The Giver by Louis Lowry- science fiction
A Clockwork Orange by Burgess- i think its fiction/comedy (haven't read it yet, but heard it was a good book)
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger- fiction
If Only it were True by Marc LEvy- Fiction/Romance (the book version of the movie Just Like Heaven, but as usual, the book is so much better and funnier)

Heaven is where my best friend lives. Heaven is where she's alive and beautiful and perfect. Heaven is in my heart, because not a day goes by that I don't hear her laugh crystal clear; there's never been a night she's not in my dreams. Heaven is within, because she's still alive in me

If someday we comfirm extraterrestrial, intelligent life, the situation will move from a scientific problem to a political problem. Wil will ask ourselves who are more powerful? They or us? who could invade or conquer the other? We get into the Third World War....

Here's my top 5 in no particular order.
Robin Hood Men In Tights
Evolution
Night At The Museum
EdTV
Harold And Kumar Go to White Castle

Make choices in your life that put you in an environment that happiness can flourish.You really need to start doing this at an early age. It becomes more difficult as time passes

Bitcoin price has been unable to pick a clear direction lately, with market participants holding out ahead of the top-tier market events this week. Perhaps the biggest market catalyst this week might be the FOMC statement, although no actual monetary policy changes are expected for now.

Bitcoin Price Key Highlights

Bitcoin price has been moving sideways for quite some time, waiting for market catalysts to provide a clear direction.
Price has formed higher lows and lower highs, creating a symmetrical triangle visible on the 1-hour time frame.
Technical indicators are also reflecting hesitation among buyers and sellers.
Bitcoin price has been unable to pick a clear direction lately, with market participants holding out ahead of the top-tier market events this week.

Technical Indicators Signals

The moving averages are oscillating, confirming that this consolidation pattern could carry on for a while. Bitcoin price is treading around the bottom of the triangle formation but is also nearing the peak of the pattern, hinting that a breakout should take place soon.

Stochastic is pointing down, suggesting that bearish pressure could trigger a downside break of the triangle support and near-term consolidation around $380. In that case, bitcoin price could fall until the next area of interest at $300.

RSI is on middle ground, barely providing any strong clues at the moment. Bitcoin price might still have a chance to test the top of the triangle near the $400 resistance level before breaking out. If bullish pressure is strong enough, an upside break can take place and bring price up to the next resistance at $465 then closer to $500.

http://www.newsbtc.com/2016/01/27/bitcoin-price-technical-analysis-for-27012016-breakout-looming/

People who have used Bitcoin, and those who don't have any experience with it, have something in common: Both groups share misconceptions about how the controversial digital currency actually works. People who have never used Bitcoin -- an internet-based form of money -- don't think they ever could. Even Bitcoin users are not well-versed in how it works and overestimate, for example, the privacy of transactions, according to a study by Janne Lindqvist, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and member of Rutgers' WINLAB (Wireless Information Network Laboratory), and two graduate students, Xianyi Gao and Gradeigh D. Clark. Still, study participants overall viewed Bitcoin as an ideal payment system.

The peer-reviewed study -- the first-of-its-kind - will be formally published in May at the annual Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, more commonly known as CHI 2016, in San Jose, California. CHI is the premier international conference on human-computer interaction.

Bitcoin is a new type of money that relies on a decentralized peer-to-peer network with a public ledger that tracks transactions. Two people can make transactions, with degrees of anonymity, across continents, at any denomination, and without any transaction fees going to a third party, according to the Rutgers study. The study's results illustrate Bitcoin's tradeoffs, uses and barriers to entry. According to coinmarketcap.com, the Bitcoin market totaled about $6 billion as of Jan. 22, 2016.

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2016/01/27/rutgers.bitcoin.study.reveals.false.beliefs.ease.use.and.privacy

Venture capital firm Blockchain Capital, which created the first fund for the digital currency industry and has invested in many of the industry’s leading companies, such as Coinbase, Chain.com and Xapo, today announces the closing of its second fund of $13 million.

The oversubscribed fund, which had a target of $10 million, already made 20 investments in 2015. Since its first fund from 2013, the firm has begun to see a shift in the landscape.

“This is definitely going to be the first breakout year where you see substantial investment in blockchain technology outside of financial services, even including Bitcoin,” says Brock Pierce, cofounder and managing partner, noting that legal services and artist royalties are ripe for disruption. “And you’re going to see the use of other blockchains beyond Bitcoin, such as these permissioned ledgers that a lot of financial institutions are interested in, but also even other public blockchains like Ethereum.”

Additionally, the firm has formed an Angel List syndicate that invests alongside the fund, giving smaller accredited investors the opportunity to participate in the same deals as the hedge funds and CEOs, with investments as small as $1,000. “Traditionally it’s only the very wealthy or endowments or pension funds that are investors in venture capital funds,” says P. Bart Stephens, cofounder and managing partner of the San Francisco-based firm. “Our fund has a lot of the similar LPs you see like family offices, CEOs, entrepreneurs, etc., but then there’s also a retail piece where people can participate in a syndicate that invests alongside the fund.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/01/27/blockchain-capital-closes-13m-second-fund-offers-1000-investments-in-syndicate/#558da847285d

Greg Medcraft, head of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (Iosco), weighs in on blockchain adoption. Here's our take on his opinions.

Putting bitcoin aside for a minute, he concept of financial security, and faithful transaction, is at the root of any stable monetary system. Mainstream adoption of anything, from credit and debit cards to online payment mechanisms such as PayPal and Skrill was reliant upon users feeling like they could send and receive money without fear of fraud, theft and data compromise. Of course, these things happen, and will likely continue to do so across whatever means with which we transact, but the organizations behind the processing of these methods all have policies in place that compensate users in the event of fraudulent transactions (in most cases, at least).

Banks will generally reverse transactions, or compensate account holders, when somebody steals their cards and spends funds. The same is true for things like PayPal, which has a resolution center and offers users the ability to reverse payments (somewhat controversially, but there we go).

We’ve had some pretty big fundamental developments in the bitcoin space over the last couple of weeks, with China pushing for the distribution of its own digital currency, and the Australian Stock Exchange setting its sights on becoming the first organization of its kind to settle transactions using the blockchain, and now the head of a hugely important organization in the financial-sphere has weighed in on blockchain technology and – specifically – bitcoin and its path to mainstream adoption. The man is Greg Medcraft, the organization is the International Organization of Securities Commissions (Iosco), and here’s what he had to say in an interview with The Financial Times earlier this week:

One way to get consumer confidence is that someone has to look after the issue of fraud… At least at the start, exchanges will have to guarantee the customer behind [the trade].

The organization Medcraft heads up is responsible for the overseeing of all of the worlds major securities commissions, which in turn are the bodies responsible for overseeing the various global securities exchanges (think SEC and NASDAQ in the US, or the FCA and LSE in the UK). As such, he is specifically referring to guarantees put in place by those parties on each side or a securities based transaction, but the concept can – and should, in this author’s opinion – be applied to other sectors of the bitcoin space. Without this extended application, mainstream adoption is nigh on impossible.


Read more : http://www.newsbtc.com/2016/01/27/global-finance-boss-highlights-a-fundamental-necessity-for-bitcoins-mainstream-adoption/

A Europol investigation has found there is no evidence linking Islamic State (Isis) with anonymous cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. The findings were published in a report commissioned by EU member states in the wake of the 13 November Paris attacks.

It has been feared that IS (Daesh) was using bitcoin and other digital currencies to transfer funds below the law enforcement radar. Although in some cases it is possible to trace bitcoins and transactions of the currency back to the sender or recipient, using it is a common way to transfer funds anonymously. Bitcoin is used by many dark web sites selling illegal drugs and weapons.

The report reads: "There is no evidence however of IS-financing networks in existence. Despite third party reporting suggesting the use of anonymous currencies like bitcoin by terrorists to finance their activities, this has not been confirmed by law enforcement."

Although bitcoin was the only cryptocurrency Europol chose to mention by name, there are dozens of so-called 'altcoin' currencies, such as litecoin, regarded as the less valuable silver to bitcoin's gold. The investigation follows a report from 17 November which revealed the European Commission was seeking to hold a meeting to determine whether terrorist cells like IS were abusing digital and anonymous payments systems to continue their operations.

Looking at terrorism funding more generally, the Europol report states: "The financing of terrorist operations has not undergone any marked changes in the recent past. The sources of funding of the operatives in the EU are largely unknown."

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-bitcoin-not-used-by-daesh-terrorists-dark-web-facebook-twitter-still-common-1540319

People who have never used Bitcoin -- an internet-based form of money -- don't think they ever could. Even Bitcoin users are not well-versed in how it works and overestimate, for example, the privacy of transactions, according to a study by Janne Lindqvist, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and member of Rutgers' WINLAB (Wireless Information Network Laboratory), and two graduate students, Xianyi Gao and Gradeigh D. Clark. Still, study participants overall viewed Bitcoin as an ideal payment system.

The peer-reviewed study -- the first-of-its-kind -- will be formally published in May at the annual Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, more commonly known as CHI 2016, in San Jose, California. CHI is the premier international conference on human-computer interaction.

Bitcoin is a new type of money that relies on a decentralized peer-to-peer network with a public ledger that tracks transactions. Two people can make transactions, with degrees of anonymity, across continents, at any denomination, and without any transaction fees going to a third party, according to the Rutgers study. The study's results illustrate Bitcoin's tradeoffs, uses and barriers to entry. According to coinmarketcap.com, the Bitcoin market totaled about $6 billion as of Jan. 22, 2016.

On Jan. 14, 2016 Mike Hearn, a high-profile Bitcoin developer who worked on it for more than five years, declared that Bitcoin had failed because it was controlled by a handful of people and was "on the brink of technical collapse." In an internet post headlined "The resolution of the Bitcoin experiment," Hearn wrote that he will no longer participate in its development and had sold all of his Bitcoin "coins."

Lindqvist said the Rutgers interviews for the study were done a year before Hearn's announcement and there has "always been some turmoil with Bitcoin." Though one developer feels that Bitcoin has failed, "there's obviously still a lot of people who disagree with this," Lindqvist said.

In their study, Rutgers researchers interviewed 10 Bitcoin users and 10 nonusers (including some recruited on the Rutgers campus) about how they perceive the virtual currency.

The researchers found that:

People who had no experience with Bitcoin thought that it would be too hard or "too scary to use," according to Lindqvist.
People who actively use Bitcoin are not necessarily well-versed in how it works.
Bitcoin users also had misconceptions about Bitcoin's ability to protect their anonymity because transactions are recorded in a public ledger and are traceable with some effort, Lindqvist said. The users in the study trust the security and privacy mechanisms of Bitcoin more than they actually should.
Bitcoin users want government insurance of Bitcoin deposits, despite being largely anti-government and anti-regulation.
Study participants' ideas of an ideal payment system generally matched features that Bitcoin already provides.
Lindqvist said Rutgers researchers are doing follow-up studies to measure changes in perceptions in the wake of the current Bitcoin controversy.

He speculated that even if Bitcoin failed, many different stakeholders are interested in using digital currencies. He believes that with the advent of Bitcoin, "we'll get more cryptocurrencies (secured digital currencies) or more use of Bitcoin or various currencies."

In the future, it's possible that we'll eventually have a cash-free society, he said. But he doesn't know if people would be willing to let go of cash.

Cash has many good features and is "quite convenient for a lot of purposes," he said. "What I personally like is the anonymity. You can't track at all what I'm buying from the supermarket if I don't use a loyalty card with my purchases when I pay in cash."

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13941107000220

BLOCKCHAIN - the technology underpinning digital currency Bitcoin - has been in the news lately.

Banks think it could be the future of financial transactions, while diamond miners hope it will help end the trade in conflict diamonds.

And this week the UK's chief scientific adviser encouraged the British government to adopt the technology. But what exactly is it and why is it causing such a stir? Technology of Business (tries) to explain.

Blockchain is a method of recording data - a digital ledger of transactions, agreements, contracts - anything that needs to be independently recorded and verified as having happened.

The big difference is that this ledger isn't stored in one place, it's distributed across several, hundreds or even thousands of computers around the world.

And everyone in the network can have access to an up-to-date version of the ledger, so it's very transparent.

Digital records are lumped together into "blocks" then bound together cryptographically and chronologically into a "chain" using complex mathematical algorithms.

This encryption process, known as "hashing" is carried out by lots of different computers. If they all agree on the answer, each block receives a unique digital signature.

"You don't store details of the transaction, just the fact that it happened and the hash of the transaction," explains Adrian Nish, head of threat intelligence at BAE Systems.

Once updated, the ledger cannot be altered or tampered with, only added to, and it is updated for everyone in the network at the same time.

Well, the distributed nature of a blockchain database means that it's harder for hackers to attack it - they would have to get access to every copy of the database simultaneously to be successful.

It also keeps data secure and private because the hash cannot be converted back into the original data - it's a one-way process.

So if the original document or transaction were subsequently altered, it would produce a different digital signature, alerting the network to the mismatch.

In theory then, the blockchain method makes fraud and error less likely and easier to spot.

The idea has been around for a couple of decades, but came to prominence in 2008 with the invention of Bitcoin, the digital currency.

Bitcoins are created by computers solving complex mathematical puzzles and this requires lots of computing power and electricity. Blockchain is the technology underpinning it.

But there isn't just one program - lots of companies, from Ethereum to Microsoft, are developing their own blockchain services. Some are open to all ("unpermissioned", in the jargon), others restrict access to a select group ("permissioned").

"Banks do very similar things to each other, even though they compete," says Simon Taylor, vice-president of blockchain research and development at Barclays.

"They basically keep our money safe and a big computer keeps track of who has what. But getting these computers to talk to each other is remarkably complex and expensive - the tech is getting a little old," he says.

If banks started sharing data using a tailor-made version of blockchain it could remove the need for middlemen, a lot of manual processing, and speed up transactions, says Taylor, thereby reducing costs.

Having access to an open, transparent ledger of bank transactions would also be useful for regulators, he adds. And it could help governments tackle tax fraud.

Tech company R3 CEV has persuaded more than 40 banks around the world, including Barclays, UBS and Wells Fargo, to join a consortium exploring distributed ledger technology.

Just this week, R3 announced that 11 global financial institutions had taken part in an experiment involving the exchange of tokens across a global private network without the need for a central third party verifying the transactions.

"It's very early days for this technology but the potential is phenomenal," Taylor concludes. If banks and other financial institutions are able to speed up transactions and take costs out of the system, it should mean cheaper, more efficient services for us. For example, sending money abroad could become almost instantaneous.

Last year, investment bank Goldman Sachs and Chinese investment firm IDG Capital Partners invested $50 million in Circle Internet Financial, a start-up aiming to exploit blockchain technology to improve consumer money transfers.

Circle, co-founded by entrepreneur Jeremy Allaire, has created a digital wallet for bitcoins, but users can decide whether they send or receive money in dollars as well. The idea is to make cross-border payments as easy as sending a text or email.

It's not all about banking. Tech company Everledger is using blockchain to develop a system of warranties that enable mining companies to verify that their rough-cut diamonds are not being used by militias to fund conflicts, and that they comply with the Kimberley Process - a government and community-backed certification scheme for diamonds.

The ownership history and value of each diamond is available to anyone who wants it, and you can be confident that the information has not been tampered with or corrupted.

In six months of operation, Everledger has added nearly 850,000 diamonds to its blockchain database so far.

More http://www.thedailystar.net/business/global-business/how-the-tech-behind-bitcoin-could-change-the-world-207229

UFOs are just flying objects that people don't know what they are - they are usually weather balloons or test flights of Military planes (in the late 80's lots of UFOs were triangular in shape, with odd lights, a few Years later the stealth bomber was revealed..looking a lot like the reported UFOs) As for aliens..well we just don't know, we've only been to the moon once!
There a billions of Galaxies in the space that we can see, there are Trillions of planets in the known universe...I would be more worried if it turns out we are all alone!

Right now i play Call of Duty , they have eleven out right now, and Battle Field Bad Company 1 or 2 are both good

Orphan was the scariest, most shocking, most sick, and most twisted movie i have ever seen, it is worth watching

Blockchain could challenge the accepted ways we shape and manage society

In only a few years, digital currency bitcoin has emerged from the shadows to become something debated by politicians and pondered by economists. Now it is blockchain, the technology that makes bitcoin possible, that is having its moment in the sun: the UK government's Chief Scientist Sir Mark Walport laid out a possible role for it in delivering public services.

What is the blockchain? In essence it is just a digital ledger – a means to record events that have taken place – but its design provides considerable advantages over other ways of recording transactions. The details of every transaction is stored cryptographically on the blockchain, a stream of linked data available online. The entire blockchain is decentralised, with all those using it creating copies of the blockchain record. This one-version-but-many-copies approach removes the need for a centralised authority, such as a bank or legal body, which also provides protection from a single central point of failure. The blockchain is open and public, and practically impossible to alter a record once the block representing the transaction has been added.
The advantage of decentralisation
This removal of central authorities is seen as a holy grail by some. Using bitcoin in global transactions provides security at low cost, and banks are among those investigating how blockchain or distributed ledgers might replace their monolithic and increasingly dated hardware and software systems. But there has been little implementation of blockchain outside its use in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.
Some companies have proposed using distributed ledgers as part of their supply chain. Everledger is a firm that records the properties and ownership of diamonds to reduce criminal use or fraud. Provenance is another company doing the same for those wishing to prove the authenticity or fairtrade credentials of their products to customers.
Blockchain provides new technical solutions to situations where trust and authenticity are important. But as with any technology there are positives and negatives – for example, bitcoin's pseudo-anonymity suits its use by criminals. But in truth almost all crime takes place in the real world with real money: banks we trust pay fines for money laundering, and allegations of unauthorised payments have risen in various sports. Perhaps this most obvious dark side is not the one we should be concerned with.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-01-blockchain-ways-society.html#jCp

In Greece opening a new business was the most difficult achievement because of overregulation and the papers which the Greek Authorities demand for the opening in past years. But in 2016 things have been improved.

We take as an example “Aggelos”, which is a normal neighborhood tavern in Haidari.

With its burgers, pansetes, a meal called Gardoubakia and well cooked meals. The owner Nick Houtas has been devoted to food and life, he does his best to keep the company afloat in such difficult times. He also invites musicians, has a facebook page and participates in sites regarding food and taste like Askforfood.

In 2012 he had a brilliant idea to welcome Bitcoin as a currency into his tavern and accept it from his customers.

CoinTelegraph correspondent Marinos Kokkinos has interviewed Mr. Nick Houtas:

CoinTelegraph: What motivated you to accept BTC?

Nick Houtas: Dealing with new technologies and other alternative digital ways of payment.

CT: What are the benefits of BTC implementation in your industry?

NH: It’s an innovative method of payment and we are always searching for new alternative digital innovative ways of payments, up to date there have been several tourists from 2012 that came to my store to pay with BTC, but also to meet me in person, highlighting the last summer of 2015 in which due to the Greek economical and political circumstances the tourists were increased.

CT: What has been your experience up to now as a bitcoin user ?

NH: I regard it as a very good method, unfortunately in Greece it is not as widespread as in other countries where they use it on a daily basis, but I believe that in the near future this will change.

CT: Which legislation governs your business ?

NH: There are many legislations governing the operation of my business, such as Health department, Veterinary, Tax department, Social department of insurance, Police and Fire department and Brigade.

CT: For someone to legally open a restaurant in Greece, which professionals would they require? Can you pay them in BTC?

NH: You will need an Accountant, Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Technicians, Food experts. You cannot pay them in BTC.

Only the tourists have increased by 20% as clients who are willing to pay in BTC. This has gone up at the Tavern. He was introduced to the BitcoinCT r:  11 World by Ms Alison Margaret from Blockchain, as she has eaten there and she paid in BTC in 2012.

On the contrary, in other countries, the necessary work that a businessman has to do in order to open a BTC restaurant is more simple and efficient.


more http://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-restaurant-aggelos

The North American Bitcoin Conference (TNABC) in Miami has come and gone, and various Bitcoin startups presented their new ideas and concept to the attendees. This is one of the main goals of these types of events is to bring more innovation to the digital currency ecosystem, and a hackathon is a perfect solution to achieve that goal. This year, BitMine became the winner of Bitcoin Miami’s hackathon, as the app allows consumers to go to an eligible store and acquire bitcoins.


A hackathon can bring more innovation to the financial world for all parties involved. The Bitcoin ecosystem is no different in that regard, as people are looking for additional use cases when it comes to spending the popular digital currency. Or in some cases, obtaining bitcoin can be as equally as hard.

During the recent Bitcoin Miami Hackathon, various groups of developers took it upon themselves to cobble together a concept to boost Bitcoin adoption throughout the world. As is the case with any of these hackathon efforts, some of the most innovative designs start to come to fruition, without losing track of the convenience factor associated with bringing a new financial solution to the masses.

The two runner ups were Berlyn – focusing on micropayments for the Bitcoin world – and TXR.io, a startup working on making Bitcoin invoicing more convenient for businesses. Both of these companies received a cash price of $3,000 and $1,500 USD, respectively.

But the big winner was BitMine, the application that wants to solve the problem of novice users who struggle to make a connection with Bitcoin. While the popular digital currency offers multiple advantages to consumers all over the world, not everyone can relate this concept from the start. BitMine wants to tackle that issue head-on by spreading their app to people who can go to select stores and collect bitcoins.


https://news.bitcoin.com/bitmine-apps-wins-first-prize-miamis-bitcoin-hackathon/

A new study has revealed misconceptions held by both bitcoin users and non-users regarding the digital currency's usability, functionality and anonymity.

The research, carried out by Rutgers University, found that, while the technology's new users were put off by its perceived complexity, more experienced users generally displayed poor understanding of how bitcoin works and overestimated how much privacy it offers.

The researchers, headed by Janne Lindqvist, the university's assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, set out to understand why more people have yet to adopt bitcoin as a payment method given its potential to advance how individuals manage their finances. Further, it sought to inform bitcoin developers on how they can improve the technology's user experience.

The team conducted interviews with 10 users and 10 non-users – aged 18 and over and living in the US – to discover their opinions and understanding of the digital currency. Bitcoin users were recruited from online sources such as Reddit, while non-users were found locally.

The Rutgers team further probed people with experience of using bitcoin, asking questions regarding its more technical aspects and their user experience. In addition, they queried the participants on other factors, such as privacy and security, investment activity, regulation and familiarity with other payment systems.

more http://www.coindesk.com/study-misconceptions-bitcoin-ease-use/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CoinDesk+%28CoinDesk+-+The+Voice+of+Digital+Currency%29

In September 2015 Bitcoin Magazine reviewed a conversation with legendary cryptographer Adam Back on the Bitcoin Knowledge Podcast, hosted by Trace Mayer. Back is known as the inventor of Hashcash, the proof-of-work system used by Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as part of the mining algorithm, one of the authors of the Bitcoin Sidechains white paper “Enabling Blockchain Innovations with Pegged Sidechains” and one of the founders of Blockstream. In the September podcast, he mentioned Zerocash, a recent development in cryptography that could be applied to new privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies.


The Zerocash protocol has been considered one of the most promising technologies for putting privacy back into the Bitcoin equation. Now, the Zerocash project has announced that the protocol is being developed into a full-fledged digital currency, Zcash.
According to the recently launched website, Zcash is “a decentralized and open-source cryptocurrency that aims to set a new standard for privacy and anonymity through the use of groundbreaking cryptography.”

A public alpha technology preview has been released on Github.
Zcash offers total payment confidentiality, while maintaining a decentralized network using a public blockchain. Unlike Bitcoin, Zcash transactions automatically hide the sender, recipient and value of all transactions on the blockchain. Only those with the correct view key can see the contents. Users have complete control and can opt-in to provide others with their view key at their discretion.

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/zcash-a-privacy-focused-alternative-to-bitcoin-launches-technology-preview-1453821228