Topics

46

Software Engineering / How does cryptocurrencies work?

« on: April 30, 2018, 02:24:25 PM »

Let‘s have a look at the mechanism ruling the databases of cryptocurrencies. A cryptocurrency like Bitcoin consists of a network of peers. Every peer has a record of the complete history of all transactions and thus of the balance of every account.

A transaction is a file that says, “Bob gives X Bitcoin to Alice“ and is signed by Bob‘s private key. It‘s basic public key cryptography, nothing special at all. After signed, a transaction is broadcasted in the network, sent from one peer to every other peer. This is basic p2p-technology. Nothing special at all, again.

47

Software Engineering / What is cryptocurrency: 21st-century unicorn – or the money of the future?

« on: April 30, 2018, 02:22:03 PM »

This introduction explains the most important thing about cryptocurrencies. After you‘ve read it, you‘ll know more about it than most other humans.

Today cryptocurrencies (Buy Crypto) have become a global phenomenon known to most people. While still somehow geeky and not understood by most people, banks, governments and many companies are aware of its importance.

In 2016, you‘ll have a hard time finding a major bank, a big accounting firm, a prominent software company or a government that did not research cryptocurrencies, publish a paper about it or start a so-called blockchain-project.
But beyond the noise and the press releases the overwhelming majority of people – even bankers, consultants, scientists, and developers – have a very limited knowledge about cryptocurrencies. They often fail to even understand the basic concepts.

Few people know, but cryptocurrencies emerged as a side product of another invention. Satoshi Nakamoto, the unknown inventor of Bitcoin, the first and still most important cryptocurrency, never intended to invent a currency.

In his announcement of Bitcoin in late 2008, Satoshi said he developed “A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.“ 

His goal was to invent something; many people failed to create before digital cash.

Announcing the first release of Bitcoin, a new electronic cash system that uses a peer-to-peer network to prevent double-spending. It’s completely decentralized with no server or central authority.  – Satoshi Nakamoto, 09 January 2009, announcing Bitcoin on SourceForge.

48

Software Engineering / How do cryptocurrencies use the blockchain?

« on: April 30, 2018, 02:17:49 PM »

Although bitcoin, and alternative currencies, all utilize blockchain technology, they do so in differing manners. Since bitcoin was first invented it has undergone a few changes at the behest of its core developers and the wider community, and other alt-coins have been created to improve upon bitcoin, operating in slightly different ways.

In the case of bitcoin, a new block in its blockchain is created roughly every ten minutes. That block verifies and records, or “certifies” new transactions that have taken place. In order for that to happen, “miners” utilize powerful computing hardware to provide a proof-of-work — a calculation that effectively creates a number which verifies the block and the transactions it contains. Several of those confirmations must be received before a bitcoin transaction can be considered effectively complete, even if technically the actual bitcoin is transferred near-instantaneously.

This is where bitcoin has run into problems in recent months. As the number of bitcoin transactions increases, the relatively-hard 10-minute block creation time means that it can take longer to confirm all of the transactions and backlogs can occur.

With certain alt-coins, that’s a little different. With Litecoin it’s more like two and a half minutes, while with Ethereum the block time is just 10-20 seconds, so confirmations tend to happen far faster. There are obvious benefits of such a change, though by having blocks generate at a faster rate there is a greater chance of errors occurring. If 51 percent of computers working on the blockchain record an error, it becomes near-permanent, and generating faster blocks means fewer systems working on them.

49

Software Engineering / Blockchain isn’t just for Bitcoin

« on: April 30, 2018, 02:16:55 PM »

While blockchain technology isn’t simple when you dig into the nitty-gritty, the basic idea isn’t too hard to follow. It’s effectively a database that’s validated by a wider community, rather than a central authority. It’s a collection of records that a crowd oversees and maintains, rather than relying on a single entity, like a bank or government, which most likely hosts data on a particular server. Of course, a physical database kept on paper could never be managed by tens of thousands of peers. That’s where computers, and the internet, come in.

Each “block” represents a number of transactional records, and the “chain” component links them all together with a hash function. As records are created, they are confirmed by a distributed network of computers and paired up with the previous entry in the chain, thereby creating a chain of blocks, or a blockchain.
The entire blockchain is retained on this large network of computers, meaning that no one person has control over its history. That’s an important component, because it certifies everything that has happened in the chain prior, and it means that no one person can go back and change things. It makes the blockchain a public ledger that cannot be easily tampered with, giving it a built-in layer of protection that isn’t possible with a standard, centralized database of information.

While traditionally we have needed these central authorities to trust one another, and fulfil the needs of contracts, the blockchain makes it possible to have our peers guarantee that for us in an automated, secure fashion.

That’s the innovation of blockchain, and it’s why you may hear it used to reference things other than Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. Though generally not used for it yet, blockchain could be used to maintain a variety of information. An organization called Follow My Vote is attempting to use it for an electronic voting system that’s more secure than modern versions, and healthcare providers might one day use it to handle patient records.

50

Software Engineering / The Blockchain a New Web 3.0?

« on: April 30, 2018, 02:04:40 PM »

The blockchain gives internet users the ability to create value and authenticates digital information. What will new business applications result?

Smart contracts
Distributed ledgers enable the coding of simple contracts that will execute when specified conditions are met. Ethereum is an open source blockchain project that was built specifically to realize this possibility. Still, in its early stages, Ethereum has the potential to leverage the usefulness of blockchains on a truly world-changing scale.

At the technology’s current level of development, smart contracts can be programmed to perform simple functions. For instance, a derivative could be paid out when a financial instrument meets certain benchmark, with the use of blockchain technology and Bitcoin enabling the payout to be automated.

The sharing economy
With companies like Uber and AirBnB flourishing, the sharing economy is already a proven success. Currently, however, users who want to hail a ride-sharing service have to rely on an intermediary like Uber. By enabling peer-to-peer payments, the blockchain opens the door to direct interaction between parties — a truly decentralized sharing economy results.

An early example, OpenBazaar uses the blockchain to create a peer-to-peer eBay. Download the app onto your computing device, and you can transact with OpenBazzar vendors without paying transaction fees. The “no rules” ethos of the protocol means that personal reputation will be even more important to business interactions than it currently is on eBay.

Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding initiatives like Kickstarter and Gofundme are doing the advance work for the emerging peer-to-peer economy. The popularity of these sites suggests people want to have a direct say in product development. Blockchains take this interest to the next level, potentially creating crowd-sourced venture capital funds.

In 2016, one such experiment, the Ethereum-based DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), raised an astonishing $200 million USD in just over two months. Participants purchased “DAO tokens” allowing them to vote on smart contract venture capital investments (voting power was proportionate to the number of DAO they were holding). A subsequent hack of project funds proved that the project was launched without proper due diligence, with disastrous consequences.  Regardless, the DAO experiment suggests the blockchain has the potential to usher in “a new paradigm of economic cooperation.”

Governance
By making the results fully transparent and publicly accessible, distributed database technology could bring full transparency to elections or any other kind of poll taking. Ethereum-based smart contracts help to automate the process.

The app, Boardroom, enables organizational decision-making to happen on the blockchain. In practice, this means company governance becomes fully transparent and verifiable when managing digital assets, equity or information.

Supply chain auditing
Consumers increasingly want to know that the ethical claims companies make about their products are real. Distributed ledgers provide an easy way to certify that the backstories of the things we buy are genuine. Transparency comes with blockchain-based timestamping of a date and location — on ethical diamonds, for instance — that corresponds to a product number.

The UK-based Provenance offers supply chain auditing for a range of consumer goods. Making use of the Ethereum blockchain, a Provenance pilot project ensures that fish sold in Sushi restaurants in Japan has been sustainably harvested by its suppliers in Indonesia.

File storage
Decentralizing file storage on the internet brings clear benefits. Distributing data throughout the network protects files from getting hacked or lost.

Inter Planetary File System (IPFS) makes it easy to conceptualize how a distributed web might operate. Similar to the way a bittorrent moves data around the internet, IPFS gets rid of the need for centralized client-server relationships (i.e., the current web). An internet made up of completely decentralized websites has the potential to speed up file transfer and streaming times. Such an improvement is not only convenient. It’s a necessary upgrade to the web’s currently overloaded content-delivery systems.

Prediction markets
The crowdsourcing of predictions on event probability is proven to have a high degree of accuracy. Averaging opinions cancels out the unexamined biases that distort judgment. Prediction markets that payout according to event outcomes are already active. Blockchains are a “wisdom of the crowd” technology that will no doubt find other applications in the years to come.

Still, in Beta, the prediction market application Augur makes share offerings on the outcome of real-world events. Participants can earn money by buying into the correct prediction. The more shares purchased in the correct outcome, the higher the payout will be. With a small commitment of funds (less than a dollar), anyone can ask a question, create a market based on a predicted outcome, and collect half of all transaction fees the market generates.

Protection of intellectual property
As is well known, digital information can be infinitely reproduced — and distributed widely thanks to the internet. This has given web users globally a goldmine of free content. However, copyright holders have not been so lucky, losing control over their intellectual property and suffering financially as a consequence. Smart contracts can protect copyright and automate the sale of creative works online, eliminating the risk of file copying and redistribution.

Mycelia uses the blockchain to create a peer-to-peer music distribution system. Founded by the UK singer-songwriter Imogen Heap, Mycelia enables musicians to sell songs directly to audiences, as well as license samples to producers and divvy up royalties to songwriters and musicians — all of these functions being automated by smart contracts. The capacity of blockchains to issue payments in fractional cryptocurrency amounts (micropayments) suggests this use case for the blockchain has a strong chance of success.

Internet of Things (IoT)
What is the IoT? The network-controlled management of certain types of electronic devices — for instance, the monitoring of air temperature in a storage facility. Smart contracts make the automation of remote systems management possible. A combination of software, sensors, and the network facilitates an exchange of data between objects and mechanisms. The result increases system efficiency and improves cost monitoring.

The biggest players in manufacturing, tech and telecommunications are all vying for IoT dominance. Think Samsung, IBM and AT&T. A natural extension of existing infrastructure controlled by incumbents, IoT applications will run the gamut from predictive maintenance of mechanical parts to data analytics, and mass-scale automated systems management.

Neighbourhood Microgrids
Blockchain technology enables the buying and selling of the renewable energy generated by neighborhood microgrids. When solar panels make excess energy, Ethereum-based smart contracts automatically redistribute it. Similar types of smart contract automation will have many other applications as the IoT becomes a reality.

Located in Brooklyn, Consensys is one of the foremost companies globally that is developing a range of applications for Ethereum. One project they are partnering on is Transactive Grid, working with the distributed energy outfit, LO3. A prototype project currently up and running uses Ethereum smart contracts to automate the monitoring and redistribution of microgrid energy. This so-called “intelligent grid” is an early example of IoT functionality.

Identity management
There is a definite need for better identity management on the web. The ability to verify your identity is the lynchpin of financial transactions that happen online. However, remedies for the security risks that come with web commerce are imperfect at best. Distributed ledgers offer enhanced methods for proving who you are, along with the possibility to digitize personal documents. Having a secure identity will also be important for online interactions — for instance, in the sharing economy. A good reputation, after all, is the most important condition for conducting transactions online.

Developing digital identity standards is proving to be a highly complex process. Technical challenges aside, a universal online identity solution requires cooperation between private entities and government. Add to that the need to navigate legal systems in different countries and the problem becomes exponentially difficult. E-Commerce on the internet currently relies on the SSL certificate (the little green lock) for secure transactions on the web. Netki is a startup that aspires to create an SSL standard for the blockchain. Having recently announced a $3.5 million seed round, Netki expects a product launch in early 2017.

AML and KYC
Anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) practices have a strong potential for being adapted to the blockchain. Currently, financial institutions must perform a labour intensive multi-step process for each new customer. KYC costs could be reduced through cross-institution client verification, and at the same time increase monitoring and analysis effectiveness.

Startup Polycoin has an AML/KYC solution that involves analysing transactions. Those transactions identified as being suspicious are forwarded on to compliance officers. Another startup Tradle is developing an application called Trust in Motion (TiM). Characterized as an “Instagram for KYC”, TiM allows customers to take a snapshot of key documents (passport, utility bill, etc.). Once verified by the bank, this data is cryptographically stored on the blockchain.

Data management
Today, in exchange for their personal data people can use social media platforms like Facebook for free. In future, users will have the ability to manage and sell the data their online activity generates. Because it can be easily distributed in small fractional amounts, Bitcoin — or something like it — will most likely be the currency that gets used for this type of transaction.

The MIT project Enigma understands that user privacy is the key precondition for creating of a personal data marketplace. Enigma uses cryptographic techniques to allow individual data sets to be split between nodes, and at the same time run bulk computations over the data group as a whole. Fragmenting the data also makes Enigma scalable (unlike those blockchain solutions where data gets replicated on every node). A Beta launch is promised within the next six months.

Land title registration
As Publicly-accessible ledgers, blockchains can make all kinds of record-keeping more efficient. Property titles are a case in point. They tend to be susceptible to fraud, as well as costly and labour intensive to administer.

A number of countries are undertaking blockchain-based land registry projects. Honduras was the first government to announce such an initiative in 2015, although the current status of that project is unclear. This year, the Republic of Georgia cemented a deal with the Bitfury Group to develop a blockchain system for property titles. Reportedly, Hernando de Soto, the high-profile economist and property rights advocate, will be advising on the project. Most recently, Sweden announced it was experimenting with a blockchain application for property titles.

Stock trading
The potential for added efficiency in share settlement makes a strong use case for blockchains in stock trading. When executed peer-to-peer, trade confirmations become almost instantaneous (as opposed to taking three days for clearance). Potentially, this means intermediaries — such as the clearing house, auditors and custodians — get removed from the process.

Numerous stock and commodities exchanges are prototyping blockchain applications for the services they offer, including the ASX (Australian Securities Exchange), the Deutsche Börse (Frankfurt’s stock exchange) and the JPX (Japan Exchange Group). Most high profile because the acknowledged first mover in the area, is the Nasdaq’s Linq, a platform for private market trading (typically between pre-IPO startups and investors). A partnership with the blockchain tech company Chain, Linq announced the completion of it its first share trade in 2015. More recently, Nasdaq announced the development of a trial blockchain project for proxy voting on the Estonian Stock Market.

51

Software Engineering / The Blockchain & Enhanced security

« on: April 30, 2018, 02:02:43 PM »

By storing data across its network, the blockchain eliminates the risks that come with data being held centrally.

Its network lacks centralized points of vulnerability that computer hackers can exploit. Today’s internet has security problems that are familiar to everyone. We all rely on the “username/password” system to protect our identity and assets online. Blockchain security methods use encryption technology.

The basis for this are the so-called public and private “keys”. A “public key” (a long, randomly-generated string of numbers) is a users’ address on the blockchain. Bitcoins sent across the network gets recorded as belonging to that address. The “private key” is like a password that gives its owner access to their Bitcoin or other digital assets. Store your data on the blockchain and it is incorruptible. This is true, although protecting your digital assets will also require safeguarding of your private key by printing it out, creating what’s referred to as a paper wallet.

Source:
https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-blockchain-technology/

52

Software Engineering / Who will use the blockchain?

« on: April 30, 2018, 02:01:16 PM »

As web infrastructure, you don’t need to know about the blockchain for it to be useful in your life.

Currently, finance offers the strongest use cases for the technology. International remittances, for instance. The World Bank estimates that over $430 billion US in money transfers were sent in 2015. And at the moment there is a high demand for blockchain developers.

The blockchain potentially cuts out the middleman for these types of transactions.  Personal computing became accessible to the general public with the invention of the Graphical User Interface (GUI), which took the form of a “desktop”. Similarly, the most common GUI devised for the blockchain are the so-called “wallet” applications, which people use to buy things with Bitcoin, and store it along with other cryptocurrencies.

Transactions online are closely connected to the processes of identity verification. It is easy to imagine that wallet apps will transform in the coming years to include other types of identity management.

“Online identity and reputation will be decentralized. We will own the data that belongs to us.”
William Mougayar, author The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology (2016)

53

Software Engineering / Is blockchain technology the new internet?

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:59:34 PM »

The blockchain is an undeniably ingenious invention – the brainchild of a person or group of people known by the pseudonym,  Satoshi Nakamoto. But since then, it has evolved into something greater, and the main question every single person is asking is: What is Blockchain?

By allowing digital information to be distributed but not copied, blockchain technology created the backbone of a new type of internet. Originally devised for the digital currency, Bitcoin,  (Buy Bitcoin) the tech community is now finding other potential uses for the technology.

Bitcoin has been called “digital gold,” and for a good reason. To date, the total value of the currency is close to $9 billion US. And blockchains can make other types of digital value. Like the internet (or your car), you don’t need to know how the blockchain works to use it. However, having a basic knowledge of this new technology shows why it’s considered revolutionary. So, we hope you enjoy this, what is Blockchain guide.

54

Software Engineering / Be careful of permissions given to third-party apps on smartphones, warn experts

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:55:09 PM »

NEW DELHI: It's not just social media platforms that could be stealing your data. Security experts have warned users to be cautious about the level of access they provide to third-party apps on smartphones as they run the risk of handing over their sensitive personal information to cyber crooks.

Users across the world this week were rocked by revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a data firm with ties to US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, had accessed personal data of 50 million ..

Continue Reading:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/be-careful-of-permissions-given-to-third-party-apps-on-smartphones-warn-experts/articleshow/63451275.cms

55

Software Engineering / Biometrics-based paperless air travel coming soon to India: SITA

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:52:06 PM »

JAIPUR: Even as Aadhaar's credibility is being questioned, paperless travel could soon become a reality, according to a top aviation expert.

"Our research shows that 70 per cent of passengers in India said they would definitely use biometrics if given the option, removing the need to show a passport or boarding card at key points at airports," Maneesh Jaikrishna, Vice President -- Indian Subcontinet, Eastern and Southern Africa -- for SITA told here. He said this was well above the glob ..

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/biometrics-based-paperless-air-travel-coming-soon-to-india-sita/articleshow/63731019.cms

56

Software Engineering / WINDOWS 10 APRIL 2018 UPDATE REVIEW: SMALL FIXES NOW HINT AT BETTER THINGS FOR L

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:50:14 PM »

Timeline and Near Sharing highlight an otherwise modest list of improvements within the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, which feels more like the Windows service packs of old.

https://www.itnews.com/article/3261547/windows/windows-10-april-2018-update-review.html

57

Software Engineering / JEWELRY INDUSTRY'S NEW 'TRUSTCHAIN INITIATIVE' USES BLOCKCHAIN TO TRACK PRODUCTS

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:48:36 PM »

The world's major jewelry and gem businesses are deploying a blockchain electronic ledger that will verify the origins of their products, all the way from the mines to the retail cases.

Read More.. Visit :

https://www.itnews.com/article/3269440/blockchain/jewelry-industrys-new-trustchain-initiative-uses-blockchain-to-track-products.html

58

Software Engineering / Olympics opening ceremony broadcast will feature 1,200 drones

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:38:00 PM »

The Olympic rings, a symbol of the games for more than 100 years, will receive a high-tech presentation at Friday's opening ceremony.
A flight of more than 1,200 automated Intel (INTC) drones — a world record — will appear in the shape of the five rings during Friday's kickoff broadcast of the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Intel pre-taped the flock of drones on a Korean ski slope in December. A smaller live 300-drone performance was planned for attendees at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, but was called off at the last minute. An Intel spokeswoman did not say why the show was scratched.

But during Friday's evening broadcast, Intel will also organize the drones to resemble a snowboarder racing down a slope. In another part of the taped segment, they will align to resemble a huge bird that's flapping its wings.
Intel's drones are large LED lights with propellers and sensors attached. They weigh less than a pound. Computer software is used to coordinate where each drone flies, and whether it is lit up.
"The Olympics is all about pushing boundaries," Anil Nanduri, general manager of Intel's Drone Group told CNN Tech. "We wanted to do something the world has never seen before."

The performance requires three employees to monitor the drones, and Olympic volunteers to help set them up. One human employee, dubbed the pilot, hits a button on a computer to launch the automated show.

The tech company is planning daily drone performances for attendees throughout the Winter Games that will last for three to five minutes, weather permitting.

Intel, which believes its drones could one day replace fireworks, tested its drones in Finland to prepare for the cold temperatures in Pyeongchang.

The demonstrations are a significant advancement from Intel's earliest drone light shows, which began in 2016. It's now executed 160 shows -- from Singapore's 2017 National Day Parade to the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- in more than 10 countries.

In addition, its drones were featured in a pre-taped segment for the 2017 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Lady Gaga. The drones swirled above Gaga and took the shape of the U.S. flag as she sung God Bless America.

Source: CNNMoney (Washington)
First published February 9, 2018: 8:51 AM ET

59

Software Engineering / Robot follows you around, projects on your wall. Useful?

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:36:36 PM »

Keecker is an all-in-one entertainment system designed to follow you from room to room. But is it worth the $1,790 price tag?
Visit the Link:
http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2018/01/29/keecker-robot-projector-review.cnnmoney/index.html

60

Software Engineering / Drones are helping scientists fight wildlife extinction

« on: April 30, 2018, 01:35:22 PM »

Drones may be a powerful tool for preserving endangered species.
Researchers in Australia suggest that counting wildlife using drones is more accurate than traditional methods, according to a paper published on Tuesday in the British Ecological Society journal "Methods in Ecology and Evolution."
"With so many animals across the world facing extinction, our need for accurate wildlife data has never been greater," said Jarrod Hodgson, lead author of the research paper and Ph.D candidate at the University of Adelaide's School of Biological Sciences. "Accurate monitoring can detect small changes in animal numbers. That is important because if we had to wait for a big shift in those numbers to notice the decline, it might be too late to conserve a threatened species."
Drones have previously been used to monitor different animals, such as elephants and nesting birds. But it was uncertain how accurate drones were for counting species, according to the researchers.

To test the method, the team created fake bird colonies on a beach in Adelaide, Australia, using 2,000 decoy ducks. They were modeled after Crested Tern seabirds.

Wildlife experts on the ground counted the fake birds with binoculars and telescopes, while a drone flew overhead and took pictures. Another group of scientists counted the number of birds they could see from the drone images.

counting birds with drones
Jarred Hodgson, lead author of the research paper, stands with a fake bird colony.
"In a wild population, the true number of individuals is not known. This makes it very difficult to test the accuracy of a counting approach," Hodgson told CNN Tech. "We needed to test the technology where we knew the correct answer."

The researchers found that the drone approach was more precise than counting on the ground.

Because counting species in photographs is time intensive, the researchers also trained a computer algorithm to count the birds automatically. Those results were nearly as accurate as scientists reviewing the photos, according to the team.
The research paper was co-authored by scientists from the University of Adelaide, Australian Antarctic Division, University of Tasmania and Monash University.

Hodgson said the researchers are still learning about how wildlife reacts to the presence of drones.

"The results will help to refine and improve drone monitoring protocols so that drones have minimal to non-existent impact on wildlife," he said. "This is particularly important for species that are prone to disturbance and where traditional methods involving close proximity to species are not possible or desirable."

The researchers are planning a similar drone test to monitor different species of seals and to detect the nests or tracks of difficult-to-observe animals.

Drones aren't the only technology scientists are using to count wildlife populations.

Last year, a group of researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and Canterbury Museum in New Zealand demonstrated that albatross birds can be seen and counted from space using high-resolution satellite imagery. Albatrosses, a type of big seabird, are one of the most threatened groups of birds in the world.

Source: CNN News