For each attempt to try and find a new block, which is basically a random guess for a lucky number, a miner has to spend a tiny amount of energy. Most of the attempts fail and a miner will have wasted that energy. Only once about every ten minutes will a miner somewhere succeed and thus add a new block to the bl...

Questions about the value of bitcoins as an investment will likely differ depending on who you ask. Those with a vision of a fully-distributed future in which the lack of a centralized overseer becomes key to an asset’s value will tell you that, yes, bitcoins are poised to become only more valuable in the future. Others who put more value in the traditional trust afforded by banks and government institutions would likely steer you away from bitcoins as an investment. While determining how “good” any investment will be is ultimately a guessing game, there are some tried and true ways to determine an asset’s worth. One of the simplest ways to think about bitcoin as an investment is to consider its rise against the U.S. dollar. Recently, bitcoin prices eclipsed $1,000 and have reached beyond $1,500. If you had invested in the digital currency when its worth was still hovering around $150 just a few years ago, or when it was first introduced in 2009 and worth nothin...

The digital currency Bitcoin has a dedicated following, regularly makes headlines and inspires countless investors to consider making digital currency part of their portfolios. Yet it enjoys the backing of no government or third-party entity like a bank, and it can be hard to understand where its perceived value comes from. So, you may be asking, what makes bitcoin valuable? Fundamentally, bitcoins derive their value just as anything else does: because people want them. Like any other currency, bitcoin follows the basic rules of supply and demand. Currencies have always been useful tools to make trade easier, enabling holders to convert goods into a widely tradable commodity through sale, then use the proceeds of that sale to purchase nearly anything they wish. While fiat currencies derive value from the governments that back them, currencies like gold are valuable in and of themselves. Currently, bitcoin isn’t like other currencies in that it is not universally...

If you are thinking through the process of accruing bitcoins, you may be wondering where to keep them once you’ve done so. After investing time and resources into the digital asset, can you be sure they are locked safely away for when you want to use them? In truth, bitcoins aren’t “stored” anywhere. As a purely digital entity, it is not as if they are held in bank vaults or stuffed under mattresses. They are accessible through Bitcoin addresses, which require a set of digital keys for entry. So, the question of how to securely store bitcoins comes down to the security of these keys. Every Bitcoin address has two keys: a “public key” and a “private key.” Bitcoin addresses are derived from public keys, and these Bitcoin addresses are shared. Think of it like sharing your email address with someone: they can send you an email but can’t get into your inbox to read your mail. Similarly, nobody can get into a wallet and take bitcoins from it with a public key; it can only b...

If you’ve made the decision to buy some bitcoins, you may now be asking yourself how to store the digital currency. In name, the answer is what you might expect from experiences with fiat currency. But the details require a little explanation. The private keys that are necessary for accessing a Bitcoin address are stored on a “bitcoin wallet.” In general, wallets grant you access to your public Bitcoin address and allow you to sign off on transactions, but they differ based on how you choose to access them. Factors to consider when choosing  the best bitcoin wallet  for you  include security, anonymity and control. Desktop wallets  allow users to create an address for sending and receiving bitcoins and provide a place to store the private key for doing so. This can be done by downloading software to an individual computer. Mobile wallets , accessed through apps, allow users to transact on the go. While “full Bitcoin” clients download the ent...