Monday, January 04, 2016

Virtual Vorld (sic)

INK BOTTLE“There is sublime thieving in all giving. Someone gives us all he has and we are his.”
~ Eric Hoffer, The Passionate State of Mind

Beethoven was full of noble aspiration: The Fifth Symphony makes everything seem possible. But applied to his personal life, it led to disaster... Punj Symphony

 In 1798, sitting on the banks of the River Wye, William Wordsworth marveled at how “an eye made quiet by the power / Of harmony” offered relief from “the fever of the world.” 
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
Neil Gaiman

A Bitcoin Magic Trick Note the Digital Gold, Nathaniel Popper’s entertaining book on the history of and people behind Bitcoin. Wences Casares ...


Joshua Baron, Angela O’Mahony, David Manheim, Cynthia Dion-Schwarz: “This report examines the feasibility for non-state actors, including terrorist and insurgent groups, to increase their political and/or economic power by deploying a virtual currency (VC) for use in regular economic transactions.

‘All of a sudden being a CTO at a bank is sexy’: This technology could revolutionize finance Business Insider. Banks “going bananas” for blockchain. So I wonder what the phishing equilibrium will be?

CRS – Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents. Rita Tehan, Information Research Specialist. December 10, 2015.
“Cybersecurity vulnerabilities challenge governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. Attacks have been initiated against individuals, corporations, and countries. Targets have included government networks, companies, and political organizations, depending upon whether the attacker was seeking military intelligence, conducting diplomatic or industrial espionage, engaging in cybercrime, or intimidating political activists

The decline of Europe is a global concern FT

Who Won 2015? Vulture

Never a Dull Moment: A Look Back at 2015 WSJ