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Viewing entries tagged with 'blockchain adoption'
Should blockchain companies be worried about Europe's GDPR rules?
To all appearances, the EU has been more proactive in dealing with blockchain technology than its US counterpart and it is also making a bigger effort to tackle "big tech" on data malpractices. But with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into effect on May 25, will it have an impact on blockchain innovation?
Everyone got very excited a few years ago about blockchain technologies, the ledger system that was spawned by the arrival of bitcoin in 2009. It allows the recording of transactions to be automated and completely trusted, as the ledger system is tamperproof. The resulting excitement was that this could therefore replace many systems of contracts that are paper-based with smart, digital contracts.
Blockchain's real estate disruption off to a slow start
There is undeniable potential for immense changes in the real estate sector, as a study published by Deloitte suggests. At the moment, however, there are few actual projects or applications of blockchain technology in the real estate industry. However, a serious approach can be seen in the area of evidence of ownership of land (the land register). In addition, there are also areas of application in the letting processes and other property management as well as real estate financing. The decisive driver for these innovations is above all the possible simplification and acceleration of management processes.
Blockchain Is Coming Everywhere, Ready or Not
The applications of blockchain technology will spread in 2018 far beyond bitcoin and, perhaps more surprisingly, way beyond financial services. Significant disruption and new business opportunities are on the menu. Four of the most-critical benefits from distributed-ledger technology can be encapsulated within trust, transparency, cost and speed. Where will the disruption occur?
Blockchain – Progression in Securities Markets?
Blockchain solutions for payments seem about a dime a dozen. But less is heard about bringing blockchain to the securities industry, even though current securities post-trade processing holds a large amount of inherent risk. Is blockchain technology a viable solution for the securities markets? Does the industry want to move forward with DLT and, if so, how will this progress from use case to business case? What are the challenges and opportunities? BNY Mellon's Tom Casteleyn explains the latest blockchain and DLT trends impacting the securities industry.
Crypto projects to look forward to in 2018
2017 has been an important day for both Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general. While hopefully not as tumultuous, 2018 is looking like it will bring us a lot of interesting innovation in the space. Here are some of the things I'm personally looking forward to seeing unfold in the new year.
What does the FCA think about blockchain?
In mid-December 2017, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a really interesting 32-page paper on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). The timing wasn't great as most of the City was out getting smashed at Christmas parties, so I thought it best to put it aside until the New Year hangovers were out of the way and share it with you now.
Why Blockchain will revolutionize the banking industry
The banking industry, with all of the potential that blockchain technology offers for change, iteration, and development has been slow in its uptake of the new tech. That said, there's no questioning whether blockchain technology will disrupt and revolutionize the banking industry. Leaders feel it coming. Some are ready. Most aren't. But why and how is blockchain going to change banking over the next decade?
Can Bitcoin actually remove the middlemen from corporate finance?
If you've been involved with blockchain for a while, you may have picked up on a recurring theme in many recent news stories — something along the lines of 'blockchain is the future,' 'it will only continue to grow in the coming years', and 'it will revolutionize corporate finance by de-centralizing lending and removing the need for middlemen." Are they right? Currently, there are two dominant perspectives on that.
Three (non-pointless) permissioned blockchains in production
It's exactly two years since we published "Avoiding the pointless blockchain project", a checklist of questions to ask when assessing permissioned blockchain use cases. The post obviously struck a nerve and continues to attract thousands of monthly readers on our site and others. People are still hungry for content that goes beyond the blockchain hype to assess this technology objectively.
Pressure builds as Russia struggles to define cryptocurrencies
The Bank of Russia recently held a meeting with Russian President Vladamir Putin, where the legal status of cryptocurrencies was discussed. Citing the belief that cryptocurrency legalization represents "a loss of control over the money flows from abroad," the Chairwoman of Russia's Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, clarified that her organization is against any type of legalization.
Earlier this month the Bank made a general announcement that revealed more of their stance on cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. Recalling the usual risks from fluctuating exchange rates, technical difficulties, anonymity, and the lack of a responsible issuer, the Central Bank stated clearly that its position hasn't changed on cryptocurrencies since they declared non-state-issued currency banned in January of 2014.
Blockchain regulation in finance: Recent developments and prospects
While potentially attractive to regulators due to increased transaction security and reduced risk of manipulation, blockchain technology gives rise to difficult legal and regulatory challenges that regulators are grappling to understand. With regulations for such a new technology always in flux, DLA Piper analyzes the current regulatory approach to blockchain.
From AI to Blockchain to Data: Meet Ocean
I think it's amazing that you can design algorithms that might have society-level impact. AI algorithms are in that category. And, AI is fun. Take Genetic Programming, where you write computer programs to evolve other computer programs. Moreover, AI poses exciting engineering challenges like scaling, and it asks the biggest questions, like the nature of the mind.
For these reasons, AI was my first love. I started my AI reading and hacking intently in the early 90s. By 1997, I was far enough along hacking AI that people started paying me to do it. I never looked back, doing two companies and a PhD on AI.
Cryptocurrencies: Iniquitous or Misunderstood?
Bitcoin's valuation eclipsed $4,950 earlier this month, up almost 400% from the start of the year. Then China cracked down on exchanges and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon labeled the cryptocurrency a 'fraud.' Bitcoin recently closed at $3,650. If you crave action and volatility, this is the asset for you. But traditional capital markets professionals know very little about cryptocurrencies; more education is warranted.
The imperative for self-sovereign identification
I'm making a presentation on cybersecurity this week at our Nordic Finance Innovation meetings. This meant preparing a few new slides from scratch as I don't have a set deck for cybercrime, and sat and started ideas just as the news dropped about the Equifax breach. You'll all know about this by now, but over 143 million Equifax accounts were hacked during June-July 2017, including customers' social security numbers, name, address, date of birth, driving licence and other sensitive info. In other words, all the information you need to open new accounts and access existing accounts.
Blockchain opportunities in atypical markets
As virtual currency skyrockets in value and credibility, more and more people are beginning to take a serious look at blockchain technology to disrupt various industries. Banks are already adopting the technology at a breakneck pace: a 2016 report by IBM predicts that by 2020, 66% of banks worldwide expect to be using blockchain at scale in their commercial operations.
Thomson Reuters adds Bitcoin Liquid Index (BLX) to Eikon
We are excited to announce that Thomson Reuters has added the Bitcoin Liquid Index (BLX) to its award-winning Eikon terminal. By adding a single, reliable USD price discovery tool and reference rate for Bitcoin, the Eikon terminal now extends its market data offerings beyond its traditional financial coverage and firmly enters the cryptocurrency space. The BLX gives Eikon's growing network of professional and business subscribers a trusted live feed for gaining a competitive advantage.
Thomson Reuters has led the way as one of the most relied upon sources for financial and business intelligence. Its award-winning Eikon software package connects its users with critical timely feeds from over 400 exchanges and OTC-traded markets. Over 210,000 Eikon Messenger users have access to trusted news content, data, analytics and insights, filtered to their exact needs. Available on both desktop and mobile devices, the Eikon trading software provides access to deep pools of liquidity, professional networks, expert analysis and insights on emerging and complex markets.
InsurTech's big ticket items: machine learning on the blockchain
I don't usually tell people that I'm a qualified expert in insurance as it's not relevant, but I'm mentioning it today as I just presented at a private insurance event. There are lots of interesting nuances in insurance. You and I probably think it's just that once a year renewal of our auto policy, or maybe the regular premiums we pay for life and pensions. That's an important part of it and is a challenge as people don't buy insurance, it has to be sold. Think about it. You don't wake up and think "oh, I might die today! Better get some life insurance", but you learn through advisory sales that this is what you need to do.
Then there's a whole other raft of insurance where the real money is made: commercial insurance. Insuring ships, aircraft, offices and employees is where the big-ticket policies arrive. These are more complicated, as the risks have to be calculated in more depth. Under assess the risk and the insurance company loses; over assess and a competitor might steal the business. Equally, the corporate relationship becomes important in this space, as that's where the strength of understanding the client comes from.
Decentralized social media is peer-to-peering into the future
Social media proofs of concept on the blockchain demonstrate important value propositions of decentralized apps.
In 2016, Steemit pioneered the world's first blockchain-based decentralized social network and in my view remains one of the most important blockchain projects today.
Boiled down to its simplest form, Steemit is a kind of reddit with the property that creating interesting content, or curating it effectively, will earn users real money on the platform in the form of a cryptocurrency called Steem. There is no barrier to entry. Just create an account and start earning.
Alleviating corruption and poverty with technology
It takes 16 hours to drive from Lagos to Abuja, but one hour to fly. According to Google Maps, the trip should take under 12 hours. However, police will stop you every 30 minutes or so to ask for bribes. If you don't pay up, you risk jail or your tires being slashed. My younger brother calls it "oil money" — ancillary payments such as these grease the wheels of Nigerian society.
The lack of accountability and corruption are entrenched in Nigerian society. Nigeria's growing population of 185 million has encountered rising unemployment and violence. Youth under the age of 25 — more than 60% of the population — have been hit hardest. These are my cousins — talented and capable, with much to contribute. Society is leaving them behind.
Estonia considering 'estcoin' ICO for e-residents
The Estonian government is considering an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) for a cryptoasset called estcoin. The resulting sale would enable "anyone to invest in a country for the first time," explains Kaspar Korjus, the Managing Director at e-Residency.
Korjus explained that the funds could be managed through a Public Private Partnership (PPP. This would enable Estonia to invest in new technologies and innovations for the public sector, from smart contracts to Artificial Intelligence, as well as make it technically scalable to benefit more people around the world. Estonia would then serve a model for how societies of the future can be served in the digital era.
It's all about liquidity in ICOs
A lack of liquidity will haunt the Initial Coin Offering market. The problem is that there are too many currencies. Without enough liquidity, we will see great participation by buyers with no support from market makers and no buyers for the cryptocoins that the ICO company wants to convert into flat cash.
FinTech and the world of investment banking
Some people talk about FinTech disruption and how payments and banking is being attacked and unbundled by start-ups, but we often look at banking too simplistically. Global banks and investment banks are far more complex creatures than their high street counterparts, which is why we've seen far less disruption in corporate, commercial and wholesale banking that we are seeing in retail, but don't be complacent or closed here. There are things happening in the more complex areas too.
For example, there's a new clearing bank that is just an API; there's a global trading social network, that is far more effective and fun than day trading on your own; there's a clearing and settlement engine being built, supporting billions of transactions through blockchain technologies; there's a whole range of crowdfunding ventures that are allowing start-ups to get started far faster and easier than ever before; equally there are reams of new firms offering SME financing support, allowing small businesses to flourish and prosper; and there's a lot more. In fact, the landscape of change in this more specialised market of markets is massive, but often overlooked.
Blockchain: Saved by the Enterprise
Blockchain, otherwise known in capital markets as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), could potentially change the most fundamental foundation of capital markets: the transaction. DLT provides much needed functionality by embedding processing logic directly into contracts, decentralizing the trust needed for smooth risk transference, and bringing consensus-driven verification to transactions.
DLT will have a tremendous positive impact on operational efficiency and cost overheads. DLT also will enable workflows to be created that will transform virtually all economic activity. However, standards and protocols are still being defined. Reference architectures are being contemplated and subjected to rigorous proofs of concept. And while there are now numerous production-level projects underway to bring the benefits of DLT to capital markets, significant challenges remain, given the complex technological ecosystem that is at the core of capital markets. For DLT to transform this ecosystem, it will need to operate within that ecosystem.
The blockchain infrastructure landscape: A first principles framing
How are Ethereum, IPFS/Filecoin, and BigchainDB complementary? What about Golem, Polkadot, or Interledger? I often get questions like this. So, I decided to write about how I answer those questions, via a first-principles framing.
The quick answer: there's no one magic system called "blockchain" that magically does everything. Rather, there are really good building blocks of computing that can be used together to create effective decentralized applications. Ethereum can play a role, BigchainDB can play a role, and many more as well. Let's explore…
A mark of one's existence - records in the blockchain
Part of being a human is wanting to leave a mark on the world. Within us lies the deep need to be remembered, in some form, after we die. We see it in the Cueva de las Manos - Cave of the Hands, where the inhabitants left the outlines of their hands painted on the walls as early as 13'000 years ago.
Airbitz shines light on new blockchain solutions, including ShapeShift.io's Prism
San Diego-based bitcoin wallet provider, Airbitz, and the San Diego Bitcoin meetup group recently hosted a number of speakers from blockchain startups. Among them was ShapeShift CFO, Justin, presenting the company's new smart contract-powered platform, Prism.
Blockstream's Bitcoin sidechain solution, Liquid, slated for launch in early 2018
Sidechains promise to help Bitcoin adapt to new demands and accommodate new innovation, according to the company behind the seminal sidechain whitepaper, Blockstream. Several different companies have been developing the idea since Blockstream introduced the concept in an October 2014.
Ethereum difficulties send Ether tumbling
What used to be euphoria has fizzled into despair as the price of Ethereum (ETH) has taken a dive from a June high of US$400 down to US$240. Media outlets covering the crash allegated that it was due to "technical difficulties" that clogged the Ethereum network, causing significant delays in processing transactions.
Blockchain investments and the new problem asset for conventional VCs
As of Q1 2016, in excess of $1.1 billion in private capital has been invested in blockchain and Bitcoin startups by traditional venture capital firms and seed investors. But as decentralized applications and marketplaces continue on the road to maturity, there is a problem. VCs might be asking themselves — are we investing in the correct asset class?
Bitcoin proved the viability of a decentralized, peer-to-peer digital currency. Ethereum demonstrated the demand for a world computer that can support decentralized applications, that is, applications that don't rely on a central authority. However, widespread adoption of these platforms isn't currently possible because they don't yet scale.
Nevada protects Blockchains and Smart Contracts from Government taxes, licenses, and certifications
Nevada Senate Bill 398 was recently signed by the State Governor, and officially passed into law on Monday. The bill establishes various provisions relating to the use of blockchain technology, and makes the Silver State the third in the Union to recognize the nascent industry.
Inside the fundraising model that's about to open up a $1 Billion market to blockchain startups
In the blockchain space this summer, three white hot letters are buzzing on everybody's lips: ICO, or Initial Coin Offering. Droves of blockchain developers are scrambling to put together white papers to architect the next big solution since Bitcoin.
Intel and PokitDok securing blockchains with Software Guard Extensions
A new blockchain-based platform is being developed by technology giant Intel and healthcare API service provider PokitDok. The platform promises to advance blockchain technology by processing transaction requests securely using Intel SGX.
Coinify and Countr partnership brings blockchain payments to 3,000 merchants
Dutch point of sale (POS) software provider Countr recently announced a strategic partnership with European Bitcoin payment provider Conify. The partnership allows Countr to offer a wider variety of alternative payments, including Bitcoin and 13 other cryptocurrencies, for more than 3,000 retailers.
Ready for take-off: Blockchain adoption in financial services
No technology has captured the public's imagination over the past couple of years more than blockchain. The technology entered full hype-cycle in but has begun to climb the 'slope of engagement' with real progress in 2017. What is the current state of blockchain adoption and what does this promise for the future?
Solidifying the Network for Distributed Ledger Technology in Capital Markets
Nearly 80 percent of financial institution executives believe that distributed ledger technology will significantly transform capital markets within the next three years. But infrastructure technology will be the lynchpin for how well DLT applications and solutions are adopted and perform in the fintech, institutional trading and security arenas.
Ukraine and BitFury launching first 'full-scale' blockchain eGovernment pilot
The State Agency for eGovernment in Ukraine and Bitcoin mining manufacturer BitFury recently announced a memorandum of interaction and cooperation to create "the first full-scale Blockchain eGovernance program for Ukraine."
20/20 View of 2020: 10 Trends for the Digital Future
There are two ways to look at the future: The first assumes a linear progression from past achievements and is relevant to forecasting short periods of time, where the future is a derivative of the past. The other method assumes that in the period of a decade, the law of accelerated returns applies exponentially and compounds acceleration assuming a high level of change in the period forecasted.
Blockchain Grows Up — The Days of Experimentation Are Over
The last six months have ushered in a sea-change in the blockchain community. In short, the days of experimentation are over. Blockchain is being implemented to work at scale in our global financial institutions and no one will be left untouched by its tidal force.
MultiChain enters beta with 15 new partners
We're delighted to announce the first beta release of MultiChain 1.0 for Linux and Windows, after more than two years of intensive development. As we've said before, our definition is very specific: "beta" means that there are no known bugs or major shortcomings. So the purpose of the beta period is to ensure than any unknown issues are discovered through our own testing, as well as that of our growing user base.
GulfTech is the next big thing
I've just returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where there were a number of events. Just a few weeks ago, I was in Bahrain, talking at a conference about FinTech as usual. What struck me is the interest and excitement about FinTech in both countries. There's also a lot of competition between different cities in the region to be a recognised Financial Centre. Bearing in mind that none of these cities were on the map fifteen years ago, it's quite incredible that today Dubai is the 18th largest Global Financial Centre, one place higher than Frankfurt; Abu Dhabi is 32nd on the list, squeezed in between Dublin and Amsterdam; Doha is number 40, above Stockholm and Jersey; and Bahrain is 58th, above Johannesburg and Copenhagen. Ten years ago, when the first Global Financial Centres Index was produced, Dubai was at number 25 in the charts, and Abu Dhabi, Doha and Bahrain didn't even make the list.
Ledger raises $7M to accelerate worldwide adoption of security solutions
The cryptocurrency and blockchain security pioneer Ledger has secured a $7M Series A funding led by MAIF Avenir, with the participation of Xange, Wicklow Capital, GDTRE, Libertus Capital, Digital Currency Group, The Whittemore Collection, Kima Ventures, BHB Network and Nicolas Pinto.
Hyperledger used to track US oil on a blockchain
IBM, commodities trading house Trafigura, and the French investment bank Natixis are pioneering a blockchain solution for US crude oil transactions. Using a distributed ledger to host this market "allows major steps in a crude oil transaction to be digitized on the blockchain, ensuring improved transparency, enhanced security, and optimized efficiency," according to IBM.
Alibaba to explore blockchain in fight against counterfeit food
Australia Post recently joined an initiative to combat the rise of counterfeit food being sold across China. The company joins Chinese e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba and nutritional supplement maker Blackmores. The project aims to track food from, "paddock to plate."
Cryptocurrency, blockchain, and online gaming
Alongside the Statue of Liberty the iconic yellow cabs of New York City are recognized worldwide as an emblem of the great metropolis. Today these hallmark fixtures of the city are facing an existential crisis and for the city's residents and visitors alike, it's a big win.
Sphre securing online services with blockchain technology
According to customer identification manager LoginRadius, four out of five people dislike the tedious process of providing personal information for website registration. The Baynard Institute, a web research company based in the UK, reports that 35 percent of online shoppers abandon their shopping carts due account creation requirements, while ITProPortal estimates that we will have over 200 digital accounts to manage by 2020.
Russians launder billions through British banks
I recently discovered that there is around $1.6 trillion of money laundering globally and less than 2% is caught by the financial system. That's a stunning amount and makes you wonder why our system is so awful. Much of it is down to the fact that account openings depend upon physical documentation and human checks. If we could digitalise the whole process, it could be tightened up immensely.
Mybit tackles data manipulation, an 'emerging art of war in cyberspace.'
Since the rise of the internet, big data is becoming the bedrock of the economy. Billions of decisions are being made everyday based on data. Not only is it evident that appropriate security measures are not in place, those that do attempt to secure their data pose little deterrence to cyber attackers.
Blockchain Technology: A potential solution to systemic voter suppression
On February 10th the World Jurist Association hosted a side event at the United Nations, entitled Blockchain: Highway to a Deliberative Democracy. Experts in financial, legal, technical, and philosophical industries came together and presented the different ways that blockchain technology can be leveraged in order to improve Democratic Governance. The audience comprised government officials, academics, and technological leaders. Joseph Lubin, the founder of ConsenSys and a major player in the blockchain space, presented the concept of a decentralized web 3.0 as enabled by blockchain technology, and the ways in which this development is uniquely positioned to aid people in both the developing and developed world through the creation of self sovereign identities.
Considering a Pragmatic Approach to Blockchain Implementation
The current implementations of distributed ledger technology clearly are not the Blockchain that underpins the virtual currency Bitcoin. The tools and platforms such as the offerings from Digital Asset Holdings and R3 Corda are offered as a pragmatic answer to a set of current business, technological and regulatory challenges. By implementing the appropriate use cases, firms can avoid the current challenges exhibited by the Bitcoin example – including scalability, latency and privacy – that make the current public Blockchain model a non-starter for banks.
BIS endorse Distributed Ledger Technology for payments clearing and settlement
I've just been alerted by friend Gijs Boudewijn to the release of a fascinating white paper by BIS, the Bank for International Settlements (the guys who do Basel stuff and are big cohonez in banking circles). Their Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures released Distributed ledger technology in payment, clearing and settlement: an analytical framework last week, and I just read it.
The Blockchain NZ 2017 confirms Antonopoulos & Buterin as keynotes, focuses on collaboration
3months.com, BraveNewCoin, and the Blockchain Association of New Zealand (BANZ) are putting together another blockchain conference, BlockchainLabs.NZ. The conference is focused on empowering organisations to collaborate, undertaking research and development, and commercialising new disruptive blockchain business models.
Crypto Valley Association building a concentrated blockchain ecosystem in Switzerland
Several businesses in "Crypto Valley," centered in and around the Swiss canton of Zug, recently launched the Crypto Valley Association. The independent, government-supported association aims to take advantage of Switzerland's strengths to build the world's leading blockchain and cryptographic ecosystem, while working with government to foster the development of pioneering digital technologies. Alongside many blockchain startups in Zug, association launch members include Thomson Reuters, PWC, UBS, Luxoft, Lykke Corp and Lucerne University.
Counterparty payments in seconds is an easy sell
It made me laugh today. I was chairing a panel where Romana Kumar, Head of Global Transaction Banking for the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), was discussing their trial of Ripple. The background to this was announced in a press release on 1st February 2017.
Blockchain technology can solve several media industry problems
The unsurpassed reach of the Internet and the emergence of a range of new digital technologies have transformed virtually every corner of the music industry for fans and creators alike. While consumers enjoy vastly more options, these market disruptions are presenting a range of important challenges for creators, producers, and distributors of music.
European Commission 'actively monitoring' Blockchain developments
The Vice-President of the European Commission, Andrus Ansip, recently provided details on initiatives, projects and partnerships to foster decentralised innovation ecosystems in Europe. "The Commission is actively monitoring Blockchain and DLT developments," he said.
The devil is in the detail: SEC regulation of blockchain technology
Blockchain technology has captured the imagination of the financial services industry. Unfortunately, the adoption of the technology is impaired by a lack of clarity from regulators, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), on how the technology will be regulated. Many firms in the financial services industry believe blockchain technology can be adapted for use in traditional financial services transactions in a way that can reshape the model of executing trades. But the success of blockchain technology will be impacted in large part by how the SEC elects to regulate platforms that use the technology. The devil will be in the details.
Accenture and Thales combine blockchain technology and hardware security modules
Global professional services firm Accenture PLC and Thales e-security recently announced the launch of a patent-pending security system for enterprise use that, "creates a simple path to large-scale commercial use of blockchain technology," according to Accenture.
Smartphones have quickly become an integral part of everyday life, for communication to remotely managing our finances and consuming online media. Statista estimates that more than two billion people, a quarter of the world's population, are smartphone users, and predicts that number will rise to 2.8b by 2020.
The UN needs Blockchain to achieve its goals
I recently traveled to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, and was surprised to find blockchain on the minds of many of the leaders convened there. Even those who were not particularly knowledgeable about blockchain were aware that they should know about it. I participated in three events, including a panel at the Swedish Lunch, where I spoke about reimagining our global identity infrastructure, in front of a well-informed audience.
The birth of Enterprise Ethereum in 2017
Enterprise use of blockchain technology has evolved at an almost unfathomable rate over the past 24 months. From early bitcoin experiments, senior bankers joining start-ups, the launch of the public Ethereum decentralized application platform and the many private, permissioned systems currently under development using the Ethereum technology, to the creation of industry consortia, blockchain has emerged as one of the top enterprise IT trends entering 2017.
Blockchain developers Guardtime to design next-generation NATO Cyber Range capability
The Estonian based security software company Guardtime has been awarded a contract by the Estonian Ministry of Defence and NATO, to design a next generation system, including a blockchain, to modernize the NATO Cyber Range defensive platform.
Corda and the Distributed Ledger Technology
Recently I became involved with SCC's committee on "Blockchain and electronic distributed ledger technologies". During one of the discussions, I've learned about a new term that seems to have become very popular in the banking industry - "Distributed Ledger Technology" (DLT). Apparently companies like Deloitte or even the UK government have picked up on this new thing and seem to be abuzz with it.
The Semantic Regulator (#RegTech Rules)
A bank has to make a regulatory change every 12 minutes. That's some task. A bigger question must also be: how can a regulatory check that a bank is compliant with their regulatory changes, if their regulations change every 12 minutes are run to 1,000's of pages?
Central Bank Governor says Digital Currencies could displace traditional banking systems
The Governor of the Bank of England (BoE) and Chair of the Financial Stability Board and Monetary Policy Committee, Mark Carney, recently gave a speech about FinTech, financial inclusion, and BoE research into Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC).
Procivis sets out to replace government services with blockchain alternatives
Swiss blockchain startup Procivis recently announced their existence and a proof of concept software program. Describing it as an "e-government as a service platform," the Procivis platform is designed to "enable the digitization of societies and the provision of online public services across the globe."
I was surprised the other day when I met Pawel Kuskowski, CEO and Co-founder of Coinfirm, a start-up firm offering Compliance-as-a-Service. Pawel has been trained in compliance and AML, having worked with some of the world's biggest financial institutions including AIG (Compliance Officer), UBS (Director of Compliance, Compliance and Operational Risk Officer) and RBS (Head of Global Anti-Money Laundering, AML). Why was I surprised? I was surprised by his opening line: "there is around $1.6 trillion of money laundering globally and less than 2% is caught by the financial system"
Equibit: building a decentalised securities platform
In the days before computerised trading and centralised electronic stock systems Wall Street depended heavily upon messengers delivering paper certificates by hand. In 1968, the New York Stock Exchange facilitated 12 million trades in one day. Wall Street back offices attempting to settle and clear these trades were overwhelmed, and the messengers could not keep up with the demand.
European Central Bank assessing 'cash-like' digital money
Yves Mersch, a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB), recently gave a speech discussing the details of a Central Bank-controlled digital currency referred to as Digital Base Money (DBM). Mersch says the ECB is currently considering the adoption of DBM, in one of two forms, centrally-controlled accounts somewhat like debit cards or Paypal, and an anonymous, cash-like DBM, which would be more like a cryptocurrency.
Upgrading 'Smart Contracts' to 'Wise Contracts'
"Smart contracts" is a phrase which is often difficult to define. Let me help: a "smart contract" is a contract which enforces itself! Nick Szabo gave the example of a vending machine. You insert the money, and the machine lets you take back either [1] your money, or [2] some merchandise.
McKinsey sees blockchain technology reaching full potential in 5 years
McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm for governments and NGOs, recently submitted a blockchain Technology report to the US Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance. The firm analyzed how the technology may disrupt a range of industries, emphasizing banking and insurance, and predicts commercial deployment of blockchain technology at scale by the year 2021.
Blockchains for Artificial Intelligence
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers have finally cracked problems that they've worked on for decades, from Go to human-level speech recognition. A key piece was the ability to gather and learn on mountains of data, which pulled error rates past the success line. In short, big data has transformed AI, to an almost unreasonable level.
The Seam and IBM launch the first cotton industry blockchain consortium
Commodities markets rarely feature in blockchain conversations, but if Memphis-based commodities brokerage The Seam and their technology partners at IBM and Hyperledger are successful, cotton will be the first commodity where an industry-wide consortium takes advantage of a blockchain to improve the trade process.
Automobile eWallet uses a blockchain to enable new technology
German auto engineering firm ZF Friedrichshafen AG, along with Swiss banking giant UBS and the innogy Innovation Hub recently announced that they have built a blockchain-based automobile "eWallet," and are planning to field-test a car with the eWallet in 2017.
S7 Airlines and Alfa-Bank pilot the first Russian blockchain Letter of Credit transaction
Two Russian companies, S7 Airlines, and Alfa-Bank, have successfully closed a deal using a smart contract to settle and record a Letter of Credit (LoC) on a blockchain. A Deloitte in Russia provided legal support to the project.
R3's Corda blockchain platform now available on Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform for building, deploying, and managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed data centers. The platform offers a growing collection of integrated cloud services, including analytics, computing, database, mobile, networking, and storage.
KPMG outlines blockchain technology impacts and countermeasures for banks in China
Big Four accounting firm KPMG recently published its third quarterly report on China's banking sector. Among a variety of topics is the implications and countermeasures for commercial banks, "under the rise of blockchain technology."
Nigeria sets up a committee to study Bitcoin penetration
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Commission (NDIC) have set up a committee to investigate the growing trend of bitcoin use, according to the government-owned broadcasting station, the Voice of Nigeria. The news was revealed on Friday by NDIC Managing Director Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim at the 2016 Workshop for Financial Correspondents in Kaduna.
How to spot a half-baked blockchain
About 18 months have passed since the finance sector woke up, en masse, to the possibilities of permissioned blockchains, or to use the more general term, "distributed ledgers". The period since has seen a tsunami of activity, including research reports, strategic investments, pilot projects, and the formation of many consortia. No one can accuse the banking world of not taking the potential of this technology seriously.
City of Rotterdam to use a blockchain for lease agreements
Deloitte Netherlands recently announced that the city of Rotterdam will use a blockchain to record lease agreements for the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), enabling the city and companies housed in CIC office space to conclude contracts faster and easier.
Cannabis Revolution targets growing legal market
The legal marijuana market is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. According to the 2016 report released by New Frontier and ArcView Market Research, "2015 was a watershed year." Legal sales of the coveted plant were US$5 billion in 2015, and they will grow 25% this year to reach $6.7b. The report projects that the legal market will be worth a whopping US $22b by the year 2020.
Cubichain tackles 3D printing counterfeiting issues with blockchain technology
The latest industrial supply chain to embrace blockchain technology is targeting the additive manufacturing industry, otherwise known as large-scale 3D printing. Cubichain Technologies and CalRAM LLC. recently made a joint announcement that they have successfully demonstrated the deployment of a blockchain network to track aircraft parts from design, through printing, all the way to certification and sales.
Blockchain is dead, long live the Blockchain
I've noticed a great deal of schadenfreude related to the R3 bump. Lots of people saying that blockchain is past its sell-by date, R3 are bust and distributed ledgers are dead. I think it's related to the journalists who, having delighted in bigging up blockchain big time for the past two years are now relishing the idea of trashing it but come on guys, blockchain is far from dead. It's just entered the trough of disillusionment.
German Central Bank testing blockchain technology
The German Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, and the operator of the country's stock exchange, Deutsche Börse, recently announced a research blockchain. "The Deutsche Bundesbank hopes that this prototype will contribute to a better practical understanding of blockchain technology in order to assess its potential," said Carl-Ludwig Thiele, Member of the Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank.
UK's Royal Mint and CME Group launching gold-backed blockchain assets
The issuer of the UK's coinage, and the world's leading export mint, The Royal Mint, has partnered with American futures company, and one of the largest options and futures exchanges, CME Group. The two companies are building and launching Royal Mint Gold (RMG), a blockchain-based digital asset backed by gold. Set to launch in 2017, "RMG will change the way traders and investors trade, execute and settle gold," The Royal Mint announced on Tuesday. The mint is now inviting other market players to participate in this project by building connecting platforms to trade their assets.
EY outlines blockchain technologies 'legal impacts'
Formerly known as Ernst & Young, EY is one of the "Big Four," a collection of mammoth organizations that advise on tax, and offer a wide range of management and assurance services, while auditing more than 80 percent of all US public companies. The group includes KPMG, Deloitte, PwC and EY.
Shakeup at R3 CEV blockchain consortium as banks leave
R3 CEV launched with nine founding members in September 2015. Helmed by David Rutter, a former executive at interdealer broker Icap, the firm set out to develop blockchain technology for the financial services industry.
Rutter put together an unmatched group of large financial institutions. At its recent peak, the consortium claimed 73 member, including many of the world's largest banks and insurance companies.
Blockchain startup raises $1.7m to create a bitcoin-native digital content registry
Bitmark is a digital asset startup from Taiwan that is hoping to change the digital content rights landscape. The company recently announced the latest blockchain industry seed round investment. The US$1.7 million round was led by Cherubic Ventures, the Digital Currency Group and WI Harper Group also participated.
Thailand opens one door to Blockchains while closing another to Bitcoin
One of Thailand's leading retail banks and the fourth largest by assets, Kasikornbank Pcl., has entered into an agreement with IBM to develop blockchain services using the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger. The announcement marks the first time any bank in the tumultuous country has embraced blockchain technology.
Zero knowledge blockchains; How to show you know something without showing what you know
Last Friday saw the launch of Zcash, a new public blockchain and associated cryptocurrency that attracted a lot of attention. By now, there are hundreds of cryptocurrencies, so any budding young entrant needs a serious differentiator to rise above the fray. In the case of Zcash, this is easy – Zcash users can send money to each other in absolute privacy.
Myanmar's new Stock Exchange using Blockchain to solve unique problems
Myanmar's nascent Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX) will be using blockchain technology in its settlement platform, and putting it into practical use within two years. Having only opened for trading this spring, two stocks are currently trading on the exchange with four more on the way.
Tullett Prebon becomes the largest interdealer broker to offer comprehensive digital currency data
Tullett Prebon Information (TPI) has announced an agreement to distribute Brave New Coin (BNC) digital currency data. "This is the first time such a comprehensive view of the entire digital currency landscape has been made available to financial markets," states the announcement.
Walmart, IBM and Tsinghua University to use a blockchain for food supply chain tracking in China
Retail giant Walmart, IBM and Tsinghua University are collaborating to improve the way food is tracked, transported and sold across China, using blockchain technology. The project creates, "A new model for food traceability, supply chain transparency and auditability using IBM Blockchain based on the open source Linux Foundation Hyperledger Project fabric," and coincides with the opening of a new Walmart Food Safety Collaboration Center in Beijing.
Insurance industry incumbents form Blockchain initiative
Five of the world's largest insurance companies recently announced the Blockchain Insurance Industry Initiative (B3i). Aegon, Allianz, Munich Re, Swiss Re and Zurich aim to explore whether Blockchain technology can be used to develop standards and processes for industry-wide usage, and to catalyze efficiency gains in the insurance industry.
New blockchain e-Voting service complements Abu Dhabi economic vision
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) recently debuted a number of digital services, at the 36th GITEX Technology Week. GITEX is the largest technology exchange and marketplace for the Middle East and Africa. This years event takes place in Abu Dhabi from October 16 to 20, and over 140,000 visitors and 4,000+ exhibitors are expected to attend.
Anti-counterfeiting blockchain app demoed at Shanghai Fashion Week
The bi-annual Shanghai Fashion Week is packed with almost 50 shows. As part of both the Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival and supported by the Ministry of Commerce, the event is a growing business and a cultural event hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Government.
Major banks from India and Dubai complete blockchain trade finance and remittance transactions
India's largest private bank, ICICI, and one of the middle east's largest banks, Emirates NBD, recently announced successful international blockchain transactions for both Trade Finance and Remittance purposes.
Six Blockchain application verticals, opportunities for your next project
We see six key verticals where blockchains are being applied. Each of these has many business opportunities. We're still in the early days of blockchain and the broader decentralization movement, which means there is still plenty of opportunity in each vertical.
Banks could save billions in mortgage loan costs by adopting blockchain-based smart contracts, says Capgemini
At the end of the second quarter this year, there was $13.97 trillion mortgage debt outstanding in the U.S., according to the latest statistics from the Boards of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Residential properties account for over 90 percent or approximately $12.6 trillion. 35 percent of outstanding mortgages were held by major financial institutions and over 36 percent by Federal and related agencies, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Loyyal helps make Dubai the global leader in Blockchain technology
Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan recently launched the Dubai Blockchain Strategy, a plan to use the technology in several different areas. The Blockchain Strategy has three main objectives, making the government more efficient, creating specialized sectors for business, and achieving global leadership.
Financial institutions investigate Blockchain in leading investment fund country
Scorechain Luxembourg-based bitcoin and blockchain solutions startup that entered the market with the release of the mobile bitcoin wallet, Yallet, last year. The company has since pivoted towards blockchain analytics, raising US$570,000 along the way.
The mass adoption of Blockchain technologies is becoming inevitable, says PwC
PricewaterhouseCoppers (PwC) recently recently hosted a discussion for the Asset and Wealth Management (AWM) sector to specifically look at the application and potential of distributed ledger technology on their business. "From our work across the financial services sector, it is clear to us that Blockchain applications have the potential to transform the industry," said Steve Webb, Partner at PwC & UK lead for Blockchain. "Blockchain is not just hype – there is real interest in this topic."
AID:Tech offers blockchain solutions to help United Nations and European Commission with refugee problems
The 2016 European Social Innovation Competition focuses on social innovation for refugees and migrants, as the world is facing an unprecedented displacement crisis. More than 65 million people are now forcibly displaced as a result of violent conflicts and natural disasters.
Major banks demonstrate how blockchain technology can improve syndicated loan market
The initial stage of a project to demonstrate how blockchain technology can be used to improve the syndicated loan market has been successfully completed. Led by Credit Suisse and managed by R3 CEV, the proof of concept will continue through the end of the year and includes participation from a number of agent banks, service providers and fund manager.
IBM and UnionPay collaborate on blockchain project for exchanging bank loyalty points
IBM China Research Lab and China UnionPay's E-payment Research Institute recently demonstrated a collaborative blockchain project at the Shanghai International Blockchain Week. The project enables banks to integrate and share bonus point systems, while consumers will be able to exchange points from any of the banks they do business with.
Bitscan launches a new cryptographic token and loyalty eco-system called Incent
Bitscan has been providing merchants and consumers with tools that promote cryptocurrency since 2013. Co-Founder & CEO Rob Wilson holds a firm belief that commerce will be the primary driver of adoption, and the company is built on one core idea; The blockchain is a wholly commercial tool that allows us to record and transfer ownership of anything, instantly, on a global, open ledger.
75% of corporate treasurers in Africa and Latin America interested in blockchain solutions, says Ovum
Global technology research and advisory firm, Ovum, recently published the results of a Corporate Treasurer survey, developed in partnership with Swiss financial services software specialist, Temenos.
Credit Suisse leads HSBC, Citi, and AllianceBernstein to develop blockchain solutions for financial reference data
Seven financial institutions, including Credit Suisse, Citi, and HSBC, have collaborated "to explore how blockchain technology could simplify reference data processes." The companies are working with blockchain technology company R3 CEV and capital markets blockchain infrastructure provider, Axoni.
BNP Paribas Securities Services expands its blockchain platform for private stocks
BNP Paribas Securities Services recently announced that it's "expanding its blockchain platform for private stocks." The aim is to enable private companies to legally issue minibonds via crowdfunding platforms, in accordance with the new French crowdfunding regulations. "Issuers and investors will benefit from a standardised process, which will ensure financial transactions are performed quickly, efficiently and securely," the company said.
Traditional investment banking model 'no longer an option,' states McKinsey & Company 'blockchain technology could deliver a broad range of benefits'
Global management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, recently published a report outlining strategies that could help the capital markets and investment banking (CMIB) industry. "Time for Tough Choices And Bold Actions" defines the industry's ailments and proposes initiatives that banks could implement, including the adoption of blockchain technology.
PwC challenges insurance industry to adopt 'technologies such as blockchain' and deliver 'millions in savings'
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) recently challenged the reinsurance industry "to take brave steps in their cost reduction strategies," at the international rendez-vous of insurance and reinsurance, in Monte Carlo. The event attracts major players in the world Reinsurance markets, including reinsurers, insurers and brokers, as well as a large number of lawyers, bankers, accounting and rating companies.
Hardware Oracles: bridging the Real World to the Blockchain
Blockchain applications live in their own digital realm, totally orthogonal to the "meat space" also known as the Real World™. Be it decentralized application or smart contracts, their reach is limited to the space they can control. Any use case projection in our reality eventually confronts the following hard fact: how can an app efficiently and securely interact with the physical world?
Bank of England states central bank-issued digital currency will compete with commercial banks
Bank of England (BoE) Chief Cashier and Director for Notes, Victoria Cleland, recently gave a speech highlighting the Bank's work on central bank-issued digital currency (CBDC). Clelands keynote presentation was given at the second international workshop for P2P Financial Systems in London on Sept. 8 and 9. The BoE co-sponsored the event with Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bundesbank, House of Finance, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and UCL Research Centre, bringing together scholars, regulators, and practitioners.
Crypto assets overview - Sep 11, 2016
A steady week in bitcoin ended preceded a drop of almost 5% overnight. The Bitcoin price was bullish the entire week, starting at $609, but ends the week at $602. 80% of Bitcoin trading volume is in CNY, followed by 11% in JPY. USD is 3rd with 5.6%. More detailed information can be found in the Bitcoin technical analysis.
Santander says 'Yes to bitcoin' in Brazil
SpaIn's largest bank, Banco Santander, recently published a report, "Brazil : Banks & Financial Services: To Bitcoin Or Not To Bitcoin?." The Equity Research paper discusses a meeting on August 23 between local investors and the CEO of Mercado Bitcoin, Rodrigo Batista.
Jio Wireless network 'will greatly help the Indian bitcoin industry'
A new 4G wireless data network with over 80% coverage, Reliance Jio, recently went live in India. Residents of approximately 18,000 cities and 200,000 rural villages can enjoy free cell and data plans until the end of the year. The data service then costs 149 rupees, about US$2.25, per month while cell remains free.
Deloitte boosts blockchain adoption by installing a bitcoin ATM in their Toronto office
Deloitte's Toronto office has a new bitcoin automatic teller machine (ATM), also known as a BTM. The company's first machine is located in city's Financial District at the intersection of Yonge and Adelaide. "Enter the Deloitte entrance off Yonge St. and go up the escalator," tweeted the firm's blockchain team, Rubix by Deloitte (Rubix).
Identity protection suite WISeID 6 uses a blockchain for ID storage and validation
WISeID is a personal security application for smartphones that gives users control over their personal information. "Only the user determines which identification attributes are shared with social media, credit cards, merchant sites etc," the company claims.
Blocksafe wants to reduce gun violence with a hybrid IoT blockchain network
The Internet of Things is evolving into a world of interconnected smart devices that communicate all manner of information. Smart homes can be filled with appliances that can be controlled remotely, while the smart grid promises to dynamically react to power requirements.
Experts say Scotland should adopt blockchain technology, or risk losing tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in earnings
The Strathclyde Business School Centre for Financial Regulation (SBS) recently issued a warning that Scotland's financial sector needs to accelerate its adoption of technology to avoid a future banking crisis.
15 blockchain whitepapers awarded winners of US Department of Health and Human Services Challenge
A challenge held by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to encourage Blockchain use in the Health Information Technology field resulted in 15 winning whitepapers. The Department's Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) first announced the "Use of Blockchain in Health IT and Health-Related Research" challenge in July.
Antshares sets out to be the people's digital asset blockchain
Antshares promises "Digital Assets for everyone." The organization's platform and cryptosecurity is designed to be a useful asset digitization platform for the mainstream user. Existing in the space between Ethereum and Counterparty, "Antshares is about building a financial system bridging the real-world assets."
Global trade association for regulated financial exchanges finds overwhelming interest in blockchain tech among members
The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) recently published a 14-page report outlining the results of an in-depth survey on how exchanges and financial market infrastructure providers use blockchain technology, and what their perspectives are.
Kimberley Process pilots a blockchain for tracking the world's diamonds
The recently published inaugural Kimberley Process (KP) mid-term report highlights key initiatives and includes a section dedicated to blockchain technology, detailing a proposal "which explores the use of blockchain technology to help enhance security measures."
Public blockchains gaining acceptance at Bank of Japan's Payment and Settlement Forum
A summary of the Bank of Japan Forum on Payment and Settlement systems, released on Friday, revealed that public blockchains were discussed in a positive light. Banks and financial institutions typically focus on projects using private blockchains, where a greater amount of privacy and control can be held by the issuer. Their public counterparts, such as Bitcoin's blockchain, are usually sidelined.
Hitachi and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi start testing blockchain technology for electronic check processing in Singapore
Given Singapore's financial strength and stability, coupled with its strategic location, the country has grown to become a leading global financial centre, with a major role in regional and international payments.
Payment flows between individuals and businesses in Singapore are substantial. As a major trading hub, trade finance centre, and gateway for investments in Asia, there is an even larger volume of international payment flows.
Major stock exchange completes blockchain trial for replacement settlement system
Australia's largest Stock Exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), recently published its Annual Report, revealing the company's progress and near-future plans for its blockchain, or Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), projects.
ASX is one of the world's leading financial markets, with a total market capitalization of around $1.5 trillion. Employing a team of 530 people, their customers include 6.7 million share owners, 180 participants and, according to the annual report, 2,204 listed companies and issuers.
Five Standout Start-Ups Focused Upon Blockchain Trade Finance
In Trade Finance there's a lot of activity. HSBC and Bank of America are working with HyperLedger; R3 is trialling with 15 banks based upon Corda; Ripple is working with Standard Chartered and DBS; and JPMorgan have been developing a trade finance trial with Digital Asset Holdings.
These are platforms and industry developments, but there are a number of standout companies developing specific solutions as start-ups focused upon blockchain distributed ledgers for trade finance. In this case, I'm going to pick out five that have grabbed my attention, although there are seven other contenders for the crown.


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Luna's Café
Paul Luna's occasional thoughts on typography and book design
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Dexter Sinister at Reading
This week's visitor was Stuart Bailey, who presented some of his work under the
Dexter Sinister
label. Discussing publication/events in
New York
, and Basel, Stuart demonstrated how his artwork/design is intended to set up frameworks that provoke writing, because writing can never take place in a vacuum, but must always have a form to fit into. Illustrated is the text to be read by an 'elevator operator' at the Whitney Museum, NYC, charmingly set in Johnston and Monotype Fournier.
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Head to this page to find out more about the book, including how to order it, or to add it to your Goodreads cue. On the Line kicks off the Milwaukee Dragons series about the sexy NFL players and the women they love.
Welcome to my website. You can find out all about my funny, nerdy, sexy romance novels. Occasionally, I even blog.
To get updates on my books, sales, exclusive information, reading recommendations, and other fun content, subscribe to my newsletter. I promise, I don't send it too often.
If you need copyediting or proofreading, please visit my editorial services page. I'm currently booking May and June 2018.
If you're interested in my embroidery work, check out my Instagram page–especially #crossstitchandchill–or have a look at my Etsy shop.


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Done with the framework
Time to start on some actual AI!
First of all let me refresh your memory on the architecture that we had in mind for our project. As you might recall there are two computers involved in controlling our robot: there is the software on the Ground Station, called Uplink (this has been introduced about three posts below). This software is able to send and receive UDP-messages to the other computer, which is Zeppy itself, flying around. These two communicate via Bluetooth, so we can tell Zeppy to 'do stuff' from Uplink, and Zeppy can then send back to Uplink what it senses (if needed). Our idea is that then we can implement different types of cognition in Zeppy ranging from simple remote control, where the messages determine entirely what action is to be done, to completely autonomous behavior where Zeppy determines everything for itself. (and perhaps communicating with Uplink in the process, so the system could work out hard calculations)
Well as it seems now the entire software architecture on Zeppy has been completed! Also, the "remote control"-cognition has been implemented, so now we have basically created an rc-blimp (which can even be controlled with a joystick or a compass). This may not seem that impressive to you, but this framework is way more flexible and robust than what we had before, and it allows us to easily implement very different types of behavior.
Encouraged by this thought and the ideas of our supervisors we have chosen to take on the challenge of implementing SLAM; Simultaneous Localization And Mapping. This would mean that we could make Zeppy fly around in a room or an entire building for a while and have it tell us what it 'sees', and simultaneously Zeppy can localize where it is. To be realistic, we dont expect this to be an overnight implementation exercise. However, we're looking forward to trying this, since the end result would be really cool.
However we're unfortunately still held back by some other issues we have to resolve. A lot of work is still needed on the hardware level. First of all we noticed that the motors we use to propell the blimp are simply not strong enough. Also we're still worried about the envelope we currently have. Although a lot of work has been put in by the engineering students, it still isn't as robust as we hoped. Also it is still very big. We're now looking into other options such as a professionally made blimp.
As you see, although we have been silent on here for a long time, there's quite a lot going on right now. Work in progress…


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Life Is Tough Without a Partner
Posted in Miscellaneous on Mar 30th, 2011
Unfortunately, my online advertising partner has left me high and dry. This website is now bereft of any love, oh wait, I meant money – unfortunate really.
Posted in Miscellaneous on Mar 30th, 2011
Unfortunately, my online advertising partner has left me high and dry. This website is now bereft of any love, oh wait, I meant money – unfortunate really.
Posted in Market Comments on Mar 26th, 2011
A quick review of a the VIX term structure as it stands now compared to start of year prices.
Posted in Market Comments on Mar 20th, 2011
The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance (and some relatively expensive military hardware). This articles presents the performance of militarily-angled defensive trades relative to their benchmarks for 2011.
Posted in Analysis, Article Review, Market Comments on Mar 14th, 2011
VIX is a market estimate of expected volatility measured over S&P 500 options. But how does the implied volatility of a volatility estimate vary over strike range and term structure? This article reviews VIX' smiling smirk and the reasons for its formation.
Trinomial Option Pricing Trees offer a fair-value lattice-model for both American and Bermuda styled options. The pricing tree can also be modified to suit more specific modelling purposes. A short applescript was created for the purpose of creating trinomial trees in Microsoft Mac Excel 2008.
Disclaimer: Material posted on 24-something does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) personal financial or investment advice or other recommendations. The information provided does not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or investment needs. You should assess whether the information provided is appropriate to your particular investment objectives, financial situation and investment needs. You should do this before making an investment decision based on the material above. You can either make this assessment yourself or seek the assistance of an independent financial advisor. 24-Something, associated parties and Tariq Scherer accept no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result.


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Sistah Sinema – Online originally launched on Valentine's Day 2013 streaming over 20 queer women of color films. It was the result of a partnership between Sistah Sinema (a monthly event showcasing queer women of color cinema) and Busk Films (a video-on-demand site), and an extensive Indiegogo campaign that raised over $5K.
"It was an exciting time," says Sistah Sinema founder Isis Asare. "It really felt like we were starting a movement."
However, in December 2013 Busk Films decided to focus on aggregating content for other platforms – such as streaming site BIGSTAR Movies — and eliminated its video-on-demand service. While some of the Sistah Sinema titles such as They Call Me Sir and MI: A Different Kind of Girl continued streaming, they would no longer be a part of a collection focused on queer women of color.
"It was a heavy blow," says Asare. "I took time to think about what I wanted to do differently in terms of marketing, pricing, and platform partnership when I relauch Sistah Sinema – Online, and I never doubted that I would relaunch."
Sistah Sinema decided to team up with IndieFlix after exploring other platforms. IndieFlix – like Sistah Sinema – focused on indie filmmakers and creating a conversation about cinema. According to Scilla Andreen – IndieFlix's CEO and one of the few women CEOs in tech – niche marketing and community-brand marketing is key to IndieFlix's future growth. Partnering with Sistah Sinema is part of a larger effort to showcase cinema that highlights global diversity.
Sistah Sinema reached out to numerous filmmakers to gather assets. The initial launch will highlight nine films, including Finding Juliet by Kanithea Powell, Gender Freak by Rebecca Louisell, and Fiona's Script by Florencia Manovil.
Powell is pleased that Finding Juliet has found a home. "It's great that Sistah Sinema is working with great companies like IndieFlix to gain exposure for independent LGBT filmmakers," she shares.
All films are enjoyed by Sistah Sinema audiences throughout the country. Viewers of the Sistah Sinema collection on IndieFlix will be introduced to independent titles that they may not have heard of before. The partnership with IndieFlix allows Sistah Sinema to focus on independent films that were screened at film festivals, but never released theatrically and had limited availability on Netflix. The hope is to add roughly five titles each month to the platform.
"There is still a long way to go in building a collection that represents all the great films telling the stories of queer women of color, but this is a great re-start," says Asare, smiling.
Click here to become a member of IndieFlix for $5. Enjoy the Sistah Sinema collection and thousands of other independent films.


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The drive toward globalization comes from companies who operate in time-constrained areas of the world, such as the United States and Western Europe, and who move selected operations to locations that are time-rich, such as Russia, India or the Philippines. These areas have an educated, available workforce without the market to employ it fully.
Though the workforce is educated, oftentimes these regions may not be well educated about security risks. Nor do they always embrace the standard precautions that are de-facto in the U.S, and some areas are wholly unaware of the underlying risks that drive network security. As companies expand into these regions, several issues must be examined, including placement of network infrastructure, corporate protection, and the risks associated with remote users.
The primary decision for companies expanding globally is: where will infrastructure resources be placed? Distributing infrastructure to remote locations can facilitate the work performed locally, but requires an appropriate level of trust. The economical usefulness of physical resources that house critical or intrinsically valuable information (such as intellectual property or personal identity data) must be weighed against the level of trust assigned to a location. Even for locations with sufficient trust, the mantra must still be the Reagan-era slogan, "trust, but verify."
It must be recognized that remote locations are potential weak links for several reasons. It's easy to lose track of things outside one's direct view. A remote location is rife for a deployment to receive minimal follow-up. As things go in the security world, protections erode with every passing day. Left unattended, the security of a remote location is like a locked outdoor shed that ages after a few seasons in the weather. Eventually, the doors fall off and the roof caves in, and the lock becomes meaningless.
Remote resources are both physically and logically exposed. Therefore, prior to remotely deploying any infrastructure in support of globalization, consider the level of trust to be afforded to the remote site, why such trust is merited, and how it will be continuously verified. Once trust is understood and accepted, companies must calculate the value of the resources considered for remote deployment. If the resource is of significantly higher value than the trust placed on the site, no infrastructure can safely be deployed. If the level of trust is proportionate to the value of the resource, then the benefits of speed and ease of use may outweigh the security risk to distribute infrastructure.
Next, companies must consider corporate protection. Critical assets are unlikely candidates for remote deployment. Such assets should be maintained within corporate data centers with each remote location and/or user granted specific levels of limited access. This access must also be verified, but logical protections can be more restrictive. Corporate data centers generally house many valuable assets that justify greater security provisions and defense-in-depth solutions. Though individual assets may not justify multiple tiers of monitoring and defensive solutions, the consolidation of several assets makes it easy to enable top-tier security services such as multi-segment stateful firewalls, network-based intrusion prevention, host-based intrusion prevention, anti-X (anti-spyware, anti-virus, anti-spam), etc. Through the combined services of each solution, it becomes exceedingly difficult to circumvent or attempt to defeat each level of protection without notice.
This, however, is only true if appropriate attention is also given to those with authorized access to protected resources. When access to these assets is opened to remote users, authorized accounts must be properly monitored.
There are two primary levels of risk for remote users:
- User doesn't respect access restrictions – This does not mean that the user is actively attempting to compromise security, but some simply do not see the harm in sharing privileged account information with others for them to conveniently complete a task. Security is not so ingrained in every society that people recognize the risk of sharing access credentials with others.
- User becomes compromised – Remote locations face the risk of crime. It's often easy to compromise an employee from a remote site who has access to desired intellectual property or confidential data. The reason a remote user is more likely to be subverted is because the value of a bribe offered to a remote person can be exponentially more attractive than a similar offer in the U.S. or Western Europe. This then becomes an attack from the inside, and the employee is a threat.
Security in a global organization requires intimate familiarity with each location, far more than a local campus environment merits. The purpose of every remote site must be well understood, inclusive of each permitted application and minimum access rights. Ongoing tracking of such rights is critical as new user roles are developed, current roles transition, and old roles expire. If a remote site does not have its own administrator (as is often the case), headquarter personnel must assume that role and establish policies and safeguards against allowing any remote site to "fall off the radar." When accurate levels of trust are established, methods of verification implemented and life-cycle monitoring vigilantly maintained, globalization yields highly beneficial results for both company and each locale included in its global expansion.


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Two-Test All Blacks halfback Augustine Pulu has signed a two-year Super Rugby deal with the Auckland-based Blues.
The 26-year-old Aucklander is currently recovering from a broken arm as he pushes for a place in the New Zealand sevens side for the Rio Olympics.
Pulu became a star performer for Tana Umaga's Counties Manukau side, playing an important leadership role in the team's rise to the premier division and winning the Ranfurly Shield for the first time.
He made his debut for the Chiefs in 2012 and earned two All Blacks caps in 2014, playing against the USA and Scotland on the team's northern hemisphere tour.
Blues coach Umaga said Pulu's signing from the Waikato-based Chiefs is an important one for the 2017 campaign.
"Obviously I've had a lot to do with Augustine and I am impressed with his ability on the field and his demeanour off it, both as a player and a leader," Umaga said.
"He will bring a different approach and style to the halfback game, which will provide us with more options."


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- Eton 5W GX53 COB LED Cool White
Eton 5watt GX53 low energy disc lamp.
Cool white 6500K.
Average life 25,000 hours.
Latest technology chip on board (COB) 475 Lumen output. Instant start twist and lock lamp.
High lumen output equivalent to around 40W to 50W incandescant lamp.
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Evaluating the strength and stretch of Orange Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa) Tegan Schellenberg and Keely Hammond Science One Program University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada April 2011 1 Abstract: Orange Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa) vines were supposedly used to build suspension bridges by indigenous groups in British Columbia (Turner, 1990; Moerman, 1998). To verify the possibility of this claim, we measured the strength and stretch of Orange Honeysuckle vines. The strength was measured until breaking point for various vine diameters, and the stretch was measured at known intervals of mass addition up to 6.2 kg. From the stretch measurements, the Young's modulus was determined and found to be smaller than that of conventional building materials. Overall, the strength and stretch found would be sufficient for the construction of suspension bridges based on the well-documented bridge-building method of the Incas of South America. Introduction: Lonicera ciliosa, commonly known as Orange Honeysuckle, is a vine native to the southern parts of British Columbia (Turner, 1998). It climbs on trees or other materials, growing to heights of six metres (Turner, 1997). The vine itself is generally quite slender and malleable although woody in appearance (Turner, 1997; Turner, 1998). The flowers are easily recognisable with a trumpet shape and orange colour (Turner, 1997). As the plants are native to British Columbia, they were incorporated into the lives of BC First Nations in various ways. The recorded uses for honeysuckle by these groups range from medicine to basket weaving, however, one of its most interesting uses is in the construction of suspension bridges by the Thompson people of BC's southern interior (Turner, 1990; Moerman, 1998). Little is known about the precise bridge design used by the Thompson, so we examine instead the bridge- building of other indigenous cultures to compare with our results. The Incas of South America built similar vine bridges that supported the weight of a horse (approximately 5880 N) and were safe enough so that the horse could fall on all fours and not stumble from the bridge (Wilford, 1999). The Inca suspension bridges were built out of many vines that were braided, woven, then braided again to provide a strong structure (Wilford, 1999). The bridge design used by the Incas would maximize the strength of the honeysuckle vines, just as it maximized the strength of the vines that the Incas themselves used. First, three major longitudinal supports were made out of the braiding, weaving and braiding again method utilizing a total of 27 vines per major support (Wilford, 1999). These supports provided the base of the bridge, while two smaller vine systems provided the rails (Wilford, 1999). Planks of wood were then lain across the bottom, and vines were attached from the rails to the base to create the walls that would ensure no human or animal could fall from the bridge (Wilford, 1999). As weight was added to the bridge, it would take on a triangular shape, which is the strongest geometric configuration for bridge design (Skipor, [ ]). To test the likelihood that honeysuckle could be used to build a similar structure, we decided to test the strength and the stretch of individual Lonicera ciliosa vines of varying diameters. 2 To determine vine strength, we applied an increasing force to the centre of vine segments until they broke. This measurement was performed on twenty vines of varying diameters, collected from the same type of ecosystem to reduce environmental variation. In general, we found that the vines were able to support an unexpectedly large amount of weight. The apparatus used even had to be adjusted as the vines were stronger than some supporting materials, such as duct tape. To determine stretch, an increasing force was applied to the end of twenty-one vine segments and the change in length was recorded. In this way, we were able to determine how the addition of weight would affect the vines acting as vertical supports in a suspension bridge. With the data, we were able to calculate Young's modulus for the vines of varying diameter and compare it to conventional building materials. Methods and Materials: Lonicera ciliosa vines were collected from two locations and were collected on three days, January 16, 2011, February 6, 2011 and February 25, 2011. The first and third collections were taken from Gonzales Hill, Victoria, BC, in a shaded and moist environment where the vines were growing on Holodiscus discolor (Ocean Spray) bushes. The second collection was taken from private property on Bazan Bay Rd. in North Saanich, BC, where the vines grew on Rubus discolor (Himalayan Blackberry) and various ornamental shrubs in a shaded, swampy environment. We referenced Pojar and Mackinnon, 1994, and Brayshaw, 1996, to verify the identity of the plants collected. F o r t h e s t r e n g t h measurements, a plywood and clamp apparatus (Figure 1) was used to attach a 30 cm ± 5 cm vine securely across an opening. A gradually increasing downward gravitational force was applied to the centre of the vine. Water was added to a bucket suspended from the centre of the vine, poured from containers holding a known mass of water (770 g ± 20 g per container), to provide downward force. The mass of water per container was determined using a Home Hardware kitchen scale, while a Con Air Consumer Products (Woodbridge, ON) bathroom scale was used to determine the mass of the bucket (450 g ± 20 g). When the vine broke, the total mass of the water and bucket was recorded. Vines of diameters ranging from 2 mm ± 0.2 mm to 5 mm ± 0.2 mm, as measured by Vector (Saint-Laurent, QC) Vernier calipers, were tested for strength. 3 Figure 1. Top view of apparatus configuration for strength measurements. Plywood apparatus Vine Bucket and water Clamp and blocks Figure 2. Apparatus configuration for stretch testing. Vine Bucket and water Plywood apparatus Clamp and blocks Following a similar procedure, we determined the Young's modulus (stretch) of vines of varying diameters. For the first eleven measurements, a modified procedure excluding the apparatus shown in Figure 2 was followed, involving one experimenter holding the vine, clamp and bucket system while the other added water and recorded length. This procedure was not feasible over many replicates, as it was too physically demanding for the experimenters. For the remaining measurements, vines of diameters 3 mm ± 0.2 mm to 8 mm ± 0.2 mm were hung from the apparatus of Figure 2, with a metal clamp attaching the bottom portion of the vine to the bucket. A top-loading balance was used to find the mass of the clamp, 318.84 g ± 0.01 g. Using a string, we followed the length of the vine from top clamp to bottom clamp and measured the string using a metre-stick, obtaining the length of the vine. By adding water in seven successive known amounts (770 g ± 20 g per addition) and measuring the length of the vine after each addition, the stretch of each vine was found. Results: For strength measurements, twenty vines were tested. Four of these measurements involved desiccated or dead vines and are not included in data analysis. A semi-log plot of breaking force versus diameter linearizes the data, graphed in Figure 3; using least-squares fitting, we determined a model for the strength of the vines, where force F is measured in newtons and diameter x in meters. The slope, 440 1/m ± 120 1/m, describes how quickly the breaking force increases with increasing diameter, and the intercept, 20 N ± 5 N, is the threshold force required to break a vine of a very small diameter. The Young's modulus of each vine is calculated based on the stretch of the vine after the application of 59 N, the measured diameter of the vine, and the original, unstretched length of the vine. The Young's modulus describes the fractional increase in length, or strain, of a specific material due to an applied force, indicating how easily the material can be stretched when forces are applied within its elastic limit, meaning the applied force must not be too close to its breaking point (Knight, 2008). Our choice of applied force is appropriate for all vines tested, as it is far from the vertical breaking point. Young's modulus Y is calculated from the relationship 4 , , , Figure 3. A semi-log plot of horizontal breaking force versus diameter for Lonicera ciliosa vines of diameters 2 ± 0.2 mm to 5 mm ± 0.2 mm, n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where force F is measured in newtons, unstretched length L and change in length ΔL in meters, and cross-sectional area A in square meters. Despite the fact that Young's modulus is corrected for diameter by dividing the force by the cross-sectional area, the modulus values of the vines range from 4.8 ± 1.1 × 10⁸ N/m² to 1.8 ± 2.4 × 10⁸ N/m², with a trend of increasing Young's modulus with decreasing vine diameter, (correlation coefficient -0.43), as shown in Figure 4. The mean Young's modulus of all replicates is 2.8 ± 1.9 × 10⁸ N/m². Vine diameter, millimeters Young's modulus, 10⁸ N/m² (uncertainties are standard deviation) 3.0 ± 0.2 - 3.4 ± 0.2, n = 7 3.8 ± 1.5 3.5 ± 0.2 - 3.9 ± 0.2, n = 2 4.8 ± 1.1 4.0 ± 0.2 - 4.9 ± 0.2, n = 4 2.0 ± 1.0 5.0 ± 0.2 - 5.9 ± 0.2, n = 3 2.0 ± 1.6 6.0 ± 0.2 - 8.0 ± 0.2, n = 5 1.8 ± 2.4 Mean Young's modulus, n = 21 2.8 ± 1.9 Discussion: The results that we obtained have a large variation; for example, two vines of the same diameter broke under different amounts of force. This variation could arise from the "aliveness" of the vines. The first vines harvested had very little time to come out of their winter dormancy, and as such were presumably more brittle. The vines most recently harvested were more alive and likely more malleable. Other factors could include the general shape of the vine, how twisted it was, and whether or not a joint was present, where thinner branches of the vines split off from a main vine. Often, breaks would occur just to one side of a joint. Other times, the break would occur at one location but the bark would slide off from another. Also, the location of the break for the inner portion of the vine broke was not necessarily the same as where the bark broke. We found similar variation in the stretch measurements. Again, this would presumably be due to the varying degrees of "aliveness." The bark also had an effect on how accurately the stretch could be measured. The wooden blocks gripped the woody bark more securely than they did for the smooth bark; the wooden block and clamp system was not always able to prevent the bark from separating from the inner portion of the vines. This allowed the vines to slide within the wooden holds and could account for some of the variation. The vines themselves have a ringed structure, as is characteristic of dicotyledons, plants with a ringed stem arrangement and branching veins (Freeman et al. 2011). The centre of the vine is filled with pith, mostly air filled molecules with thin cell walls, which is surrounded by vascular bundles (Texas State, 1999). The vascular bundles themselves are composed of xylem 5 Figure 4. Table showing Young's modulus for varying diameters of Lonicera ciliosa vines, n = 21. and phloem, which are responsible for the distribution of nutrients throughout the plant (Texas State, 1999). The stretch that we were able to measure would have to be the stretch occurring in the cell walls of these various cell types. Each vine consists of an outer layer called the epidermis, or the woody bark, and the cortex, which is the layer separating the inner vascular bundles from the epidermis (Texas State, 1999). The overall strength of the vines would have to have contributions from both the inner and outer structures. The changing ratio of tissue types may explain the trend of increasing Young's modulus with decreasing vine diameter that we observed, with more bark making the vines less stretchy and increasing their Young's modulus. There is also considerable overlap within the uncertainty ranges of the means for each diameter, meaning the differences between means of each diameter are not very significant. We did notice, however, that it appeared to be the inside of the stems that broke before the outside, suggesting that the epidermis or cortex is the stronger material. The vine strength for even the thinnest vines was far greater than our expectations. As such, it seems plausible that the vines could be used as a building material for suspension bridges. Considering that there would be a minimum of twenty-seven vines used in each main latitudinal support (Wilford, 1999) multiplying even the smallest force supported by a vine (27 N) by twenty-seven vines is larger than the force of gravity on a human (27 N × 27 vines = 729 N). To support a horse, as the Incas needed, a bridge would have to consist of vines with larger diameters. Even so, it would be easy to obtain the larger vine diameters required for a safe and strong suspension bridge. In terms of stretch, the calculated mean Young's Modulus, 2.8 ± 1.9 × 10⁸ N/m², is smaller than the Young's Modulus of other common building materials such as steel, 2 × 10¹¹ N/m², and wood from a Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), 1 × 10⁸ N/m² (Knight, 2008). Having a lower value for Young's Modulus means that honeysuckle has more stretch than typical materials. This could be considered a problem, in that a suspension bridge would stretch under added weight. We did, however, remove water one container at a time from one of the stretch replicates as a "reverse" stretch experiment and found that the vine returned to its original length when the force was removed. However, this was only a single replicate, and from it we can draw no serious conclusions, but we note that the vines must return to their original length after weight is removed in order for vine bridges to be functional. To determine conclusively the effects of stretch, further experimentation would be required. In order to better understand the behaviour of honeysuckle vines in suspension bridges, it would be necessary to determine the relationship between the addition of another vine and the increase in the amount of force that can be withstood. In this discussion, we assume that relationship to be linear, although that may not be the case. Understanding the stretch as weight is added and as weight is removed would also be beneficial. This would require further replicates of the reverse stretch experiment. To make an even more comprehensive analysis, the relative strengths of a vine braid and a vine weave, or twist, should also be compared. All of these experiments could be done using the same apparatus and equipment as previously described. 6 Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Joe Hammond for the construction of our apparatus and the use of building materials, Dianne Pendray for assistance in honeysuckle collection, and Celeste Leander for her mentorship throughout our project. We would also like to thank Dr. Nancy Turner for information on the Thompson First Nation, as well as Shannon LaBelle at the Museum of Anthropology for her assistance, along with other staff members. Finally, a thank-you to Science One for lending us materials and for providing peer review and instruction. Literature Cited: Brayshaw, T. C. (1996). Trees and Shrubs of British Columbia. UBC Press, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC. Dept. of Energy, USA []. What is the strongest geometrical figure? Retrieved from http:// www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/askasci/1993/eng/ENG1.HTM on 9 March 2011. Freeman, S., M. Harrington, and J. Sharp (2011). Biological Science. Pearson Canada, Toronto ON. Knight, R. D. (2008). Physics for Scientists and Engineers, second edition. Pearson Education, Glenview IL, USA. Moerman, D. E. (1998). Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, Portland OR, USA. Pojar, J. and A. Mackinnon (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver BC. Texas State University (1999). Herbaceous dicot stems. Retrieved from http:// www.bio.txstate.edu/~dlemke/botany/1410lab/lab_exercises/lab4/stems/dicotstem.html on 9 March 2011. Turner, N. J., L. C. Thompson, M. T. Thompson (1990). Thompson Ethnobotany. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria BC. Turner, N. J. (1997). Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC. Turner, N. J. (1998). Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia. UBC Press, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC. Wilford, J. (1999). The Inca built first suspension bridges. Retrieved from http:// www.aaanativearts.com/article1455.html on 9 March 2011. 7
UBC Undergraduate Research
Evaluating the strength and stretch of Orange Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa) Schellenberg, Tegan; Hammond, Keely Apr 30, 2011
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