So how does this XKeyscore thing work ... is it like a credit rating ... to see how close to being a terorist anyone person might be?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/nsa-top-secret-program-online-data

By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service

Shifts in climate are strongly linked to increases in violence around the world, a study suggests.

US scientists found that even small changes in temperature or rainfall correlated with a rise in assaults, rapes and murders, as well as group conflicts and war.

The team says with the current projected levels of climate change, the world is likely to become a more violent place.

The study is published in Science.

Marshall Burke, from the University of California, Berkeley, said: "This is a relationship we observe across time and across all major continents around the world. The relationship we find between these climate variables and conflict outcomes are often very large."

The researchers looked at 60 studies from around the world, with data spanning hundreds of years.

They report a "substantial" correlation between climate and conflict.

Their examples include an increase in domestic violence in India during recent droughts, and a spike in assaults, rapes and murders during heatwaves in the US.

The report also suggests rising temperatures correlated with larger conflicts, including ethnic clashes in Europe and civil wars in Africa.
Biological root?

Mr Burke said: "We want to be careful, you don't want to attribute any single event to climate in particular, but there are some really interesting results."

The researchers say they are now trying to understand why this causal relationship exists.

"The literature offers a couple of different hints," explained Mr Burke.

"One of the main mechanisms that seems to be at play is changes in economic conditions. We know that climate affects economic conditions around the world, particularly agrarian parts of the world. and there is lots of evidence that changes in economic conditions affect people's decisions about whether or not to join a rebellion, for example."

But he said there could also be a physiological basis, because some studies suggest that heat causes people to be prone to aggression.

"It is a major priority for future research to distinguish between what is going on in each particular situation."

The scientists say that with the current projected levels of climate change the world is likely to become a more violent place.

They estimate that a 2C rise in global temperature could see personal crimes increase by about 15%, and group conflicts rise by more than 50% in some regions.

However, other researchers have questioned whether climate breeds conflict.

Work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested that this environmental factor was not to blame for civil war in Africa.

Instead, the conflict was more highly correlated with other factors, such as high infant mortality, proximity to international borders and high local population density.

During a panel discussion at Mediabistro's Inside Bitcoins conference in New York City on Tuesday, one of the panelists, serial entrepreneur Brock Pierce, posed a question: "Is Bitcoin Friendster, MySpace or Facebook?"

In other words, is Bitcoin here to stay, or will it soon decline or disappear altogether, taking investor dollars with it?

That's the question on the minds of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and laypeople alike. In simple terms, Bitcoin is both a decentralized, open-source digital currency and a peer-to-peer payment system. Users are able to send bitcoins to each other over the Internet, and to convert them into fiat currency, such as U.S. dollars and euros, and back again using online exchange platforms. Cryptographic procedures enforce scarcity and ensure the security of transactions.

Once the preserve of hackers and crypto-geeks, Bitcoin is increasingly being seen as a legitimate platform on which to build businesses. The Winklevoss twins, known for their tussle with Mark Zuckerberg over the ownership rights to Facebook, led a $1.5 million investment in payment processing platform BitInstant earlier this year.

But while some high-profile investors are taking a chance on it, Bitcoin remains a volatile market. When you invest in a Bitcoin company, you're taking a risk not only on that startup but also on the overall Bitcoin space, said Pamir Gelenbe, partner at Hummingbird Ventures, a European early-stage venture fund, during Tuesday's panel.

Gelenbe compared the current Bitcoin landscape to that of Internet companies in 1994, in the sense that outsiders view the space with skepticism. He and other investors on the panel said they look for entrepreneurs with a solid track record. "I'm excited about the leap that's occurring from semi-professionalism to companies that will be around for a while," said Tuur Demeester, author of investment newsletter MacroTrends. Demeester recommended Bitcoin to his readers as an investment in early 2012, when its exchange rate was only $5.

Related: Winklevoss Twins Move to Launch a Bitcoin Fund

Demeester believes an opportunity exists for new Bitcoin exchange markets, although established exchanges such as MtGox and Bitstamp currently handle a combined 70 percent of all U.S. Bitcoin trade, according to Bitcoin Charts. Gelenbe, however, said his firm wants to invest in companies, not in currencies; he would prefer to fund startups that could easily switch over to other digital currencies that may gain primacy and ones which are not likely to face regulatory trouble.

The total value of all bitcoins in existence, currently 11.5 million, has increased from about $10,000 three years ago to about $1 billion today. Between July 2012 and April 2013, the price of a Bitcoin rose from about $10 to an all-time high of $266 before plummeting spectacularly below $60. A flurry of media attention covered the rise and fall. On Wednesday, the price of a Bitcoin fluctuated between $103 and $111.

Thompson Clark, an editor at financial intelligence company Agora Financial, outlined the reasons why Bitcoin could outlive the media hype. In times of global economic instability, precious metals and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin become more attractive as expressions of value that aren't subject to government manipulation. Fiat currency loses value over time due to inflation, whereas Bitcoin so far has been a deflationary currency, meaning that it gains in value over time despite fluctuations in its exchange rate. The limited supply of bitcoins -- there will never be more than 21 million in existence -- means that demand alone will determine its value.

And there are social benefits too, according to the panelists. "Fiat currency encourages consumption," and that leads to planned obsolescence of consumer products and waste that harms the environment, said Clark. In a world where money keeps its value for longer periods of time, or actually increases in value over time, people will be more thoughtful about how they spend it, he said.

As for that all-important question posed by Pierce? It's too soon to tell, he said. But everyone on the panel said they think that Bitcoin will continue its move into the mainstream. "It's just a better money," Clark said.

HackMiami to Unveil Live Linux Cryptocurrency Mining Distribution During Defcon Skytalks at Las Vegas Hacking Conference.

In addition to the software release, a panel discussion will be hosted about recent actions against cryptocurrencies as economic unrest spreads throughout the globe.

Who here has children? Only answer if you have children.

Those of you who have, if you had a son and a daughter and there was only one computer available in whose room would you put it? In your son's room? In your daughter's room? Why?

Welcome Charlie Lee (creator of Litecoin) to the team!

We’re excited to announce Charlie Lee has joined the Coinbase team!

Charlie was previously an engineer at Google working on Google Play Games, Chrome OS, and YouTube.  Charlie is probably best known as the creator of Litecoin, the most popular Bitcoin derivative.  He layers on more mental horsepower here at Coinbase with his BS and Masters in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.

If you use Google Authenticator to secure your Coinbase account or Authy’s voice support feature to verify your phone number, then you’ve already benefitted from some of Charlie’s early work!

Hi Guys

We would like to say that. Yes....we did tape-out of the ASIC some time ago. The exact details of the ASIC schedule, volumes, vendor etc. is kept internal since it's very sensitive information towards competitors. The product development tasks are on-track."

We are still on schedule to begin shipping in September.

Thanks
KnCMiner Team