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Android wear to be rebranded

Android Wear may be rebranded as “Wear OS,” A notification spotted in the  Android P Developer Preview  suggests that Android Wear may be rebranded to Wear OS. A Redditor  (via  Android Police ) spotted the Wear OS text recently when pairing an Android Wear device, and it was accompanied by what could be a new logo (here’s the  original ). Claim Your $500 worth of Bitcoin The branding can  apparently  be seen in the Developer Preview beta version 12.5, though there’s so far no explanation for it. The existence of both the text and the emblem—a “W” in Google’s trademark red, blue, yellow, green colors—however, suggest it’s not simply an error; other Google services have previously been spotted with new names in beta versions of Google products before being officially changed later. Imgur This could be part of a push to broaden the appeal of its products and services, rather than having them tied specifically to the Android system (both  Android Wear devices and  Go

cheap 3D-printed home is a start for the 1 billion who lack shelter

This cheap 3D-printed home is a start for the 1 billion who lack shelter Printed by Vulcans on planet Earth Food, water, and shelter are basic human needs, but 1.2 billion people in the world live without adequate housing,  according to a report  by the World Resources Institute’s Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. Today at SXSW, an Austin-based startup will unveil its approach to combat that deficiency by using low-cost 3D printing as a potential solution. ICON  has developed a method for printing a single-story 650-square-foot house out of cement in only 12 to 24 hours, a fraction of the time it takes for new construction. If all goes according to plan, a community made up of about 100 homes will be constructed for residents in El Salvador next year. The company has partnered with  New Story , a nonprofit that is vested in international housing solutions. “We have been building homes for communities in Haiti, El Salvador, and Bolivia,” Alexandria Lafci, co-foun

Chinese E-Commerce Giant JD.com Launches Blockchain Accelerator

Bitcoin  Chinese e-commerce company  JD.com , a member of the Fortune Global 500 headquartered in Beijing, is launching AI Catapult Accelerator (AICA), an accelerator program designed to unlock the transformative potential of startups demonstrating cutting-edge talent in the blockchain space. JD.com is one of the two largest business-to-consumer (B2C) online retailers in China by transaction volume and revenue, and a major competitor to Alibaba-run Tmall. As of September 2017, JD.com’s platform, often referred to as the “eBay of China,” had more than 266 million active users, with a revenue of close to $50 billion. JD considers blockchain technology and its integration into mainstream use as the key to a new age of cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction. "Whole-process traceability is not a new concept but blockchain makes it really possible,” Yongli Yu, president of JD's supply chain research unit, said in conversation with  Bitcoin Magazine . "Throughout th

Venezuela’s On-and-Off Love Affair With Cryptocurrency Mining

Cryptocurrency  If you want to see first hand how cryptocurrency functions in a market outside of speculative investing, right now, Venezuela is an interesting place to look. “Venezuela could become a case study repeated all over the world under certain conditions,” said Jeffrey A. Tucker, editorial director of the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), in correspondence with  Bitcoin Magazine . “Crypto is there as the escape hatch, the way out, a tool of emancipation. If you have a power source, you can mine. If you need to save or trade or move your wealth, crypto is there for you.” Crisis-Catalyzed Currency Venezuela has been in economic recession for more than a decade. As a result, the government has maintained strict control over its currency, the Venezuelan bolivar (VEF), since 2003. Venezuela’s most abundant resource is oil. It is the fifth largest oil exporting country in the world, with the largest reserves of non-conventional oil (extra-heavy crud

Bitcoin Transaction Fees Are Pretty Low Right Now: Here's Why

Bitcoin transactions  The relatively high transaction fees on the Bitcoin network were a major topic of conversation last year, but these fees have been plummeting so far in 2018.  According to data from CoinMetrics , bitcoin miners are now collecting less than a third of the value they were collecting in fees at one point in December 2017. So what’s causing this decline in the costs of on-chain transactions? Is it as simple as declining demand leading to a lower price? Are there other factors at play? Let’s take a closer look. The Simple Explanation for Lower Fees In 2017, the congestion on the Bitcoin blockchain led to a bidding war over block space, especially as speculative interest in bitcoin continued to rise over the course of the year. According to CoinMetrics , bitcoin transaction fees started 2017 at an average of $0.30, but they eventually peaked at over $40 in December. As the price tripled during a month-long stretch from mid-November to mid-December, those w

NASA, ESA Considering Innovative Applications of Blockchain Technology

Blockchain Technology  NASA and other space agencies, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), are considering potential applications of blockchain technology to space missions and internal operations. According to a NASA presentation titled “ Bitcoin, Blockchains and Efficient Distributed Spacecraft Mission Control ,” blockchain technology could have useful applications in distributed spacecraft missions involving multiple elements. Artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies could be further integrated to make space-based sensor networks more efficient and responsive. In September 2017, NASA  awarded  a $333,000 grant to University of Akron (UA) Assistant Professor  Jin Wei  to research how to make space hardware smarter and more autonomous. The research program, titled “ RNCP: A Resilient Networking and Computing Paradigm for NASA Space Exploration ,” wants to improve the automation, environment awareness and intelligence of NASA space probes, which is  an impor

How to cancel an unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction

Crypto Beginners Guide / Bitcoin Beginners Guide   When sending  Bitcoin , it can be easy to make a small mistake causing you to want to cancel your Bitcoin transaction. Oftentimes, funds can become stuck if the miner fee you enter isn’t high enough for any miner to confirm your transaction. Unfortunately, the steps to cancel a Bitcoin transaction are a little more complicated than just pressing an “Undo” button. In this brief guide, I’ll walk you through the process to cancel an unconfirmed  Bitcoin  transaction. Has your transaction been confirmed? The first step in canceling your Bitcoin transaction is to  check whether or not it has any confirmations . When you made your transaction, you should have gotten a  transaction ID  that looks something like this: 240615b6ab59a5adb19ba52cb969aeb16ff82d2082b7a72cb2912c5d38c297cf Take your transaction ID and enter it into a block explorer.  Blockchain.info  is a great option. On the next page, you can see information about you