When we search for a topic in the Bitcointalk, the search result comes randomly there is no filter or drop-down to search with ascending or descending order. If we want the recent post, the search result shows the recent post somewhere in between or in the last. We need to manually search for that topic. It will be good if we have an option to check the topics with the "Date posted" filter either ascending or descending order.

Example:




In the image, we can see that the search result is not showing the recent post first, but it is random.

For users who are looking for online retailers to shop with Bitcoins BTC and other cryptos, I found this article useful and sharing it here - Where to Buy With Crypto This Festive Season

List of retailers who accept Cryptocurrencies are:

• Overstock.com
• Alagoria
• eGifter
• Bitcoin Superstore
• CheapAir
• Newegg
• Olodolo
• Forra

Source: Cointelegraph

[(Bitcoin Forum)]

On December 2, I have earned a Merit from (Bitcoin Forum) for (Deleted/Off-limits/Ignored). I do not know which is this topic where I have never posted. When I open the Merit giver profile, my own profile is opening and when I open the topic for which the merit is given, there is no such topic. How is this possible? Who gave me that merit? I am confused

I am attaching the screenshot -




Am I scammed? Please help me, what should I do?

[Bitcoin, Ether and other Cryptos were Adopted in Airlines]

Now we can see Crypto adoption in every field. Recently, I came across a news where Bitcoin, Ether and other Cryptos were Adopted in Airlines.

The announcement says -

Crypto payments service Utrust partnered up with with the UK-based Alternative Airlines, an online flight search platform, bringing cryptocurrency payments to over 650 carriers. The airlines' customers can pay for flights to destinations across the world with crypto, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dash (DASH), DigiByte (DGB), and UTRUST (UTK).

Source: https://cryptonews.com/news/bitcoin-ether-adoption-expands-to-650-airlines-more-crypto-n-5060.htm


I came across 1 more instance where users can buy Groceries with Cardano without a Cashier.

The blockchain research and development company Quanterall is showing off a prototype of a self-checkout system that utilizes Cardano, a public blockchain that allows users to send, receive and spend digital cash called Ada.

Quanterall’s application is a real-world use case that’s designed for everyday consumers at shops and grocery stores. It allows people to buy items at the store without a cashier. Instead, they interact directly with a point-of-sale (POS) device.

How this works?

A shopper simply takes items off the shelf and then scans the products’ barcodes by using their smartphone with the Quanterall app.

After scanning and weighing the items, the shopper can select Cardano’s cryptocurrency Ada as a payment method and then continue with the checkout. Once the transaction is complete, a shopper leaves the store with a paper receipt that’s generated by the POS hardware device.

Watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxerPD7ZSG8#action=share Video to know how it works while buying in shops.

Source: https://dailyhodl.com/2019/11/09/cardano-for-shoppers-using-crypto-to-buy-groceries-without-a-cashier/


Conclusion:
Day-by-day the Crypto and Blockchain industry is evolving and it's adoption is also increasing more. In future, we may see almost every industry using a Cryptocurrency.


>> Any instance where Crypto is adopted can be shared in this thread. Also, share your comments/opinion on this.

[>> Question:]

I came across an article where - Emin Gün Sirer, professor of distributed systems at Cornell, introducing Avalanche (AVA), a new crypto protocol that is described as a platform for platforms.

One such platform to run on AVA is Athereum(ATH), a friendly fork which basically replicates the ethereum network, including all account balances and contracts, onto the new network.

In many ways it’s similar to a chain-split where 1 eth is equal to 1 corresponding coin, in this case, 1 eth plus 1 ATH (athereum).

There is no chain-split however, there’s no contention or anything, but everyone who has eth gets ath. The reason is because they want to showcase the new protocol which is based on what is claimed to be an anonymous paper.

"It describes a new family of consensus protocols that combines the best of Nakamoto consensus with the best of classical consensus. Huge breakthrough,” Sirer said on May 17th 2018.

>> Question: Do we really get free ATH if we have ETH? Will it be same as ETH?



Source: https://www.trustnodes.com/2019/11/10/ethereum-fork-to-give-free-a-eth-meet-ava

[How it worked?]

Nowadays, we can see Crypto-related hack everywhere. Recently, I was reading news where it was written that North Korea Uses fake Cryptocurrency Companies to break into macOS.

The Lazarus Group, considered by the U.S. government and numerous cybersecurity companies to be sponsored by North Korea, are trying to get into Macs via some fake cryptocurrency software created by a front company.

How it worked?

According to Apple Mac security specialist and principal security researcher at Jamf Patrick Wardle: The hackers created a fake company that completely resembles the official website. In this latest case, the North Koreans set up the front company, JMT Trading.

They then wrote an open-source cryptocurrency trading app and put it up on the code-sharing site GitHub. Hidden within that code, though, was malware that, when downloaded onto a target Apple PC, would give the hacker the ability to do anything they wanted on the Mac.

The hackers may then go a step further by contacting administrators and users of cryptocurrency exchanges, asking them to test and review their new app, Wardle told Forbes. If they get lucky, they get a bit of leverage in an official cryptocurrency vendor and start infecting targets.

North Korea has repeatedly tried to find a way into cryptocurrency coffers, with a good degree of success. In August, reports indicated it had made as much as $2 billion by hacking into a mix of traditional banks and cryptocurrency companies. Some of that money appears to be going into helping the state develop weapons of mass destruction.


>> After reading this article, I am feeling that we never know when our PC/laptops will get hacked? How can we protect our laptops from that? Any suggestions would be appreciated.


Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2019/10/14/apple-mac-hack-warning-north-korea-uses-fake-cryptocurrency-companies-to-break-into-macos/#1a614e9d6cc2

I am curious to know is there a validity period for sMerits sending? How long will the sMerits will be available to send to other person? Will it expire?

If there is a time limit for sending sMerits, then who owns the sMerits should get a notification or be aware of that deadline. So that the sendable merits should not get wasted.

[Parity Signer]

Now we need not have to throw our old phones, we can use that for holding Cryptocurrencies!! Recently, Parity Technologies released a New version of Parity Signer that can be used as a hardware wallet.

The Parity Signer v3 Beta will enable users to store assets, vote for governance proposals and sign transactions offline, with integrations for both the Polkadot and Ethereum blockchains.

The phone should be kept offline all the times and should never be connected to the internet, so that you can keep your funds safe from Hackers and Malware.

Once Parity Signer has been installed, switch on airplane mode and make sure no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or any other connectivity is enabled. From that point you can securely create your accounts, offline.

The new version allows users to create Kusama accounts to connect with Polkadot-js apps. For all accounts, users will receive a recovery phrase and choose a “pin” to sign transactions. Transfers do not involve private keys, but instead utilize the industry standard QR code for two-way communication between hot wallets and cold signers.

The company is warning the users to use the App with Caution -

While we believe Parity Signer’s offline design makes it one of the most secure ways to store your Kusama and Ethereum assets, we recommend using Parity Signer with caution: follow the official instructions and only store small amounts on it. The cryptographic library used in Parity Signer was part of the Trail of Bits audit.

➡ How effective this new App will be? Will it really helps the users to keep the funds safe offline? Please share your opinion on this.


Source:
https://www.coindesk.com/parity-updates-tech-to-let-you-turn-old-phones-into-cold-storage-crypto-wallets
https://www.parity.io/parity-signer-v3-0-beta-is-here/

[MasterCard crypto wallet]

I came across a news that MasterCard is launching their own MasterCard crypto wallet. How this will influence the cryptocurrency industry?  How this is related to Facebook's Libra project that has Calibra wallet?

Hi,

Can anyone suggest me the best telegram bots for scheduling posts? One of my friends suggested this Bot for scheduling posts - @TgPlanBot. Is this Bot good? Or do you know any other Bots which is easy to schedule a post? Also, what are the different Bots which can be used on Telegram? Please suggest me.

Recently, one of my friends' bitcoin talk account got banned without any reason. He had earned 3 merits for his posts. He felt very bad about that. I felt that if any account is banned, atleast some message should be displayed with proper reason for the Ban or a warning before a Ban. This will help them to know how they can improve on that.

Also, I have one doubt, all the merits he earned is it lost? Can he transfer to others?

I read that even though the transaction is verified and valid, the orphan blocks are not accepted into a network after suffering a time lag. Is that true? Can I recover my coins when I end up in an Orphaned block?

I have recently started my crypto journey. I had some VET tokens, I was selling that to buy BTC. But I didn't know that VET requires(around 600 confirmations) more no. of block confirmations to initiate the exchange. It took more time to confirm on the blockchain. By the time it confirms, the rate will fluctuate and we will receive less coins than expected.

Not only this coin, there are other coins like ETC, ZCL, Bytecoin, Expanse coin etc. which requires more no. of confirmations on the blockchain.

My question here is: if these coins take more time to confirm on the blockchain, will the rate don't change? We may receive less coins in this case right? Then why do people still trade these coins? Please share your thoughts on this.