šAs Digital Currencyās Popularity Rises, So Do Privacy Fears: Digital Currencies have been all the rage lately, especially given the rise of Bitcoin. That said if weāre being honest, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin function less like currencies every passing day. Those that do like Monero, do not get as much attention. On the opposite end, governments realize the fact that there could be value in digital currencies, not necessarily cryptographically secure ones. Digital currencies open a whole new dimension to government policy, but they also open another dimension into a far less private world. Iāve always thought that the āBlockchainā is far less potent as a decentralized tool, and far more so in the hands of a massive organization. Blockchain tech allows instances of transactions to be proved as occurring. If one includes the fact that there is the element of immutability, governments are assured that every transaction or action recorded on the ledger took place. In this sense, the blockchain is transformed from a model of decentralized trust to a tool of centralized proof without the inefficiencies(environmental costs, wasted computing resources, etc) that decentralized mechanisms introduce. This, while scary, isā I believeā proof that technology tends to be a tool of centralization. This seems to be what more centralized governments like the CCP have realized as well. (1662 words)
šFacebook reveals goals for 3-D augmented reality glasses: Facebook hopes to get in on the AR action by creating devices that adapt near perfectly to the userās environments while making use of emotive computing to contextualize the desires of users. (473 words)
š®š³India will reportedly introduce a bill to make owning cryptocurrency illegal: In what may be the strictest crackdown of cryptocurrencies to date, India proposes banning not merely trading of cryptocurrencies, but possession as well. Not even the Chinese government goes that far(it doesnāt criminalize possession). That said, its financial minister Nirmala Sitharaman makes it clear that it isnāt blockchain in its entirety being banned, but private cryptocurrencies and bitcoin. (269 words)
šExperimental Alzheimer's drug could slow cognitive decline in patients, early results suggest: Alzheimerās has proved menacing to many people and their families. Watching someone you love slowly lose all cognitive ability is bound to be devastating. Thereās been little progress in the creation of effective treatments to slow down the progression of Alzheimerās in the afflicted. There is hope though. A company recently showed that their drug Donanemab reduced cognitive decline by a dramatic 32% in the afflicted. This equates to nearly 6 more months of functioning life for those affected. (817 words)
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