2017 was a monumental year for cryptocurrencies and the blockchain. The price of bitcoin rose almost 2000% from $1,000 in January to over $19,000 at its peak in December. Ether, Litecoin, Ripple and other leading cryptocurrencies experienced similar spikes and a host of new cryptocurrencies burst onto the scene. $3.7bn was raised via ICOs, calling into question the future of venture capital. And finally, CryptoKitties became a blockchain sensation as sales hit $12m in their first month. 2018 is set to be another breakthrough year for cryptocurrencies. Here are my top 4 predictions:
1. The cryptocurrency market will continue to grow as institutional capital gets involved Last month CBOE and CME announced that they would start offering bitcoin futures bringing cryptocurrencies closer to traditional financial markets and adding legitimacy to a previously notorious asset class. Goldman Sachs was among one of the first institutions to announce that it would clear futures for its clients on a case by case basis and is set to launch a cryptocurrency trading desk by mid 2018. Other institutions will undoubtedly follow suit as clients demand access to cryptocurrencies and as the infrastructure required to trade them at an institutional level is built out. This includes exchanges offering much needed compliance and security tools as well as appropriate insurance products. In 2018, we will see the launch of numerous crypto funds. To date there are over 100 (84 of which were launched in 2017) with an estimated $2bn in assets under management. The proliferation of these funds will be coupled with the development of new cryptoasset investment vehicles (futures, ETFs and mutual funds), which will broaden exposure to even the most conservative investors. For instance, one could envisage the development of a S&P 500 bitcoin-hedged ETF or network value weighted cryptocurrency ETFs including potentially a basket of the top 5,10 or 20 cryptoassets. 2. ICOs will professionalize as experienced investors move into the market Last year was a bull year for ICOs. Unprecedented amounts of capital were raised with some projects such as Filecoin and Tezos raising over $200m in a single round of funding.Of the 230 ICOs in 2017, many took place off the back of nothing more than an idea (usually formulated in a white paper), a team of developers, and little to no due diligence. This year experienced investors will get involved with this new means of funding. They will demand further business validation and transparency, bringing the ICO process closer in line with traditional venture fundraising and making it increasingly difficult to raise off the back of a white paper. This trend will be supported by the development of ICO platforms such as CoinList, which carries out due diligence prior to accepting companies onto its platform, or Balanc3, which provides crypto companies with accounting and reporting tools. The professionalization of ICOs will be bolstered by the rise of SAFTs (Simple Agreement for Future Token Sales), investment contracts geared towards pre-product, pre-ICO fundraises and accessible to accredited investors only. In a SAFT sale no coins are ever sold. Instead money is exchanged for a traditional paper contract that promises access to a future product. SAFTs allow developers to build out a functioning network and tokens with real value prior to launching an ICO. Importantly, they also help token-based companies to comply with US securities regulation. As SAFTs become more commonplace we will see a decrease in the number of ICOs for pre-product, pre-network businesses and, as a result, the reduction in speculative token sales. 3. Regulators will take a firm stance on ICOs leading to a short term slowdown Professionalization will go hand in hand with increased regulation globally. In 2017 we saw China and South Korea taking a stance and outright banning ICOs while the US ruled that certain cryptoassets should be classified as securities and ICOs should regulated accordingly. Over the course of the next year other jurisdictions are likely to follow suit leading to a slowdown in ICOs in the short term. This in turn, will result in an increase in “jurisdiction arbitrage” as crypto companies flock to countries such Switzerland and Luxembourg where cryptocurrency and ICO regulations are less stringent. Cryptocurrency trading will also come under further scrutiny. In 2018 the UK Treasury is set to regulate cryptocurrencies in line with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism rules forcing traders to reveal their identities in certain cases. Online platforms where cryptocurrencies are traded will be required to carry out due diligence on their customers and to report suspicious transactions. Jurisdictions around the world will most likely follow in their footsteps. In the short run increased regulation may lead to a fall in prices and trading volumes. In the long run it may help to legitimize the industry bringing it closer to the financial mainstream. 4. Concerns around scalability and performance will lead to the rise of new platforms and approaches Both Ethereum and Bitcoin, today’s leading platforms, face numerous issues which have led many to question their long term potential. Worldwide bitcoin mining hardware now consumes roughly the same power as Denmark and some claim that by 2020 it will use more electricity than the entire world uses today. Bitcoin transactions times now range from 10 minutes up to several days and transaction fees have risen to over $4.75 per transaction, this will only get worse as more people join the network. Similarly to Bitcoin, Ethereum suffers from limited scalability. The crytokitties craze showed that a spike in just one app can be enough to cause bottlenecks in the entire network and a jump in transaction fees. As users become increasingly aware of Bitcoin and Ethereum’s shortcomings they will seek out alternatives leading to the rise of other currencies and platforms. Litecoin, Ripple, Monero and Zcash have already proven to be attractive alternatives to bitcoin. 2018 will see the launch of a host of new currencies such as Chia, a “better Bitcoin”. Founded by the inventor of Bittorent, Chia is set to offer more reliable, eco-friendly mining and security measures. Likewise, Ethereum’s position as the leading smart contract platform will start to be challenged by newer platforms such as NEO and Cardano. In 2018 several solutions and upgrades to the problems above will be put forward. For instance, off-chain solutions such as the Lightning Network (Bitcoin) and Raiden (Ethereum) will allow users to circumvent some of the high transaction costs and slow speeds of transaction. An upgrade in Ethereum’s core protocol will also take place which will change the method for verifying transactions from proof-of-work to the faster and more cost-effective proof-of-stake. 2017 brought cryptocurrencies into the limelight. As prices rose to eye-watering heights, speculators flocked to the market in droves, driving prices even higher. In 2018 new currencies and platforms will emerge, experienced investors and financial institutions will move into the market and regulators will take a stance. 2018 will be the year that cryptocurrencies become embedded in the traditional financial system. The 41-year-old woman from Britain was being diagnosed for a bowel disease after complaining of excruciating abdominal pain and bloating. Although medical science has the answer to several diseases and is coming up with treatment for more, sometimes practitioners can get it wrong too. While cases of seemingly minor issues turning out to be major ailments have been reported, there are also times when something simple is mistaken for a serious illness.
A 41-year-old woman from Britain was being diagnosed for a bowel disease after complaining of excruciating abdominal pain and bloating that lasted up to three days. Doctors perceived her condition to be Chron’s disease for which there is treatment but no cure. When she didn’t respond to treatment doctors eventually decided to conduct a keyhole surgery as the only option. The procedure led to the discovery of pieces of plastic packaging coming from a sachet of Heinz tomato ketchup piercing the woman’s intestine. Doctors said this was the first case of plastic packaging ingested by a person mimicking symptom’s of the serious ailment which affects at least 115000 people in the UK alone. He had been charged with aggravated sexual abuse and held without bail after the flight landed. Chennai: A 34-year-old man from Tamil Nadu has been arrested in the United States of America after a woman co-passenger on a flight complained of being sexually assaulted by him while asleep. Prabhu Ramamoorthy, according to his Facebook profile hails from Vellakoil in Thanjavur district and did his engineering at a private college in Chennai. He has been working in USA as a project manager with a private firm for the past two and half years.
He allegedly groped a 22-year-old woman who was seated next to him on a Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Detroit, which landed on January 3, according to the Washington Post. Prabhu’s wife was also travelling with him. He had been charged with aggravated sexual abuse and held without bail after the flight landed. According to various US media reports, the victim claimed that she woke up to find her pants and shirt unbuttoned and his hands inside her pants, while his wife was seated next to him. US media quoted federal prosecutor Amanda Jawad as saying that Prabhu was seated between his wife and the victim and continued assaulting her until she woke up and went to report the incident to flight attendants. In a written statement, Ramamoorthy claimed that he had taken a pill and fallen asleep. He rubbished the victim’s claims, saying he had learned from his wife that the woman was ‘sleeping on his knees.’ According to a report, judge Steven Whalen said, “It seems that she’s either colluding with the defendant to cover up his actions or she’s completely oblivious to what he did.” Jawad argued, “What makes this offence, particularly egregious and the defendant even more of a danger to the community is the fact that it took place on an aeroplane. He was brazen enough to do this basically in public, next to his wife where anyone could have seen him,” calling the incident a “very unusual case.” He ordered Ramamoorthy to be held pending trial following the prosecutor’s argument that Ramamoorthy was a flight risk and a potential danger to others around him. Ramamoorthy’s lawyer Richard O’Neill offered to turn in Ramamoorthy’s passport and said, “There have been no allegations from anywhere that his behaviour has ever been inappropriate prior to this incident.” On Monday, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un stated that the 'nuclear button is on his desk at all times'. US President Donald Trump responded to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's claim of having a nuclear button on his desk, saying that he too has one which is "much bigger" and "more powerful".
"North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un just stated that the 'nuclear Button is on his desk at all times'. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my button works," Trump tweeted on Tuesday evening. On Monday, Kim said in his annual New Year's Day address: "The entire mainland of the US is within the range of our nuclear weapons and the nuclear button is always on the desk of my office. They should accurately be aware that this is not a threat but a reality," CNN reported. In the address, Kim also expressed a desire for a peaceful resolution with South Korea, a break from the aggressive language he used to threaten the US. In a series of tweets on Tuesday morning, Trump said the potentially warm gesture to South Korea from Kim is "perhaps" good news, "perhaps not", and referred to "sanctions and 'other' pressures" on North Korea. Later on Tuesday night, press secretary Sarah Sanders said at the White House news briefing that the US approach to North Korea had not changed, that the US continues to regard North Korea as a global threat and seeks an international solution while keeping "all of our options on the table". Trump's statements came on the same day South Korea proposed to hold a high-level meeting with North Korea that could take place on January 9, reports Efe news. This meeting, which Kim has not accepted yet, would be the first of its kind in more than two years between these two neighbouring countries. Pyongyang's ongoing missile and nuclear tests in recent months have led the UN to adopt a series of economic sanctions against the regime. However, Washington's response has been rather ambiguous. While the State Department is not hesitant to find a diplomatic solution for the conflict, Trump does not rule out possible military action.
So naturally news like this sent social media into a frenzy.
A few days ago, Netflix UK and Ireland Twitter posted a message hinting at something big to come.
The reference is to the title of every episode of the show FRIENDS (e.g. "The One With Rachel's Sister" or "The One With Princess Consuela").
The show has been a big hit since it first aired in 1994. So naturally news like this sent social media into a frenzy.
Recent survey finds Gal Gadot and Harvey Weinstein were some of the most difficult to pronounce names of 2017. Los Angeles: She was the most talked aboutstars with the success of "Wonder Woman" while his name became synonymous with the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood but Gal Gadot and Harvey Weinstein were some of the most difficult to pronounce names of 2017.
"Gal Gadot", "coulrophobia" ( an irrational fear of clowns) and "Weinstein" are among the top mispronounced words of 2017, according to a survey commissioned by the language- learning app Babbel, reported Entertainment Weekly. The company polled professional subtitlers at the US Captioning Company, National Captioning Canada, and the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters about the words, phrases, and names that folks had a hard time saying on TV. Gadot's name, for example, is pronounced with a soft T ('gah-dott') rather than a silent one. Stephen King adaptation "It" may have contributed to the popularity of "Coulrophobia". The word is pronounced 'cool- ruh-foh-bee-ah'. Weinstein may have made the mistake of mispronouncing his name, according to some linguists. The producer, who will be forever linked to the biggest sexual harassment scandals and the subsequent movement against it, calls himself 'wine-steen' but the linguists are of the opinion that his name should be pronounced as 'wine-stine'. Rounding out the top 10 list of mispronounced words in the US are 'bokeh', 'dotard', 'fibromyalgia', 'Namibia', 'nuclear', 'Puerto Rico' and 'Pyongyang'.
The makers of the blockbuster Malayalam film Pulimurugan have earned another feather in their cap!
In a major achievement for the Malayalam film industry, two songs from the Mohanlal film may soon be in the Oscar race. Two songs from Pulimuguran have been listed in the '70 songs eligible for Oscar nomination' in the 'Original Songs' category for the 90th Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the list on Monday which features 'Kaadanayum Kaalchilambe' and 'Maanathe Maarikurumbe' from Pulimurugan. These are reportedly the only songs from an Indian film to have made the list, thereby making the achievement all the more sweeter. The songs for the movie were composed by Gopi Sunder. Taking to Facebook, Gopi Sunder said that he had no words to express his emotions and said that everything was made possible because of God's grace.
Other songs in the list include 'If I Dare' from Battle of the Sexes, 'There's Something Special' from Despicable Me 3, 'Fly Away' from Trafficked and more.
According to the rules, a maximum of two songs can be nominated from a film: "To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits." The film has also appeared in the '141 original score scores' list. The 90th Oscars will be held on March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and the nominations will be declared on January 23, 2018. You can view the full lists here: 70 ORIGINAL SONGS VIE FOR 2017 OSCAR® 141 ORIGINAL SCORES IN 2017 OSCAR® RACE Pulimurugan is an action adventure film directed by Vysakh that was released in October 2016. The film was produced with a whopping Rs 25 crore budget by Tomichan Mulakuppadam. The film later went on to collect over Rs 100 crore. In August this year, the film was released in 6D format, becoming the first Indian film to have done so. While the film went on to become a massive hit, there were also controversies that marred its popularity. Soon after the film was released, there were allegations of plagiarism against the 'Muruga Muruga' song from the film. However, composer Gopi Sunder had denied the allegations that the song was similar to a devotional song. Researchers found that people who mixed in groups significantly reduced their chances of suffering from Type 2 diabetes. The potentially harmful effects of loneliness and social isolation on health and longevity are well established.
But according to a new research, loneliness could more than double risk of Type 2 diabetes, reports Express.co.uk. In a recent study, a group of researchers found that people who went out to clubs or mixed in groups significantly reduced their chances of suffering from the potentially deadly Type 2 diabetes. Those who were socially isolated were much more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than those with larger social networks. The team of researchers found that a lack of participation in clubs or other social groups was associated with massive 112 percent higher odds of type 2 diabetes in women. In men, lack of social participation was associated with 42 per cent higher odds of type 2 diabetes, the research found. Men living alone were even more prone to the condition, with some 94 percent higher odds of type 2 diabetes. "High-risk groups for type 2 diabetes should broaden their network and should be encouraged to make new friends, as well as become members of a club, such as a volunteer organisation, sports club or discussion group," said Dr Miranda Schram, part of the team from Maastricht University. She continued, "As men living alone seem to be at a higher risk for the development of type 2 diabetes, they should become recognised as a high-risk group in health care. In addition, social network size and participation in social activities may eventually be used as indicators of diabetes risk." Meanwhile, lead author of the new study, Stephanie Brinkhues warned that the findings highlighted how people living lonely solitary lives were more prone to developing type 2 diabetes. "We are the first to determine the association of a broad range of social network characteristics - such as social support, network size or type of relationships - with different stages of type 2 diabetes. Our findings support the idea that resolving social isolation may help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes," explained Brinkhues. However, she pointed out that the study still did not entirely allow for cause and effect, as early changes in glucose metabolism may cause people to feel tired and unwell, which could explain why individuals limit their social participation. The study was published in journal BMC Public Health. It turns out it is a part of his undeveloped twin, penis is surgically removed. In a shocking case, a baby boy was born with an extra penis on his back. He had to had the organ removed.
According to his doctors the additional penis is believed to be all that was left of a parasitic twin who failed to develop. The unnamed baby is already home and is as healthy as any other newborn. The doctors and the child’s parents were unaware of the growth until he was born. A doctor treating the child said, His parents and doctors were unaware he had the growth until he was born. The penis on the back is a parasite. The operation was carried out at the Scientific Research Institute of Pediatrics in Baku, Azerbaijani. Head of the institute's neonatology department Gunduz Agayev said: 'The baby has a normal sexual organ where it is supposed to be. Speaking of the undeveloped parasitic twin, Agayev added: 'Practically all there was left from him was a penis that got attached to the brother's back inside the womb.' The newborn's back was not badly affected by the surgery, although he will be left with a small scar. He is now recovering well at home. The baby’s name and where he lives was not revealed to protect his privacy as he grows up.
Ever uttered the name of your city and thought of how unique and desi it sounds? But for all their feels, they happen to be not as unique as you'd want them to be. There happens to be a Delhi not located in India, along with many other such cities that share their names with us but are located in another part of the world. That takes 'a home away from home' to the next level.
Here a few cities that share their names with their counterparts abroad
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