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Washington (AFP) April 24, 2017 Russian warplanes last week flew a series of missions near Alaska, prompting the North American air defense agency to scramble US and Canadian jets, officials said Monday. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Pentagon said Tu-95 Bear bombers were spotted in international air space on three occasions -- twice near the Aleutian Islands and once near mainland Alaska and Canada. The bomber missions occurred April 17, 18 and 20, and on two occasions NORAD launched fighters to conduct "safe and professional" intercepts. Mid-air interceptions are routine in international air space, and Russian jets frequently scramble to fly alongside US spy planes in and around the Baltic Sea and near Russia. But Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said there had been a lengthy pause in such operations off Alaska, possibly caused by the enormous, propeller-powered Tu-95s having been grounded due to maintenance issues. "This

Electric vehicles are all of the rage right now, and that situation will not change anytime soon. Significant advancements have been made in this industry over the past few years. Late last week, the world’s first electric jet plane took off and landed vertically without any issues. Moreover, the machine completed several brief test flights in the process. A very intriguing development, to say the least. ELECTRIC JETS CAN INDEED FLY It is always a bit worrisome when engineers will test a new concept that has never succeeded before. In the case of the electric jet plane, there are a lot of things that could go wrong. It turns out a lot of these concerns were unfounded, though, as the plane successfully took off and landed vertically after completing several test flights. A major breakthrough in the world of electric vehicles, that much is certain. Essentially, the Lilium jet is a two-seater hybrid aircraft which utilizes the mechanisms of both a conventional airplane and a helicopter

Can Bitcoin help people break out of poverty? What if we could build a financial system with Bitcoin that would lead to a  more equitable and fairer society ? Bitcoin has been around for nearly a decade now and it has survived many doomsday predictions regarding its demise. It has grown to become an accepted medium of transferring money, it has also been recognized as a currency in some countries like Japan. Why is the existing system broken? The present financial system is supported by  large-scale financial institutions  that provide financial services. This means banks, insurance companies, credit card companies, housing finance companies, money transfer companies etc. The problem is that while these businesses have existed for a long time, accessibility has always been an issue. According to the world bank, two bln people still do not have access to a bank account. Yet this present financial institution based payment system is stuck in an archaic era. People are expected to u

Bitcoin price is pushing on with its bullish gains as the cryptocurrency continues to reach the dizzying heights scaled in early March during the lead-up the SEC decision of the Winklevoss bitcoin electronic traded fund (ETF). It has been a month of continuing gains with a positive trend for the world’s most prominent cryptocurrency. Having started April at $1,068 on the Bitstamp Price Index (BPI), today’s trading shows price reach a high of $1,274. Bitcoin has now gained nearly 20% in value since the turn of April. Bitcoin prices since April began. BPI data reveals trading on Monday begain at $1,241 and a sustained trading period has seen an upward climb for the value of the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin prices were hovering above $1,250 at the start of Tuesday (midnight UTC) into the early hours of the day. At 07:30, a surge spurred prices from $1,252 to $1,260 in a 2-hour period. A more notable spike followed in the next 2-hour period as price pushed upwards of $1,270 to peak at $1,2

Aside from  stress tests ,  IFixit teardown , comparisons, and  reviews , we always look forward to that teardown by research firm IHS because it tells us how much the Samsung Galaxy S8 really costs. The phone starts at $720 for the 64GB models and can go high up to $850. This is really  more expensive than the S7  which started at $669 last year. The IHS Markit’s analysis of the Galaxy S8 has revealed the phone costs around  $301.60 . It goes up to 307.50 once the manufacturing costs are included–higher than the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Inside the Galaxy S8, you will see a 10-nanometer (nm) system-on-chip, CAT-16 LTE modem, radio, Snapdragon 835 (US and China) or Exynos 8895 for the international version. According to IHS Markit, the CAT-16 LTE radio can handle three carriers up to 20 megahertz each. It can reach 1Gbps, making Gigabit LTE as the highest standard in 2017 flagship phone as per one analyst. It will still depend on the mobile carrier so hope and pray tell there’s no thro

The  Infinity Display  on the Galaxy S8 is impressive to say the least. Its sleek curves set it miles apart from the competition. According to a new report out of South Korea, Samsung is now working on a new kind of display panel which will have curves on all four sides, meaning that even the top and bottom edges would be curved. The report mentions that this display panel would allow for a screen-to-body ratio more than 98 percent so the front of the device will essentially be a big slab of glass. The handset would have no top or bottom bezels and would look unlike any other smartphone on the market right now. However, the report does caution that there are some difficulties in the lamination process that have to be eliminated first before we can see these displays in consumer devices. The current lamination process won’t allow the display’s four corners to register the user’s touch thus making them essentially useless. This challenge has to be addressed first before we can have sm

If you’re planning to hold bitcoins long term, one of the easiest, best ways to store them is in paper wallets, somewhere safe, such as a safe for instance, that you have control over. More technological methods such as the Trezor hardware wallet and others have come about, and we are hoping to acquire one of those for review purposes soon. But the paper wallet serves a lot of important purposes in Bitcoin. Perhaps its most novel purpose is shattering the idea that computers are necessarily required to transact in bitcoins. Indeed, if dealing with an actually trusted party, receiving bitcoins via private key on a paper wallet is as secure as any other way of receiving them. The key word there is trusted party. If two parties have access to a private key, that private key can be swept into another wallet very easily. Thus, if the party was a stranger or an untrusted party, they could as easily sweep the coins into another wallet directly after or minutes before handing over a paper wal

Contrary to most claims, Segregated Witness (Segwit) doesn’t necessarily require users to manually upgrade their systems or wallets in order to receive Segwit transactions. The activation of Segwit does provide notable changes to the layer one of the bitcoin network and as a result, wallet platforms will be required to alter their applications pertaining to the changes made by Segwit to the bitcoin protocol. For users of major bitcoin wallet platforms which already are Segwit-ready such as Blockchain, Coinbase, Copay, Ledger and Keepkey, upon the activation of Segwit, they will be able to receive Segwit-enabled transactions. // Let us help you become financially independent. Read exclusive stories, bitcoin analysis, and tutorials. Use the coupon code "CCN5" and get $5 off. Join  Hacked.com  now. // According to David Harding, the co-author of the Bitcoin.org developer documentation, users will be automatically introduced to Segwit-enabled versions of wallets, wallet addre

Offered its status as the original blockchain protocol, it must be no shock that bitcoin has prolonged dominated the digital currency markets. In terms of  marketplace capitalization , it dwarfs other cryptocurrencies. Its first-mover status and widespread adoption has (so far) provided bitcoin the dual advantage of network result and steep barriers to entry, retaining choices at bay. But there is proof that this longstanding narrative could be shifting. Latest infighting in bitcoin’s development local community has provided a uncommon opportunity for options to stress their worth propositions and even assert new ones (like getting a hedge in instances in which bitcoin’s potential would seem uncertain). This has led to an exciting, observable trend. While the complete pie of the cryptocurrency marketplace keeps developing more substantial, bitcoin’s slice is getting to be smaller sized. one. Bitcoin’s dominance decline The clearest illustration of bitcoin’s network result is the

Bitcoin has swatted away the distraction of a failed attempt to establish a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) by the Winklevoss twins to supersede its levels prior to the SEC ruling on Friday. On Monday, bitcoin price reached a high of $1,249 at the time of publishing on the Bitstamp Price Index (BPI). It was an eventful and dramatic Friday for bitcoin. Having flirted with $1,200 through most of Thursday, bitcoin price began trading above the milestone on Friday. Anticipation turned to excitement in the lead-up to the decision as frenzied trading pushed bitcoin to an  all-time BPI high of $1350 . The SEC’s  refusal to approve the Winklevoss’ bitcoin ETF predictably led to a rapid sell-off, as bitcoin price  sunk to a low of $975  in a ten-minute period from $1,288. From its all-time high to a new 30-day low, bitcoin has lost nearly 28% in value. In the aftermath of the decision, price resurfaced above $1,100, finding new support. // Let us help you become financially independent. R

byMichael Scott The Republic of Ireland, as it is officially referenced, has a population of 4,757,976 according to the 2016 census. The county’s economy grew a respectable  5.2 percent last year — a rate that exceeded all other euro zone countries and most official forecasts for the third successive year. It is the country’s ascension, though, as an epicenter for blockchain innovation in Europe that is garnering attention. Highlighting this was the  blockchain hackathon event  that took place in November of 2016 at Dublin City University. It attracted more than 150 technologists and fintech entrepreneurs, collaborating together on the creation of new apps and services using blockchain technology. Last year also saw  Travacoin , an Irish startup, achieve acclaim for its work on a blockchain-based voucher system that facilitates a refund and compensation system for delayed and canceled flights. In early 2017, global consulting firm Deloitte, which works with 90 percent of the world

Drew Llewellyn bought his first Bitcoin in 2011. Over the years, he has paid up to £899 ($1,100) and as little as £14.70 ($18) for one Bitcoin, as the value of the digital currency has dramatically risen and crashed. But now, for the first time,  one Bitcoin has topped the value of an ounce of gold. And Drew, who owns 18, is pretty happy about it. On Thursday night, the value of a Bitcoin closed at £1,036 ($1,268) while an ounce of gold stood at $1,233. Morerelated stories Guide: What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin value tops gold for first time Does Bitcoin still matter? "For years critics have said Bitcoin will never last - that its value will drop, that it will never be adopted, and even that it's some kind of  ponzi scheme ," he told Newsbeat. "Today's all time high is another example of how, year on year, Bitcoin is becoming more prevalent, reliable and valuable." What can you buy with Bitcoin? Drew, who works in IT in North

Bitcoin  and  digital currency  are exciting new areas of business and finance, and an ideal target for anybody looking to break into the tech industry or change career paths. The revolutionary potential of digital currency is only just starting to be fulfilled, meaning that there is a huge range of opportunities for businesses to take advantage of. But because of the fact that it is so new and different, there is also a huge shortage of knowledgeable, experienced and skilled professionals able to take on the challenge of helping businesses to capitalize on the potential of Bitcoin and digital currency. All of which means that this is an ideal time for tech savvy workers looking to get a job in Bitcoin or other digital currency related companies. If you are a digital currency enthusiast with a bit of knowledge about the industry, and any transferable skills such as in marketing, journalism, business admin, or actually writing programming code, then you can expect to command a great s

The Ukrainian military hopes it can keep more of its soldiers alive when its new unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) hits the battlefield. This is the Phantom. It’s designed to help minimize the number of soldiers required to fight against the heavily-armed rebels backed by Russia in the Dombass region, where a nearly three-year civil war has claimed the lives of more than 3,100 Ukrainian troops. One of the key features of the Phantom is its anti-tank missile system, called Barrier, and its 12.7 mm caliber machine gun. The machine gun and Barrier are capable of engaging light and heavily-armored targets from 100 to 5,000 meters, according to  Ukroboronprom , the Ukrainian company that makes the Phantom. Besides its offensive power, the Phantom can drive on sand, thanks to its hybrid all-wheel drive engine, hydraulic brake system and independent suspension. And if you’re thinking about the Phantom being hacked somehow, it is fitted with a secure radio channel. I reached out to Ukraine’s M

For nearly the past two years, various alternatives to Bitcoin Core have attempted to increase Bitcoin’s  block  size limit via  hard-forking changes  to the codebase run by nodes on the network. While manageable capacity increases are desired by many Bitcoin users, the complications associated with hard forks have left the network unwilling to adopt an increase to the block size limit. A hard fork requires every economically-relevant Bitcoin full node (or at least nearly all of them) to upgrade to a new network, while a  soft-forking change  is backwards compatible. As illustrated by  Ethereum’s hard fork to bailout DAO token holders , contentious hard forks can be difficult to pull off. Of course, a sufficiently contentious soft fork could also lead to users hard forking away from the current group of miners in an effort to opt-out of that particular version of Bitcoin, which could potentially lead to two different versions of Bitcoin continuing to exist (similar to