Blockchain embodies the internet of value. How will it revolutionize our lives and our pockets?
And, we look at the qualities Blockchain needs to spark mass adoption.
https://youtu.be/oJGVvJS0A0I
Blockchain, one of the buzzwords in technology, is set to rise in China. Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the fledgling technology as the country increasingly views Blockchain as key to future innovation. Has a digital game changer arrived? How will a boom in Blockchain impact our lives? Today we delve into the world of the new technology and talk to Don Tapscott, co-founder and executive chairman of the Blockchain Research Institute, to find out more.
https://youtu.be/DCLqWpXFE2o
Currency of Trust
Blockchain has the potential to be revolutionary. But, what hurdles must it overcome before it can hit the mainstream? In London, we invited Patrick McCorry, founder and CEO of PISA Research, a grant funded by a group of Blockchain companies, to decode this ever-changing world.
https://youtu.be/A2IDapvfUTM
https://youtu.be/41hPRCnUCtI
https://youtu.be/8H-pJ9hs9I4
Private cryptocurrency a misallocation among blockchain technology, says economist
Cryptocurrency is digital-based cash among the internet world nowadays. Born from blockchain, this kind of "currency" is blooming in terms of high privacy. Acknowledging that, Nobel Prize-winning economist and Harvard professor Eric Maskin commented that private cryptocurrency is a misallocation.
"The most important application of blockchain so far has been cryptocurrency, and that is a terrible misallocation. In my view, cryptocurrency, at least private cryptocurrency like bitcoin is a mistake," said Maskin.
"Because the public currency like RMB and U.S. dollar are much more useful than private currency. [Public currencies] they preserve the power of central banks to conduct monetary policy. If no one is using the dollar, then the U.S. monetary policy is useless. So I'm worried about cryptocurrency only to the extent that it reduces the use of currencies like RMB or dollar," he added.
He also pointed out that cryptocurrencies could interfere with central banks' monetary policies.
Meanwhile, Maskin supports the idea that blockchain is a technology. He noted that it is one of the exciting developments that have come along in recent years.
"Blockchain can make all sorts of transactions much easier and much more secure. It can also ensure that only the information that people need to have gets transmitted," said Maskin.
"Blockchain is a way for me to guarantee that only what you need to about me gets told. And that's valuable in a world where we're beginning to worry about privacy issues," the professor explained.
Besides, Maskin supports building the country's own digital currencies. With the backdrop of e-payment booming around the world, Maskin said the digital currency can make transaction easier but it won't have all of the unpleasant side effects of these private currencies.
The message from Tanjung Piai is really quite simple and straightforward.
The Malays are willing to vote for BN, MCA, PH or PPBM. To them, which party or coalition to vote for is secondary. Increasingly, they want a government that can work for them, not just good in hoodwinking.
Some pundits claimed that it was Umno-PAS union that pulled the Malay votes for BN. I would prefer to think that it is the “push factors” to vote against PPBM and Pakatan Harapan that caused the swing.
Frankly, I think most are quite fed-up with the PH government by now. Many must have paused to ask themselves which aspect of their life has become better since May 9, 2018.
Maybe they couldn’t find any other than the continued intrigues and infighting within PH component parties.
The Chinese, too, can vote for different candidates and different coalitions at different times. To them, it does not matter if it is PPBM, PH, BN or MCA. It shows Chinese Malaysians are not racist. They just want to be treated fairly; it does not matter which race represents them in the government.
PPBM, Amanah and PKR need to be reminded that the Chinese are not leftovers; they are productive citizens.
No one wishes to be insulted, so let no one tell the Chinese to go back to China again. This is totally unacceptable.
The Chinese value their children’s education very much because they know they can’t depend on the government for jobs. So, forums and congresses threatening to shut down certain schools should stop.
They want multilingual education for their children, so stop telling them what language they can or cannot learn. If the government cannot protect the minority, it does not deserve support, period.
Finally, all Malaysians – Malays, Chinese, Indians and others – hate an incompetent government. So stop talking about flying cars, third national car, crooked bridge, Kulim Airport which is a stone’s throw from Penang, and endless plans for Penang.
The message from Tanjung Piai is really quite simple and straightforward.
The Malays are willing to vote for BN, MCA, PH or PPBM. To them, which party or coalition to vote for is secondary. Increasingly, they want a government that can work for them, not just good in hoodwinking.
Some pundits claimed that it was Umno-PAS union that pulled the Malay votes for BN. I would prefer to think that it is the “push factors” to vote against PPBM and Pakatan Harapan that caused the swing.
Frankly, I think most are quite fed-up with the PH government by now. Many must have paused to ask themselves which aspect of their life has become better since May 9, 2018.
Maybe they couldn’t find any other than the continued intrigues and infighting within PH component parties.
The Chinese, too, can vote for different candidates and different coalitions at different times. To them, it does not matter if it is PPBM, PH, BN or MCA. It shows Chinese Malaysians are not racist. They just want to be treated fairly; it does not matter which race represents them in the government.
PPBM, Amanah and PKR need to be reminded that the Chinese are not leftovers; they are productive citizens.
No one wishes to be insulted, so let no one tell the Chinese to go back to China again. This is totally unacceptable.
The Chinese value their children’s education very much because they know they can’t depend on the government for jobs. So, forums and congresses threatening to shut down certain schools should stop.
They want multilingual education for their children, so stop telling them what language they can or cannot learn. If the government cannot protect the minority, it does not deserve support, period.
Finally, all Malaysians – Malays, Chinese, Indians and others – hate an incompetent government. So stop talking about flying cars, third national car, crooked bridge, Kulim Airport which is a stone’s throw from Penang, and endless plans for Penang.
China unveils its 2020 Mars probe
https://youtu.be/hdj8-XSOAg8
A lander for China's Mars mission is seen
before a hovering-and-obstacle avoidance test at a test facility in
Huailai, Hebei province, China November 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee
https://youtu.be/6H00j4Cub1g
HUAILAI, China (Reuters) - China on Thursday successfully completed a lander test in northern Hebei province ahead of an unmanned exploration mission to Mars next year.
China is on track to launch its Mars mission in 2020, Zhang Kejian, head of the China National Space Administration, said on Thursday. Zhang was speaking ahead of the hovering-and-obstacle avoidance test for the lander.
The journey through space will take about seven months, while landing will take seven minutes, said Zhang Rongqiao, chief architect of the Mars exploration programme.
The test was conducted at a sprawling landing test site in Huailai, northwest of Beijing.
China has developed the powerful Long March 5 rocket to transport the probe to Mars in 2020.
The same rocket is meant to deliver the Chang'e-5 probe to the moon by the end of 2019 or early next year to bring back samples of lunar rocks.
The Chang'e-4 probe successfully touched down on the far side of the moon in January this year, a historic first and major achievement for China's space programme.
China made its first lunar landing in 2013.
China expects to complete a modular space station around 2022, around the time when NASA is said to start building a new space station laboratory to orbit the moon, as a pit stop for missions to other parts of the solar system.
In 2003, China became the third nation to put a man in space with its own rocket after the former Soviet Union and the United States.
Since then, it has been racing to catch up with Russia and the United States and become a major space power by 2030.
(Reporting by Martin Pollard; Writing by Ryan Woo and Liangping Gao; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
China preparing for Mars mission in global space projects
It’s a success: A lander being lifted during a test at a facility in Hebei province. — AP
HUAILAI: China invited observers to a successful test of its Mars lander as the country pushes for inclusion in more global space projects.
The demonstration of hovering, obstacle avoidance and deceleration capabilities was conducted at a site outside Beijing simulating conditions on the Red Planet, where the pull of gravity is about one-third that of Earth.
China plans to launch a lander and rover to Mars next year to explore parts of the planet in detail.
China’s burgeoning space programme achieved a lunar milestone earlier this year by landing a probe on the mysterious far side of the moon.
It has developed rapidly, especially since it conducted its first crewed mission in 2003 and has sought cooperation with space agencies from Europe and elsewhere.
The US, however, has banned most space cooperation with China out of national security concerns, keeping China from participating in the International Space Station.
Despite that, China’s ambitions continue to grow as it seeks to rival the US, Russia and Europe in space and cement its position as a regional and global power. It is gradually constructing its own larger, more permanent space station in which it has invited foreign participation.
The lander yesterday successfully avoided ground obstacles during a simulated low-gravity descent, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Chinese space programme’s main contractor.
The refrigerator-sized craft was lowered gently on 36 cables through the air for about a minute and used onboard jets spraying rust-coloured fumes to alter its downward course.
“After the probe is launched, it will take about seven months to reach Mars, and the final procedure of landing will only last about seven minutes, which is the most difficult and the most risky part of the whole mission, ” said the Mars mission’s chief designer, Zhang Rongqiao, standing before the 140m-tall testing facility.
Recent rover crashes on the moon by Israel and India highlight the difficulties of safe landings from space.
The remote Comprehensive Testing Ground for Landing on Extraterrestrial Bodies run by CASC lies an hour north of the Great Wall from Beijing.
Guests at yesterday’s event came from 19 countries and included the ambassadors of Brazil, France and Italy. — AP
China successfully sent its 49th satellite for its
domestically developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, or BDS, into a
planned orbit on Tuesday morning, navigation authorities told the
Global Times.
Source: Globaltimes.cn | 2019/11/5 2:54:14
China on Sunday launched an advanced 3D mapping satellite
that can clearly see small country lanes from orbit, and will play a
vital role in supporting urban and agricultural development.
Source: Global Times | 2019/11/3 14:27:27
China plans to launch the Chang'e-5 probe in 2020 to
bring moon samples back to Earth, according to Wu Weiren, chief designer
of China's lunar exploration program.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/28 11:55:48
In the wilderness of Daocheng, southwest China's Sichuan
Province, 4,400 meters above sea level, Chinese scientists are
constructing a cosmic ray observation station on an area equivalent to
200 soccer fields.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/24 10:07:14
In the wilderness of Daocheng, southwest China's Sichuan
Province, 4,400 meters above sea level, Chinese scientists are
constructing a cosmic ray observation station on an area equivalent to
200 soccer fields.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/23 17:15:43
A Chinese reusable carrier rocket that uses liquid
oxygen-methane propellants made its first public appearance Friday at
the ongoing 2019 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/22 10:07:33
China sent a new communication technology experiment
satellite into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in
southwest China's Sichuan Province late Thursday.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/18 10:52:19
Aircrafts stage a performance at the 2019 Yaocheng
(Taiyuan) International General Aviation Show in Qingxu County, Taiyuan,
capital of north China's Shanxi Province, Oct. 11, 2019.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/12 13:31:52
Chinese scientists are paying close attention to a
repeating fast radio burst by making follow-up observations during the
country's National Day holiday.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/7 8:49:48
China sent its observation satellite into space from the
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province at 2:51
a.m. Saturday (Beijing Time).
Source: Xinhua | 2019/10/5 11:25:16
The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), located in
Dongguan City, south China's Guangdong Province, began a new round of
user operation Thursday, with 57 experiments on new materials to be
conducted in the next four months.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/9/28 13:10:40
China sent a new satellite into planned orbit from the
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi Desert on
Wednesday.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/9/25 15:38:52
China's lunar rover Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2, discovered
an unidentified substance in an impact crater on the far side of the
moon.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/9/24 13:41:53
Coastal Jiangsu Province has installed China's first
C-band phased array meteorological radar system, designed to quickly
detect and monitor extreme weather including tornados, developers said
on Wednesday.
Source: Global Times | 2019/9/18 19:38:40
A newly discovered comet appears to have originated from
outside the solar system, said NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in
a release.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/9/14 8:44:08
Chinese astronomers have detected repeated fast radio
bursts (FRB) - mysterious signals believed to be from a source about 3
billion light years from Earth - with the largest and most sensitive
radio telescope ever built.
Source: Xinhua | 2019/9/9 10:53:42
