The keynote address is titled “The Future of Bitcoin – Institutionalization as a Global Macroeconomic Asset” – WATCH HERE
In the realm of global finance, few assets have captured the world’s attention quite like Bitcoin. Initially met with scepticism, it has evolved from a fringe concept into a top 10 global asset by market cap.
On March 26-27, join me at AsiaWorld-Expo as we explore Bitcoin’s potential as an institutional-grade global asset.
Use the promo code WOWHK24SPEAKER to access a 20% discount on your ticket. See you there at WOW Summit!
My first impression of the book was “THAT’S A GREAT USE OF AN NFT”. For those who aren’t familiar with the colourful squiggly line and think that the book is just another manual, I recommend them to “never judge a book by its cover”. The cover artwork is a Chromie Squiggle minted on Art Blocks, a generative art NFT platform that is home to Tyler Hobbs’ Fidenza collection which has an impressive 62ETH floor price. 🔷
Without revealing too much about the content of the author’s work, Amanda led by example, used her Chromie Squiggle #2172 as a book cover, and got her target audience (in this case, me) to #ConnectWallet and write a post about it. It would’ve been amazing if the book itself was minted as an NFT, but I got the next best thing – I claimed an NFT that grants me access to an exclusive book-owners’ Telegram chat. 📖
The Web3 world is evolving daily. I look forward to the day when the next 100 million people are onboarded, and when terms like Web2.5/Web3/Web4/Web5 can be retired. 🌎🌍🌏
We also surveyed some crypto enthusiasts in this video, who tried out Animoca titles incl. @TheSandboxGame and shared their reservations about blockchain games going mainstream https://t.co/lwZ7DRSJAo
“Why is our metaverse better than Facebook’s? To me, this is not even a question.” Gaming giant Animoca Brands has hit $6 billion valuation after a round of funding this year. And it’s betting on blockchain as the next evolution in the industry. (Source: Bloomberg)
A growing number of developers and entrepreneurs are seeking to rebuild and decentralise the financial system using blockchain – databases distributed over many computers around the world and kept secure by cryptography. With huge shoes to fill, can DeFi lay the foundations for a decentralised economy?
Short for decentralised finance, DeFi is an umbrella term for financial services offered on public blockchains like Ethereum. Like traditional financial institutions, DeFi applications allow anyone in the world to borrow, lend, earn interest, and trade derivatives. With the help of smart contracts, agreements can be automatically executed and individuals can transact peer-to-peer without trusting centralised intermediaries such as banks and brokers. The DeFi space has seen exponential growth and it is becoming too big to ignore for governments and financial institutions. According to blockchain research firm Blockdata, a trillion dollars could flood into DeFi if the world’s 100 biggest banks invested as little as 1% of assets under management.
Around the world, regulators begin to turn their attention to cryptocurrencies. Some countries have shown a positive attitude toward crypto, while others wield the crackdown hammer. Earlier in September, El Salvador has become the first country to accept bitcoin as legal tender. In the US, the SEC is reportedly investigating Uniswap Labs, the development firm behind the biggest decentralised crypto exchange. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler also warned that DeFi projects aren’t immune to oversight. On the other side of the world, the People’s Bank of China issued a notice that deemed all crypto transactions to be illegal. However, this isn’t the first time that China has ‘banned’ crypto. Despite the recent ban, traders are able to find alternative ways to invest.
If you decide to join the meeting, please come prepared – read more on the subject, take notes, write down some thoughts and points that you would like to bring for the discussion and share with the group.
We will not have a speaker on the topic, so your self-preparation is key for an intelligent and quality discussion within small groups of 4 people.
Fee:HKD30, it is also suggested that every attendee buys a drink as a courtesy to the venue.
The Economic Club is a community of intellectually curious people in Hong Kong. Learn more about the Economic Club on https://www.econclubhk.org/
SIBEX is proud to present to you its newest addition to the platform, the Group Trading Feature. This unique feature allows users to trade OTC peer-to-peer with their networks, securely and privately.
Trade with your community in the SIBEX network On the SIBEX Platform, users can perform cross-chain atomic swaps between Bitcoin and ERC-20 tokens. With the use of Hashed Time-Lock Contracts (HTLCs), you can trade cryptocurrencies peer-to-peer between blockchains with no third-party involvement.
The Group Trading Feature on SIBEX allows anyone to pseudonymously create personal trading groups and manage their own OTC group as an exchange. Users have the option to join an existing group of traders. Alternatively, they can also create a new group and invite up to 50 members, keeping trades safe and decentralized in a close-knit private community.
Whether you are a group manager, a broker, or a seasoned trader, you can easily transition between the SIBEX Platform and private messaging platforms, building markets organically and improving liquidity.
Create your own private trading room.
“Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins” Several centralized exchanges recently faced serious problems — They were hacked, and had suspended withdrawal services, leaving users unable to retrieve their assets.
Such issues will not happen on the SIBEX Platform, as SIBEX removes all intermediaries between traders. Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), users can be assured that their personal data and keys are always secured as every SIBEX user has their own personal trading server on AWS. The assets, private keys, information, and the data stored on the users’ AWS trading servers are only available to the user’s sole discretion and guarantees full privacy, security, and the decentralization of trade settlements.
How your wallet works on SIBEX Once you have finished setting up your trading server and logged into otc.sibex.io, your wallet (SIBEX ID) is automatically generated. This non-custodial wallet allows you to store, manage, and to trade your bitcoin and any ERC20 tokens on the SIBEX platform.
This wallet is YOURS. It is your wallet, connected to SIBEX via your personal trading server.
Non-custodial: Only you can access your wallet At SIBEX, we never store your crypto assets, we are only providing you with the software you need to store them yourself on AWS server. Your wallet is unlocked on your server using your password. The password acts as your decryption key to lock and unlock your wallet — without it, you cannot access your wallet. Since we don’t know and don’t store your password, only you can unlock your wallet.
Access your wallet anytime, anywhere We made this happen because your wallet is on the AWS server created by yourself 24/7. Storing your wallet securely on AWS servers ensures that your wallet can be accessed from anytime, anywhere, and from any of your devices.
Secure, Private, & Safe When you access your wallet using your SIBEX username, password, and server hostname, your browser uses our API to access your wallet from your own AWS server, which is then securely shown on your device.
Can I recover my wallet? If you have your wallet files, you have your private keys.
Your SIBEX credentials are stored in your own AWS server which we have no control at all (it’s your own server). If you lose your SIBEX credentials, you lose access to your crypto, so take measures (e.g a password manager) to securely store your SIBEX credentials.
“Not your keys, not your bitcoins” is a common understanding of crypto ownership, but in SIBEX we get this to another level: “If it’s not your keys and your own server, it’s not your bitcoin!” Keep full ownership of your crypto assets when trading on SIBEX.
P.S. If you are tech-savvy and don’t want to set up your AWS server, alternatively you can create your own server on your own hardware.
That’s it for today. Follow us for more updates, and join our Telegram group for SIBEX Announcements — http://t.me/sibexltd
In the previous article SIBEX For Beginners A-Z, we provided a step-by-step guide to setting up a personal AWS server for trading on SIBEX. Some of you may wonder, why run your own personal server on AWS cloud? That’s a great question. You ask, we answer.
Decentralized: Be your own exchange. Here at SIBEX, we believe in decentralization. Over the years, digital assets worth over hundreds of millions of dollars have been drained from centralized exchanges from major hacks and security breaches. By running your own personal trading server, your personal data and keys are always secured and private.
Not only do centralized exchanges run the risk of being hacked, they also crash during peak times. When a client-server (centralized exchange) system is built, how quickly you can service an increased load on the system (scalability) is an important consideration. The number of users expected to be active at a given time dictates the number of servers that are operated. From the standpoint of centralized exchanges, energy and money is wasted from buying too many servers and having them remain dormant and unused. When the peak load goes beyond what is planned, the centralized service simply stops working. This will not happen on SIBEX. With SIBEX’s decentralized technology, you can trade anytime and anywhere while keeping full control of your assets.
Exchange, Everything. Decentralized. As every SIBEX user operates their own server, scalability is a perfect 1:1 user-to-server ratio. There are no middlemen between your P2P trades, the principal-agent problem has thus been removed entirely.
Connecting to a private trading server is very straightforward — you can read our setup instructions, or follow simple steps from a short walkthrough video.
Users who are new to the SIBEX Platform can set up their own private trading server with just a few clicks. After a short 15-minute wait for the installation process to complete, go to https://otc.sibex.io, connect to your private trading server, and you can start trading on the SIBEX Platform.
Why AWS? AWS meets the highest standards for privacy and data security. Using AWS, you will gain the control and confidence you need to run your trading server with the most secure cloud computing environment available today. All data flowing across the AWS global network is automatically encrypted at the physical layer before it leaves the AWS secured facilities.
Thanks to a close working relationship with AWS Cloud Computing Services, the default recommended approach is to set up a server with AWS. Alternatively, you may also set up your server on any cloud or on your own hardware. If you wish to set up a physical personal server at home, our personal server documentation is here for you.
SIBEX is a Swiss decentralized protocol that allows you to trade OTC securely & privately and directly between Bitcoin and any ERC20 Tokens you wish using smart contracts.
No Need to Create an Account! No Middleman! Global Liquidity!
How to trade on SIBEX?
Don’t worry, trading on SIBEX is very easy, it only takes a few minutes to get started!
1. Set up AWS trading server
First of all, you need to create an AWS account. This will serve as your unique server to trade on SIBEX. After the account is created, sign in as “Root User” to give you full control of your account.
After that, you just need to keep hitting “Next” to complete all the following steps. Easy right? Now you will see the “Output” button, click on it and copy your “Public IP” address.
Would you like to trade with someone privately? Maybe you met them in a chat group, or on an internet forum. You don’t need to trust them anymore when you trade using SIBEX. You only need their SIBEX ID.
Go to “Wallet” and copy your SIBEX ID, and give it to your counterparty
3. Click “Counterparties” and add the SIBEX ID of the person you are trading with.
4. Click on “Create P2P Marketplace Offer”
5. Select the counterparty, and specify the terms of the trade.
When you click “Send Offer”, the offer will appear to your counterparty in the “P2P Marketplace”. When your counterparty agrees to take the offer, your exchange will begin immediately and both parties will be settled at the same conditions on-chain.
SIBEX is proud to announce the launch of its groundbreaking peer-to-peer DeFi technology and to introduce to the world its unique Group Trading feature.
Based in Zug, Switzerland & Hong Kong, SIBEX is the first complete peer-to-peer decentralized OTC trading platform that allows users to trade cryptocurrencies between blockchains with no third-party involvement. SIBEX works to make DeFi OTC trading safe, private, and simple.
SIBEX technology relies on cross-chain atomic swaps to enable users to settle trades directly peer-to-peer between blockchains. SIBEX removes all intermediaries between traders and enables you to execute, settle, and clear your trades directly on-chain. SIBEX decentralized protocol makes it the most sophisticated OTC technology for digital assets.
“What SIBEX is launching today is changing how peer-to-peer OTC trades will be executed forever. Removing pains, increasing privacy is our motto and the group feature is enabling anyone to create their own decentralized private trading room and will make OTC accessible and intuitive to all.” Daniel Haudenschild, SIBEX CEO
On SIBEX, traders can also create their own Private Trading Groups with their network. The SIBEX Group Feature enables users to create and manage their own OTC group as an exchange. It is now possible to invite all telegram group members to create a private trading room together, keeping trades safe, private & decentralized.
Powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), users can be assured that their personal data and keys are always secured as every SIBEX user has their own personal trading server on AWS. The server is continuously synchronized with the underlying blockchains to secure and guarantee trade execution 24/7. The assets, private keys, information, and the data stored on the users’ AWS trading servers are only available to the user’s sole discretion and guarantees full privacy, security, and the decentralization of trade settlements.
Coronavirus update: South Korea confirmed 98 more cases and two additional deaths as of Saturday, while China reported 46 new confirmed cases and six more deaths. Singapore will bar entry and transit to all short-term visitors starting from 11:59 p.m. on Monday. India started a 14-hour curfew as part of the efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Spain’s death toll rose to 1,720.
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen by 651 to 5,476, officials said on Sunday, an increase of 13.5% but down on Saturday’s figure when some 793 people died. The total number of cases in Italy rose to 59,138 from a previous 53,578, an increase of 10.4%, the Civil Protection Agency said — the lowest rise in percentage terms since the contagion came to light on Feb. 21. Of those originally infected nationwide, 7,024 had fully recovered on Sunday compared to 6,072 the day before. There were 3,009 people in intensive care against a previous 2,857.
Pope Francis said on Sunday he will this week deliver an extraordinary “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) blessing – normally given only at Christmas and Easter – and called for worldwide prayer to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
Markets: The dollar strengthened Friday after a rally that put it on track for its biggest weekly rise since the 2008 financial crisis, as a global scramble for funding sent other currencies reeling. The dollar index rose slightly to 102.82 after weakening 0.7% to 102.00 earlier in the day on Friday.
Gold rose on safe-haven appeal, but was set for a weekly drop. Oil dropped 11% on Friday, giving back early gains, even as the world’s richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy to stop a coronavirus-driven recession. European markets closed higher Friday, following a volatile week as central banks and governments around the world adopted a “whatever it takes” approach.
Crypto Prices (from CoinMarketCap) Bitcoin: Down 5.62% to $5,929.47 Total trading volume (24h): $41.23+ billion USD
Ethereum: Down 7.00% to $125.13 Total trading volume (24h): $12.82+ billion USD
3 biggest movers 24 hours Biggest Mover 1: Electrum Dark (ELD) is up 7,924.96 to $1.04 Biggest Mover 2: WhiteCoin (XWC) is up 252.28% to $0.076751 Biggest Loser: ArdCoin (ARDX) is down 58.70% to $0.000415
What Moved Crypto Markets (i.e. digital assets)
Bitcoin’s correlation with the S&P 500 is at a 2-year high. This is a bearish sign for the cryptocurrency market.
Meanwhile, Bank of China has continued its anti-crypto narrative in a long post titled “3.15 Protection of Financial Consumption Rights and Interests”. The post was published on the bank’s official WeChat account on March 22. In the post, bank officials warn the public about cryptocurrency investment, calling out the three main scams seen on crypto exchanges. The bank stated: “First of all, the amount of fraud transactions with bots is serious. The average turnover rate of the top three overseas cryptocurrency exchanges is much higher than that of foreign licensed exchanges. Second, market manipulation exists in these exchanges where forced leveraged trading eventually causes the exchanges to explode. Third, money laundering is a big issue.”
The Italian Red Cross is now seeking Bitcoin donations to purchase emerging medical equipment after its first-crypto initiative surpassed its goal within three days. On March 12, Italy’s Red Cross launched a BTC fundraising campaign to purchase an advanced medical post for pre-triaging coronavirus cases.
Other Specialties Fintech: Singapore financial-technology firm MatchMovehas teamed up with homegrown finance company Singapura Finance Ltd. and two others to apply for a digital banking license in the city-state. The MatchMove-led consortium is the latest group to announce it’s submitted an application for a digital full banking license to the Monetary Authority of Singapore. That sets the firm against heavyweights including Sea Ltd., which is backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd., and the Grab Holdings Inc.–Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.consortium. Healthtech: Google said on Saturday it launched a United States-focused website with information about coronavirus guidance and testing. The site (google.com/covid19), which consists of resources and links focused on the potentially deadly respiratory illness COVID-19, will be available in more languages and countries in coming days, Google said in a blog post. AI: Researchers have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to train algorithms and predict tumour sensitivity in three advanced non-small cell lung cancer therapies which can help predict more accurate treatment efficacy at an early stage of the disease. The researchers at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center analyzed CT images from 92 patients receiving drug agent nivolumab in two trials; 50 patients receiving docetaxel in one trial; and 46 patients receiving gefitinib in one trial. To develop the model, the researchers used the CT images taken at baseline and on first-treatment assessment. “The purpose of this study was to train cutting-edge AI technologies to predict patients” responses to treatment, allowing radiologists to deliver more accurate and reproducible predictions of treatment efficacy at an early stage of the disease,” explained Laurent Dercle, associate research scientist at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Smart cities: Lyft Inc on Friday told drivers they could sign up for work driving deliveries under a new service as ride-hailing demand plummets during the rapid spread of coronavirus in the United States. In an email to drivers, Lyft co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green said, “Those who would like to help neighbors get to grocery stores, workers to hospitals and caretakers to their jobs” can join a new “LyftUp Driver Task Force.” A link sends drivers to a Google doc sign-up sheet. Lyft said the service did not yet exist but will allow drivers to help out with direct on-the-ground needs in their community. Delivery would include medical supplies and test kits and meals for kids and seniors in need that would be picked up from distribution centers and dropped off without contact.
What Moved Global Markets – Coronavirus update: US health officials said on Sunday they had confirmed overall 11 cases, with one in Santa Clara County and two more in San Benito County. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Monday that the world may be “dangerously” unprepared for the next pandemic. – Markets reacted: the dollar strengthened and a gauge of global stocks jumped, lifted by an unexpected rebound in U.S. manufacturing that helped temper fears that caused stocks overnight in Asia to plunge on the potential impact of the coronavirus in China. – Some technology firms in China – including Huawei – have maintained operations to manufacture parts and products despite government calls in various cities and provinces for companies to halt work to help stop the spread of a new coronavirus. – Oil falls to a more than 1-year low below $50 on fears the coronavirus will slow global growth. OPEC is reportedly considering large production cut. – The British pound slumped as the European Union and Britain clashed over a post-Brexit trade deal on Monday, with the two sides setting out very different visions of a future relationship that could result in the most distant of ties. Both want to secure a trade agreement, but Britain has set a deadline of the end of the year and the EU has warned that if Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants a no-tariff, no-quota deal, he will have to sign up to its rules to ensure fair competition. Johnson said he would not do that, in a speech that harked back to Britain’s past trading successes, promising that his government would again be a champion of free trade and jealously guard his country’s new-found “sovereignty”.
Crypto Prices (from CoinMarketCap) Bitcoin: Down 1.30% to $9,283.07 Total trading volume (24h): $28.14+ billion USD
Ethereum: Down 0.87% to $189.27 Total trading volume (24h): $11.43+ billion USD
3 biggest movers 24 hours Biggest Mover 1: CloakCoin (CLOAK) is up 198.29% to $0.702132 Biggest Mover 2: Zipper (ZIP) is up 68.32% to $0.000240 Biggest Loser: eosDAC (EOSDAC) is down 81.77% to $0.002472
What moved Crypto Markets (i.e. digital assets) – Bitcoin was up over 29% in January, its best performance for that particular month since 2013. Experts said that bitcoin was being viewed as a “safe-haven asset” as global equity markets remain shaky following the outbreak of the coronavirus. – According to the latest data from Coinbase and Bitbay, Bitcoin usage among merchants is up. Coinbase is also looking to build out its merchant services in 2020. – More than 4,000 bitcoins – an amount worth approximately $37 million as of press time – will be auctioned off by U.S. law enforcement officials on February 18. The U.S. Marshals Service said on Monday that it will put up 4,040.54069820 BTC on the auction block on February 18. A $200,000 deposit is required for those wishing to participate, and would-be bidders must register by February 12. The Marshals Service held its first bitcoin auction in the summer of 2014 – which, as reported at the time, saw investor Tim Draper win nearly 30,000 BTC across 10 auction blocks. A number of other auctions, including more coins seized during the U.S. government’s investigation into the now-defunct dark marketplace Silk Road, have been held in the years since.
Other Specialties Fintech: The day before Brexit, Innovate Finance has put out a report hailing a record 2019 for the UK’s fintech scene and predicting a rosy future. In 2019, the UK smashed its fintech investment record, notching up $4.9 billion of capital raised, surpassing the $3.6 billion the previous year and catapulting the country to second in the global rankings for VC investment.
Fintech firms in the UK attracted more capital and completed more deals than the rest of the top 10 European countries combined. Seven of the top 10 deals in Europe involved UK fintechs, with Greensill leading the way with an $800 million round and OakNorth bagging $440 million. Healthtech: Investment into mental health technology has boomed, reaching £580 million in 2019, according to a study by early-stage investor Octopus Ventures. The research shows an almost five-fold increase in mental health tech investment in the last six years, rising from £120 million in 2014. But the sector still makes up just 15% of overall investment in the digital health market. AI: Elon Musk tweeted he’ll be holding a “super fun AI party/hackathon”… at his house next month. The hackathon seems geared towards bolstering Tesla’s self-driving division. Smart cities: An amusing story of one (big) smart city: how the 2028 Olympics has sparked a transportation revamp in LA.
What Moved Global Markets – Coronavirus: China’s stock market plummets as the country’s death toll climbs past 360. – The first death from the coronavirus outside of China was reported on Sunday and the Beijing government took steps to shore up an economy hit by travel curbs and business shut-downs because of the epidemic. A 44-year-old Chinese man from the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicentre of the epidemic, travelled to the Philippines and died there on Saturday, the Philippines’ Department of Health said. The vice governor of China’s Hubei province, Xiao Juhua, said the virus outbreak was still “severe and complicated”. A total of 304 people have died in China, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. Infections in China jumped to 14,380 as of Saturday, it said. – Apple Inc on Saturday said it would shut all of its official stores and corporate offices in mainland China until Feb 9. as fears over the coronavirus outbreak mounted. The coronavirus is threatening to disrupt large parts of China’s manufacturing machine and its global supply chains as the spread of infection and strict public health measures force companies and workers to remain idle. – BREXIT! It finally happened. The United Kingdom finally cast off from the European Union on Friday for an uncertain future, with Brexiteers claiming victory and popping champagne corks for an “independence day” they said marked a new era for the country.
Crypto Prices (from CoinMarketCap) Bitcoin: Up 1.07% to $9,377.48 Total trading volume (24h): $32.64+ billion USD
Ethereum: Up 5.16% to $190.23 Total trading volume (24h): $14.75+ billion USD
3 biggest movers 24 hours Biggest Mover 1: TCOIN (TCN) is up 524.75% to $0.013344 Biggest Mover 2: WHEN Token (WHEN) is up 71.31% to $0.005894 Biggest Loser: Blocs (BLOCS) is down 26.51% to $55.94
What moved Crypto Markets (i.e. digital assets) – Cryptocurrency investor Arianna Simpson is joining Andreessen Horowitz as a deal partner. The founder and managing director of crypto hedge fund Autonomous Partners announced the news Friday on Twitter. She said she has “admired the brand and platform that a16z has built from afar.” – Hankering for a Ferrari? Well, the only licensed stock exchange in Seychelles islands, is listing tokenized collectible cars worth over $200 million for retail and institutional investors. MERJ said Friday it is partnering with CurioInvest, a tokenization platform building on ethereum, to create tokens representing shares in “supercars” like the Ferrari. While the sale is open to institutional and retail investors, purchases are expected to be driven by institutional investors and those from regions with restrictions on auto imports, such as China. A $1.1 million Ferrari F12tdf will be the first car listed on the exchange, and MERJ said it might list as many as 500 vehicles. – In a recent tweet, Ethereum network co-founder Vitalik Buterin said Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) are not the same. “Bitcoin Cash is not Bitcoin,” Buterin said in a Feb 1 tweet responding to Brad Mills’ accusation of Buterin as Bitcoin Cash promoter. Several tweets exist that might suggest Buterin is not 100% against BCH, although he clearly made the distinction that BCH is not BTC, even back in 2017.
Other Specialties Fintech: An amusing survey conducted by Business Insider: how people actually define “fintech”? BI surveyed 21 startups, and their responses varied widely. Beyond Big Tech and Wall Street, startups most would call “fintechs” are scooping up billions in VC funding from traditional venture firms and corporates alike. Some of the people we asked see fintech as an emerging sector, while others pointed out that the ATM, invented in the 1960s, was the first fintech innovation. And some wondered whether big tech firms experimenting with checking accounts and payments products could or should call themselves fintechs. Healthtech: The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) together with the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Dubai Healthcare City and other relevant authorities has launched a blockchain-based health data storage platform. According to The Emirates News Agency on Feb. 2, the blockchain-based platform aims to improve the efficiency of the ministry, and will help users streamline the search for health facilities and its licensed medical and technical personnel, as well as to inquire about medicine supply chains. The new data storage blockchain platform will help secure an unchangeable, decentralized and encrypted database with high-security protection to verify data validity and reliability. AI: Artificial intelligence could be throwing off the search for alien life just as much as humans’ own cognitive biases, according to a new paper published in the scientific journal Acta Astronautica. When a neural network was shown an image from a crater on the dwarf planet Ceres, it identified curious patterns, including both a square (which people also saw) and a triangle. After the neural net detected the triangular shape in the images, people in the study also began to see it, even though they hadn’t previously. It’s an example of how false positives from AI could trip up extraterrestrial studies. Smart cities: 100 new airports, 5 new smart cities, 10,000 KM gas grid to be developed in India. To augment India’s infrastructure and create jobs, the government has launched Rs 103 lakh crore worth infra projects besides providing about Rs 1.70 lakh crore for transport infrastructure and accelerating highways construction, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. Presenting the Union Budget 2020-21 in Parliament, Sitharaman said the focus is on infrastructure for economic development.
Geoffrey Cheng 