How will Gem merge the healthcare industry with distributed ledgers?

The technology powering the Bitcoin protocol can be used for a lot of different use cases, and the healthcare sector is one of those standing to benefit from distributed ledger technology. Gem, a prominent blockchain technology provider, is thinking along those lines as well, as they have started a collaborative project with various players in the healthcare sector. Making medical records accessible to hospitals, doctors, and specialists is a prospect well worth exploring.

http://bitcoinist.net/gem-expects-unveil-blockchain-plans-healthcare-industry-soon/

Do you feel these prices can be justified, or is this particular event simply overpriced?

Explaining the potential of blockchain technology is of the utmost importance to advance innovation in this industry. The financial side of things is only the tip of the iceberg of how distributed ledgers will change various aspects of life. However, when courses on blockchain education and development cost close over US$4,000, there is a valid question as to whether or not these types of events are the right way to go about things.

http://themerkle.com/news/blockchain-education-events-quite-expensive/

Would you be interested in obtaining a Satori Coin when they become available to international customers?

An interesting new initiative is taking place in Japan, where Bitcoin enthusiasts have taken it upon themselves to distributed physical bitcoins to the masses. Every individual Satori Coin is loaded with a marginal amount of Bitcoin, in the hopes of spreading the word on digital currency in the country. However, there is a question as to whether or not this can get people in trouble as they could be labeled as being a money transmitter.

http://themerkle.com/news/raimu-inc-introduces-satori-coin-japan/

Politics in Bitcoin are never far away, and a message posted on the Node Counter front page earlier today only confirms that statement. In fact, the statement they had on their page left very little to the imagination, as it was an outspoken judgement on Bitcoin Core and how the development of Bitcoin has been bought out by Blockstream. It is not the first time these types of allegations appear on the Internet, but this may have taken things one step too far.


http://bitcoinist.net/node-counter-on-blockstream-bitcoin-core-and-censorship/

What is going on at Vogogo in your opinion? Will this decision affect Bitcoin companies?

There is something interesting and peculiar going on in the world of digital currency payment processors right now. While there is a large market for this kind of services – especially the ones related to both fiat currency and Bitcoin – some companies are struggling to stay afloat. Judging by the information we received via email earlier today, it looks like Vogogo will be shutting down their invoicing platform shortly.

http://themerkle.com/news/vogogo-invoicing-platform-will-shut-shortly/

Do you see potential for this initiative? Or is it ahead of its time?

Most people on this planet will know how the blockchain can be used for various purposes, and the financial ecosystem is just the tip of the iceberg. Just a few weeks ago, the Cambridge MIT Enterprise Forum enlisted a focus group to come up with a real life use case to distribute electricity over the blockchain. One of the more promising presentations came from none other than Bankymoon, a company looking to merge smart electricity meters with blockchain technology.

https://news.bitcoin.com/bankymoon-bitcoin-smart-meter/

Are you worried about these malware droppers at all? How can users protect themselves from having their bitcoins stolen?

Malware attacks are of major concern to any device owner, but they can prove to be especially threatening to Bitcoin users. Kaspersky has made notice of how a team of Brazilian coders are working on creating malware droppers that are cross-operating system compatible and use JAR files to infect devices.

https://news.bitcoin.com/cross-platform-malware-droppers-bitcoin/

Are you excited about additional blockchain-as-a-service projects on Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure has become a focal point for digital currency enthusiasts and developers over the past few months, as they started adding various blockchain templates to their offering. Getting more people acquainted with distributed ledgers through their blockchain-as-a-service feature on Microsoft Azure is a great way to spur future innovation. The latest blockchain template to be added to this platform is BitShares.

http://themerkle.com/news/bitshares-blockchain-service-now-available-microsoft-azure/

In your opinion, is it a matter of Bitcoin miners not caring, or is there something else at play?

Just because mining pools give individual the miners to choose Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin classic, does not mean they will be switching over in droves all of a sudden. That statement is only reinforced by the F2Pool mining statistics, as only a small portion of miners have diverted their hashpower to Bitcoin Classic. This begs the question as to whether Bitcoin miners care [enough] about the difference between both solutions to risk their steady earnings or not.


http://bitcoinist.net/bitcoin-miners-have-lost-interest-in-block-size-debate/

Would you buy postage labels with Bitcoin if it was available in your country?

Creating normal use cases for bitcoin enthusiasts to spend digital currency in things they need can be quite difficult. Even though there is a growing number of online merchants and brick-and-mortar businesses accepting Bitcoin payments, there still isn’t that one service nearly everyone can relate to. Stampnik might be on the right track as they sell USPS postage in exchange for Bitcoin.


http://themerkle.com/news/stampnik-sells-usps-postage-exchange-bitcoin/

What are your thoughts on Bitcoin's role in virtual reality?

Bitcoin and virtual reality seem to be a very potent combination, and Lumiere Online Store is thinking along those lines precisely. There is a lot of focus on virtual reality right now, and many investors are looking to be part of the game. But at the same time, there is a lot of consumer interest too, and they want access to convenient payment methods, such as Bitcoin. As a result, Lumiere Online Store is now accepting digital currency payments, and they even offer remuneration for their VR shop beta testing.

http://bitcoinist.net/lumiere-online-store-mixes-bitcoin-virtual-reality/

What will fake events like these do for the reputation of Bitcoin and digital currency?

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the upcoming London Bitcoin Forum 2016 event, which is scheduled to be held in London. However, as it turns out, there is reasonable doubt there will even be a conference to begin with. Various speakers have been announced while they have never been approached by the organization, and the QEII Centre has no event booked at the venue for those dates. Everyone who planned to go there should start working on the refunds process sooner rather than later.

http://themerkle.com/news/london-bitcoin-forum-2016-event-confirmed-scam/

Do you think the Bitcoin halving will have a major effect on a new IPO for Bitcoin Group?

Bitcoin Group is one of those companies who had high hopes of getting listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and bring more positive attention to digital currency. Unfortunately, those plans have been scrapped, as the company might not have enough cash at their disposal to survive its first year on the market. With such a grim future ahead, it only makes sense to rethink the plan and focus on building up the company through other means.


http://themerkle.com/news/bitcoin-group-cancels-asx-plans-refunds-ipo-investors/

Have you tried Brave yet? What is your impression so far?

Now that the brave browser has been available to users for little over a month, it provides an excellent timeframe to see how the Bitcoin community feels about this powerful tool. While Bitcoin integration is still not available to this point, the consensus seems to indicate brave is a much faster browser compared to any other offering in existence today. That being said, are people looking forward to micropayments from their browser to access premium content?

http://bitcoinist.net/brave-browser-works-as-advertised-despite-no-bitcoin-integration-yet/

Should the Humble Bundle team look for a different payment processor in your opinion?

When the Humble Bundle team started accepting Bitcoin payments for their collections of games, there was great excitement among the digital currency community. Another use case was born for Bitcoin, and there are certain correlations between the crowds attracted by either digital currency or gaming. However, a few of the Humble Bundle offerings have been up for sale without Bitcoin being accepted. To make matters even worse, the company is experiencing issues with the Coinbase integration.

http://themerkle.com/news/coinbase-issue-prevents-humble-bundle-bitcoin-payments/

What would you use the 21 Inc Bitcoin Computer for? Would you run a Bitcoin node on it?

The ongoing debate between Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Classic supporters is creating an attractive prospect for enthusiasts looking to set up full Bitcoin nodes. Most people are aware of how more network nodes will further strengthen the network, and help broadcast transactions to the Bitcoin miners. A recent post has surfaced mentioning how people can set up Bitcoin Classic nodes on the 21 Inc. Bitcoin Computer. As it turns out, this requires a lot less effort than most people might think.

https://news.bitcoin.com/21-inc-bitcoin-computer-run-classic-node/

Do you take offense to this decision by Slush Pool? Or are people trying to see conspiracies wherever they can?

With multiple mining pools giving Bitcoin miners a say in the matter of whether they want to support Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Classic, it was only a matter of time until some of the preliminary results were published. Based on the information we have received from Slush Pool, there seems to be a large amount of Bitcoin miners who are still undecided. However, those who do not express their vote will be mining Bitcoin Core blocks until decided upon otherwise.

http://themerkle.com/news/indecisiveness-slush-pool-automatically-means-bitcoin-core-mining/

What are your thoughts about this trial? Will they continue with the project?

Blockchain technology is captivating audiences all over the world, and now that the financial sector has taken notice of this trend, new projects are being announced on a regular basis. One of the most recent projects is the collaboration between Fujitsu and Mizuho Bank, as both parties will experiment with the blockchain to make cross-border securities transactions settlements faster and cheaper.


http://bitcoinist.net/mizuho-bank-and-fujitsu-successfully-complete-blockchain-trial/

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Are you worried about skimming attacks? Have you ever feel victim to this type of activity?

The European ATM Security Team released a new European Fraud Update for 2016. As part of this report, an interesting picture is painted as to how ATM fraud is evolving in Europe. A total of 23 European countries are represented in this report, and by the look of things, the fraud rates are not going down by much. Bitcoin remains a viable alternative to traditional finance, as digital currency ATMs are not affected by skimming issues for the time being.

http://bitcoinist.net/new-east-report-shows-atm-skimming-is-evolving/