BestMeta, the World’s First Blockchain Based Ecosystem for Esports Talent, Launches Today (Gamasutra)
BestMeta, the first cryptocurrency based platform designed for the esports community, is revealed today. BestMeta aims to give the freedom of creative control back to the talent by providing esports personalities, shoutcasters and professional gamers with an unrestricted platform to connect with fans. The pioneering ecosystem offers a sustainable and transparent network for talent and consumers by utilising the power of Blockchain.
Bitcoin Tumbles Below $10,000, Half of Its Peak Value (Engadget.com)
Bitcoin has crashed to as low as $9,500, falling below $10,000 for the first time since November and neatly halving its December 19th peak of $19,000, according to Coinbase. It has declined steadily since CES 2018 started, thanks to reports that South Korea planned to clamp down on the cryptocurrency. If you hedged your bets with Ethereum, Ripple or Dogecoin, then that didn’t help either, as most virtual currencies have fallen precipitously since yesterday.
Copyright: mikkolem / 123RF Stock Photo
Cryptocurrency Crash Sees Suicide Hotline Appear On Reddit Forum, As Bitcoin Price Continues Slide (Newsweek)
Bitcoin and other virtual currencies have nearly halved in value since last month, prompting a popular cryptocurrency forum to offer suicide prevention support to any members who may have been impacted financially by the price crash. The cryptocurrency forum on Reddit, which has almost half a million subscribers, featured a post with links to the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, as well as other suicide and mental health resources for people who live outside the United States.
Private Jet Company Now Accepting Bitcoin And Ethereum (CryptoDaily)
As Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies build their reputation, more and more companies and organisations are taking the leap and accepting digital coinage as payment for their goods and services. Most recent among these is TapJets, a company based in Houston, Texas, that hires private jets to its clients. Already innovators in their field, TapJets have developed an application for their customers to book their private jet instantly over their smartphone or other mobile device, and now have set foot into the altcoin arena, accepting payment in the major digital currencies, Ethereum and Bitcoin.
Bitcoin’s Energy Usage is Huge – We Can’t Afford to Ignore It (The Guardian)
Bitcoin’s electricity usage is enormous. In November, the power consumed by the entire bitcoin network was estimated to be higher than that of the Republic of Ireland. Since then, its demands have only grown. It’s now on pace to use just over 42TWh of electricity in a year, placing it ahead of New Zealand and Hungary and just behind Peru, according to estimates from Digiconomist. That’s commensurate with CO2 emissions of 20 megatonnes – or roughly 1m transatlantic flights.
Ethereum is More Distributed and Decentralized Than Bitcoin, Cornell Professor Emin Gun Sirer (Bitcoin vs Ethereum?) (Smartereum)
According to a study led by Cornell professor Emin Gun Sirer, Cornell research professor Robbert van Renesse, and LinkedIn researcher Adem Efe Gencer, Ethereum’s nodes are better distributed than bitcoin, and thus the network is more decentralized than bitcoin. Bitcoin nodes generally have higher bandwidth allocated to them than Ethereum. There are more Ethereum nodes, and they are better spread out around the world. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum mining are very centralized, with the top four miners in Bitcoin and the top three miners in Ethereum controlling more than 50% of the hash rate.
Despite Crashes, 6 of the Top 10 Cryptocurrencies Are Still Showing Gains in the Past Month (Fortune)
The ongoing plunge in digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple has resulted in massive losses for many investors. Yesterday alone, the collective losses of the top 10 cryptocurrencies topped $100 billion. Bitcoin is leading the dive, down nearly 50% off of its highs. And given its prominence, it’s getting the most media attention. But a look at the performance of the top 10 cryptocurrencies shows that six are actually still higher than they were one month ago.
All of Humanity, on the Blockchain (Alphaville Financial Times)
The world has problems, sure, but it also has weird technological innovation. No scenario, in the tech-y view, can’t be improved by use of the blockchain, the system of distributed ledgers which underpin crypto-currencies. As if to prove that point, Legal Things, a Dutch software startup, on Friday became the latest company with an untested, wacky idea for distributed ledgers: to develop a smartphone-based sexual consent app “secured in the blockchain”.
Over $200 Billion Wiped Off the Value of Cryptocurrencies as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple Sink Sharply (HITC.com)
Bitcoin, ethereum and ripple, as well as other smaller digital coins fell sharply in price. More than $200 billion has been wiped off the value of global cryptocurrencies at the peak of the recent sell-off, which extended into Wednesday morning. At around 7 a.m. London time on Tuesday, the total market capitalization or value of every digital coin stood at $653.8 billion, according to data from Coinmarketcap.com, a website that tracks the price of cryptocurrencies by taking into account the prices across different exchanges.
MISSED OUT ON A TICKET TO THE BITCOIN, ETHEREUM, AND BLOCKCHAIN SUPER CONFERENCE? ORGANIZERS ARE DEPLOYING A “SOFT FORK”! (Crypto Insider)
DALLAS, TX – Tickets to the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blockchain Super Conference (where James Altucher, Tim Draper, Shapeshift, Charlie Shrem, John McAfee, Ronnie Moas, and more than 65 of the most respected developers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and thought leaders are coming together to give you the inside scoop on where the blockchain revolution is headed in 2018) have completely sold out. However, Richard Jacobs, the organizer, has secured a second venue and is deploying a “soft fork” for around 350-500 new ticketholders – and there are still some tickets left.
Cryptocurrency Bloodbath Continues as Bitcoin Falls Below $10,000 (ArsTechnica)
Bitcoin fell below the psychologically significant level of $10,000 on Wednesday morning, marking a second day of double-digit declines for the virtual currency. One bitcoin is now worth $9,700, less than half its peak value of $19,500 achieved just last month. Bitcoin’s fall is part of a broader cryptocurrency sell-off. For the second day in a row, every major cryptocurrency has suffered double-digit declines over the previous 24 hours. Ethereum is now worth $810, down 42 percent from its peak above $1,400 just four days ago. Litecoin has fallen to $150—down 58 percent from its peak of $360 on December 19. Bitcoin Cash, a rival version of bitcoin, was worth more than $4,000 on December 20. It’s now down to $1,500, a 65 percent decline.
