#anyone can tell that building a giant power source and chanting about the power of the sun is a bad thing

[faithful-grigori]

”#anyone can tell that building a giant power source and chanting about the power of the sun is a bad thing, #it's much harder to realize that you're unconsciously growing careless”

Ever since I learned that Viktor got into the Academy by pretending to be a student until he impressed Heimerdinger enough to stay, his character arc becomes a lot more clear.

He starts out with sneaking into a university, something that could that could get him arrested but it pays off. He meets a disgraced academic with a theory he likes and is immediately on board with breaking and entering and tampering with evidence on the off chance that this’ll work out, and it does, beyond his wildest dreams. He decides to go visit Zaun in the middle of a blockade and manages to get the Shimmer he needs and not get shot. He does a highly dangerous experiment with the Hexcore, and his leg gets better. He does an even bigger experiment….and his lab assistant gets disintegrated right in front of him, and it becomes clear that the Hexcore has become dangerous and he can’t control it or destroy it.

Viktor’s entire arc through the show (or at least the first season) is him taking larger and larger risks in the name of science and having them pay off against all odds, right up until the moment it doesn’t. It’s a much more interesting story about arrogance than “dumbass says he’s God and gets ironically smote by lightning”, because it happens so naturally and so slowly that you can’t even see it coming until it punches you in the face. It’s not an overblown ego or obvious pride, it’s simple confirmation bias, and it’s vastly more relatable and terrifying in that way.

[gastricpierrot]

Title: When Stars Align

Series: Daiya no Ace

Pairing: KuraRyou

Rating: T

Summary: Nothing good ever comes out of an intimate relationship between a human and a youkai, Ryousuke knows. He’s heard more than enough stories on betrayal, on disasters, on families being shunned. And being an onmyouji, he knows better than anyone else.

And yet, he lets himself fall.

Warning: im late as hell wowzah

Also on AO3

[Ch.1][Ch.2]

[Ch. 3]

The first time Youichi sees Ryousuke performing an exorcism, he can’t help but wonder what sort of experience he’s gone through to reach that level.

Ryousuke being a ridiculously strong onmyouji is a fact Youichi has never doubted since the day he met him. The only thing is that knowing a fact and seeing for himself why it is so are two different matters. It takes conscious effort for Youichi to keep his mouth close as he watches Ryousuke banish the rampaging reiki trying to break through their barriers. Ryousuke has the youkai sealed and writhing within a circle of harsh light, his composure unruffled and his chants fluent despite the weight of those giant fists beating against his spell. The reiki emits so much malice and hatred that even Youichi finds himself on edge, expecting it to overpower Ryousuke’s spell any moment now.

Fortunately, Ryousuke swiftly finishes the job before that can happen.

An eerie silence settles around them the moment the last of the youkai’s screams fade away; it’s not a summer night if there are no cries of cicadas or crickets this distance away from civilization. Youichi resumes breathing only when Ryousuke moves and breaks the stillness in the air as though resuming the flow of time itself. Ryousuke raises his eyebrows slightly when he sees Youichi.

“Oh. You’re here,” he says as he brushes dust off his robes. For a moment, Youichi could only nod wordlessly. Despite how he seemed, exorcising that reiki must’ve taken a monstrous level of focus. Ryousuke would usually never miss a presence so close to himself, much less one as profound as Youichi’s. Youichi senses something else that’s not quite the usual too, but he can’t seem to figure out what that is.

“I was nearby and I felt a strong one facing you,” Youichi says, to which Ryousuke only hums to as a response. Huh. Youichi’s actually expected to receive a sarcastic remark or two about him not asking, so the lacklustre answer felt a tad bit anti-climactic.

It only clicks in when Ryousuke moves to close the distance between them. Youichi spots the barely visible tension in the onmyouji’s shoulders; the way strands of his short hair cling to the skin of his temples and forehead with sweat. He doesn’t know if Ryousuke’s even consciously trying not to show his tiredness at this point, but wow. Either his fatigue has been building up all this while, or that reiki took quite some out of him.

“Ryou-san,” Youichi starts to say before he can think things through. “Have you been taking care of yourself?”

“Why ask?” Ryousuke inquires in return, not halting in his steps even as he walks past Youichi. Youichi thinks he hear him stifling a yawn behind him.

“You seem tired,” he blurts, instinctively tensing up when Ryousuke’s footsteps stop.

“It’s a few hours until sunrise and I’ve just exorcised an oni,” he says and Youichi swears he sounds unnecessarily defensive again. He notices how Ryousuke seems to have a thing against having his wellbeing questioned; it’d happened the last time on his mountain as well. Youichi’s chalked it up to a by-product of his ego all this while, but he has to admit there are times when he wonders if that’s really the case. “Contrary to what you might believe, even I need some sleep, Youichi.”

“I can give you a lift home, if you want?” Youichi offers half-jokingly with a flap of his wings. He winces when he’s reminded of the injury on his left wing where the youkai he faced earlier had clawed at him in the air. It could just be his imagination, but Ryousuke’s smile seems to soften by a tiny fraction.

“Thanks, but I don’t want to owe you any favours,” Ryousuke tells him, resuming his steady trudge towards the direction of his home. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“Well if you say so,” Youichi mutters, knowing full well Ryousuke can’t hear him. He stays a few minutes more to survey the area, trying to pinpoint the source of the nagging feeling in his gut. He can’t tell if there are traces of malice left around that’s giving him bad vibes, or if it’s just the general knowledge of knowing something terrible is about to happen that’s throwing him off so badly. Youichi’s been noticing it too; how there seems to be a sharp increase in number of youkai that’s trying to either terrorize the village or steal power from his mountain. It’s been a little more than a month since Youichi took over from Tetsu and it’s not until recently that he finds Ryousuke and himself facing more and more high level youkai that normally should not be in these parts, let alone be as powerful as they are. Something’s obviously stirring, but what? What’s going to happen? What’s already happening?

A movement by his feet catches his eye, and Youichi’s sword is already drawn and stabbing towards the ground before his brain can fully process what it is. He hears a faint hiss of fury as the will o’ wisp fades to nothing; the last remnant of the reiki dissipating before it has the chance to fully regenerate. Youichi sheathes his sword, frowning. He’d enjoy the challenge of facing such strong opponents under normal circumstances, but his sense of responsibilities as a guardian does not allow him to be so carefree. Besides, there’s more to it than just Youichi wanting to do his job well. It’s the same for all subjects of worship—the moment he stepped into Tetsu’s shoes, his own life force has been woven together with that of those whom he’s supposed to watch over. Whether he likes it or not, Youichi depends on the villagers to exist as much as they depend on him to protect them from ravaging monsters. If the village were to be wiped out one day, Youichi too, will cease to exist. It doesn’t seem to be much of a fair exchange, but that’s just how it is.

Youichi keeps mulling over his unease even as he returns to his mountain, so much so that he almost flies right past the unusually large gathering of youkai by the waterfalls. Still rather high-strung with nerves from his earlier thoughts, he makes an abrupt stop, hovering in the air as he contemplates whether to find out whatever’s the matter. They could just be having a get-together like some other youkai communities that are fond of partying and socializing. The ones in his mountain are pretty chummy with one another despite their differences. But having fun would mean there’d be shouting and yelling and fooling around. The only noise Youichi can discern from this group is the hum of fervent murmuring among the youkai.

“What’s going on?” he finally decides to join them and ask. Heads turn towards him at the sound of his voice; Youichi doesn’t like those nervous faces.

“Good work again tonight, Youichi-sama,” the nearest youkai, an okuri inu, dips its head in greeting. Others shortly follow its lead, muttering assent.

“Well?” Youichi prompts when the only response he receives for his inquiry is silence. The gathered youkai glance around anxiously, each trying to have another explain the situation. With the way he’s kept in suspense, Youichi half expects it to turn out to be something absolutely unrelated to his concerns, possibly even something painfully insignificant compared to the scale of Ryousuke’s predicted calamity.

Until someone finally finds the courage to tell him.

And it’s…bad. It’s really, really bad and Youichi’s immediate thought is does Ryou-san know this? But hold on—it’s still just a rumour. However fast word has travelled, it has also travelled far. Youichi knows from experience how easy it is for details to be distorted and lost when passed along verbally from one to another. Words of youkai are especially prone to that; their love for mischief is well known. Youichi can’t fully trust what he’s told until he receives news from more credible sources.

But if it really is true…Youichi dreads just to think about it. He’s only heard of her in stories, in tales documenting her power, her cunningness, her sheer evil. In all of them, she was always only missing. She was never reported to have died, no matter how much time passes.

If the rumours are true, there’s going to be a huge problem.

xXx

Unsurprisingly, it rains on the night the Hyakki Yagyō passes the village.

On the bright side, it helps ward off a bit of the stifling summer heat. On the not-so bright side, the Parade can get obnoxiously rowdy and there’s nothing Ryousuke can do about it.

A good majority of youkai are playful in nature, and would probably never pass up the chance to party. It’s especially so in the case of the local youkai in Ryousuke’s village; he’s been keeping them under such firm restraint all this while, after all. They’d no doubt want to let loose with some of their kin when given the chance. Ryousuke only hopes he won’t have to go around hunting for missing people again the next day. No matter how many years it’s been happening, not everyone seems to understand that even he doesn’t have the power to bring back people who’s been spirited away by the Parade.

Ryousuke flips to the next page of his book, doing his best to filter out the commotion and only focus on the steady patter of rain against the roof. It’s well into the night, but it’s impossible to sleep with all that hollering and yowling and growling and whatever variety of noises youkai apparently make. He glances a little enviously at Haruichi and Eijun curled against each other on a spot to his left, blissfully oblivious to the din thanks to a handy spell and innate ignorance. Haruichi always did find more comfort by being near Ryousuke on nights of the Hyakki Yagyō. He’s probably skilled enough now to ward off relatively strong youkai on his own, but Ryousuke supposes it’s something that’s been ingrained in him when he was young. While Haruichi is born with strong spiritual power, Ryousuke isn’t born a skilled onmyouji.

Ryousuke huffs. He’d love to cast the spell to temporarily turn off his hearing as well, if it isn’t for the fact that he has to be ready in case of any emergencies. Besides, he’s hoping to expect some visitors. No, not the intruding youkai he’s consistently been working to ward off for the past week or so; he’s sure the Nurarihyon has that under control for the night. Ryousuke hasn’t actually met them face to face before, but from what he’s heard, the current Nurarihyon has—at the very least—a sense of moderation. Even though it’s mostly anything goes during the Parade, they’d probably refuse to tolerate anything excessive such as say, a violent attempt to take the local source of spiritual power.

Or, at least Ryousuke really hopes they would.

By the time there’s only a few hours left till sunrise, his ears have somehow eventually tuned themselves out to cope with the noise. Ryousuke snaps back into attention when he abruptly registers the dramatic drop in temperature around him, his gaze immediately drawn to the subtly glowing figure seated across him that’s appeared out of thin air. His visitor nods at him in greeting, lips set in a slight, but amiable smile.

“Good evening.”

Ryousuke allows himself a split-second to calm the spike in his heartbeat. “Well. Fancy meeting you tonight,” he returns with a wry smile of his own, feeling tension creep into his muscles despite the familiar face. He didn’t think he of all youkai would show up. He closes his book, setting it down by his foot. “I didn’t take you for someone who’d want to hang around with the Parade, Yuu-sama.”

“It’s not too difficult to bear in small doses,” Yuu reasons as he clasps his hands loosely together on his lap. “Maybe it’ll be nice if you could let loose a little once in a while like them too, Ryousuke.”

“Drinking to the point of losing consciousness and being a nuisance isn’t exactly my idea of letting loose.” Ryousuke’s fingers twitch when a particularly loud shriek of laughter cuts through the air. He forces back the urge to take a deep breath. “But enough with the small talk. Since you’ve appeared before me, I gather you have something to tell?”

Ryousuke finds himself holding his breath when Yuu’s smile fades, a shadow of graveness taking its place. Faint outline of light around the pseudo-god flickers as he glances at the two sleeping figures nearby.

“Ryousuke,” Yuu begins, looking up to meet his eyes once more. “There’s a kitsune in the Capital, hiding in the Imperial Palace.”

“And…?” Ryousuke prompts when he stops there, hearing the unvoiced continuation to his statement. There’s no way he would come all this way just to tell him about a common fox spirit. He makes conscious effort to uncurl his fingers from the fabric of his pants, bracing himself for the bombshell.

Yuu’s expression remains scarily passive as he says, “It’s her.”

Ryousuke feels his heart take an involuntary dive down his stomach before he even finishes.

He takes a sharp breath to reign his thoughts in before they could scatter. Sure, he’s been prepared to even hear of news regarding visits from a tatarigami, but to think that it’s the nine-tailed fox herself. She’s one of the few youkai who has the ability to trigger a chain of disasters if she wishes and isn’t afraid to use it, which is what makes her as dangerous as any other harbinger of calamity. What’s worse—she doesn’t seem to be vulnerable to death, having a ridiculously long life even in youkai years. Knowing they’re going against a possibly immortal being won’t exactly be the best morale booster.

Plus, her being a fox puts Ryousuke personally at jeopardy, too.

“It may be wise for you to sit this one out if you’re called, Ryousuke,” Yuu advises knowingly. Ryousuke’s better judgement agrees with him. Every single thing about this twist in events screams bad news for him. Getting involved would only spell deep trouble for him. It’d be best for him to keep his distance.

The only thing is that Ryousuke rarely does listen to that one inside voice when it comes to performing his duties. He’s spent so many years training to hell and back, pushed himself way past his limits in order to obtain the level of restraint and control he has now. There are risks, sure, but it’s not like being an onmyouji in general is free of them. Ryousuke’s never let risks hold him back from anything, and he doesn’t plan to start now. If anything, he looks forward to being able to sneer at the small, hesitating part of himself after he proves it wrong once again.

Even when there is a possibility of him dying in the process.

“And what would you like in return for giving me this information?” He chooses to skirt around the topic nonetheless, deciding to address a more immediate concern at the moment. Being a youkai famous for his wisdom, Yuu’s also notoriously known for the high prices he demands in return for his services. Despite them being on fairly good terms after that one time Ryousuke helped him with a favour, it’s difficult to tell what sort of compensation he might ask for this time.

“I told you what I told you because I consider you a friend, and because I know you,” Yuu says, a tiny smile once again tugging at the corner of his lips. “Just some tea would do nicely.”

“Alright.” Ryousuke stands, not at all inclined to question his leniency. He silently thanks him for not giving him one more thing to stress over. “I must tell you beforehand, though—I don’t exactly make the best tea around.”

xXx

True enough, a messenger shikigami is sent to summon Ryousuke to the Capital city two days later.

He’s to leave immediately to aid in performing a legendary holy ritual to smoke out the fox—who, according to Yuu, is currently an attendant in the palace going by the name of Tamamo no Mae. Ryousuke feels his palms dampen as he goes over the letter again to make sure he isn’t missing any details. He wills his stomach to stop doing flips on its own accord. He’ll be fine. He knows he’ll be.

He can’t not be. Not this time, not ever again.  

“Aniki, is it true that— “Haruichi trails off the moment he steps in and sees Ryousuke staring disquietedly at the piece of parchment in his hands. Ryousuke takes a breath, spending a few seconds to erase all possible traces of anxiety from his expression before turning to face him. He shouldn’t make Haruichi worry more than he already will.

“Looks like I’ll have to set off to the Capital tomorrow morning,” he says, inwardly relieved that he’s managed to sound as nonchalant as he’s trying to be. Haruichi’s eyes widen, his shoulders tensing.

“So it’s real…?”

“I’m guessing you’ve been seeing some things yourself?”  Haruichi couldn’t have heard his conversation with Yuu the other night; Yuu’s voice could only be heard by the people he wants to be heard by. “But yes—there seems to be a fox hiding in the Imperial Palace and they’re trying to flush it out.”

“Wouldn’t it be risky for you to go?” There’s a chance that it might act up and—“

He’s interrupted by a firm shake of Ryousuke’s head, everything else left unsaid spoken through his worried gaze alone. “It’s risky even if I don’t go, Haruichi,” Ryousuke reasons, idly folding the letter in halves until its limit. He glances at the sliding door across where they stood. “And there’s no use hiding, Eijun. I know you’re there.”

A few seconds pass before the door moves to leave a gap just enough for Eijun to peek in cautiously.

“I wish to apologize for my insolence but I swear I was only passing by when curiosity overwhelmed me and I promise you I only heard the last parts about— “Ryousuke tells him to go in before he launches himself into a full-length speech that could’ve lasted anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. It’s difficult to tell when it comes to Eijun. Fortunately for him, Ryousuke has got worse things to worry over than being eavesdropped by him.

“Onii-san’s going to the Capital again?” Eijun asks once he’s safely half-hidden behind Haruichi. When Ryousuke nods affirmative, he squares his shoulders, and adds with a thump of his fist against his chest, “In that case, leave it to me to take care of Harucchi!”

“Just try not to cause too much trouble for him, alright?” Ryousuke says, to which Eijun responds enthusiastically without getting the implication. Sadly, Haruichi’s way sharper than that, and easily sees through his subtle attempt to divert the topic of conversation.

“Aniki,” he persists, “you should really think it over.”

“There’s nothing left to think over at this point,” Ryousuke quips, clasping his hands behind his back and moving to leave. Just as Haruichi opens his mouth to argue further, he adds, “I’ll have to start preparing for tomorrow now, so I’ll be leaving for a bit.”

“Aniki— “

He slides the door shut behind him; a little harsh, but necessary, he supposes. He doesn’t need to waver more than he already has. Ryousuke’s done being wary of the suppressed power within himself years ago; he’s not going to let it bother him now.

He refuses to let it bother him now.

xXx

Of all things, Youichi would never have expected to be greeted by the Nurarihyon himself during the night of the Parade.

He’s not gonna lie; he’s pretty relieved he hadn’t been drunk out of his mind when the youkai leader approached him to exchange a few words of greeting. Don’t get him wrong, Youichi loves sake just as much as any other tengu and there’d even been times when he discovered he’d passed out for three whole days after some particularly…wild nights. It’s just that it’s pretty hard to be drinking without a care in the world after being told the Nine-tailed Fox herself is in the country again.

And just when Youichi’s beginning to successfully convince himself to stop being a wuss and calm the heck down because those are still rumours and surely it’s not as bad as his childhood fear is influencing him to think it is, Ryousuke appears at his shrine smack in the middle of the afternoon—which he never does. As if that doesn’t set off enough alarm bells and weird Youichi out enough as it does, Ryousuke’s apparently there to pray.

Youichi wonders if it’ll start snowing tomorrow.

“Is there a problem?” Ryousuke asks with a raised eyebrow, no doubt seeing the strange looks Youichi’s giving him. Youichi could only gesture vaguely as his immediate response.

“I don’t know—I just didn’t think you were the type— “to what? Pray? Even though he’s an onmyouji and a good part of his job requires him to do nothing but chant sutras for hours on end? Youichi abruptly realizes how ridiculous he’s about to sound. In his defence, to him Ryousuke has always been the sort who would rather rely on his own abilities than to seek help from anyone in general, let alone from deities. Even though he has agreed to let him join him in kicking some youkai butt lately, Youichi knows it’s only because of his physical limitations. Ryousuke’s agreed to let him help because he’s aware he could only be at so many places at once. But prayers—that involves more of a mental boost, if Youichi could word it any better. Humans know their prayers aren’t always necessarily heard nor granted, yet they keep doing it anyway because it helps give them a peace of heart, a bit of hope to hold on to. A bit of extra mental strength.

Needless to say, Youichi expected Ryousuke to have the mental strength with a solidness of a block of steel, hence his surprise.

“Sorry,” Youichi finds himself apologizing in the end, scratching the back of his head almost sheepishly. It’s probably best for him not to judge people’s reasons, even if it’s Ryousuke.

“You’re a strange one,” Ryousuke comments, his ever-present smile difficult to read as usual. He moves to sit under the shade of Youichi’s shrine, reaching into his robe before producing his bamboo flute. He holds the instrument up towards Youichi. “Would you accept a song as an offering?”

“Depends on how well you play it, I guess.” Youichi couldn’t help being snarky despite having heard Ryousuke’s playing enough to guess that even his worst would likely sound just fine. Ryousuke doesn’t seem at all affected by his pathetic attempt to be mischievous, though. Saying nothing more, he lifts his fue to his lips, blows a few experimental notes, and plays.

Ryousuke’s songs always have a haunting quality to it; the slow, long notes echoing deep into the mountain forests like the calls of mythical animals or songs of the dead. They’re beautiful, sure, but Youichi sometimes finds goosebumps rising across his skin when listening to them as well. He’s always got this irrational concern that something strange might be summoned by Ryousuke’s tune any moment (he’s a youkai himself, he knows and it’s embarrassing enough as it is). While the other mountain youkai seem to enjoy Ryousuke’s songs without much question, Youichi can’t help wondering if they’re just Ryousuke’s own preferences to learn or if the humans of this era simply have that bad taste in composing music.

All trivial things aside, Youichi also wonders what’s the reason for Ryousuke’s visit. With his shrine being as deep into the mountain as it is, only a few people actually go the lengths for routine prayers. Not even Ryousuke goes there often; he usually just sends someone to fetch Youichi after his performances if he ever needs to talk to him. It’s kind of obvious at this point that Ryousuke’s got something coming, and Youichi starts when he’s hit by an abrupt realization. No way. Are those rumours actually true?

“It’d be rude to be so obvious when ignoring someone else’s prayers, you know,” Ryousuke chides the moment he finishes playing. Youichi could only stare at him, almost too afraid to ask the question he wants to ask because what happens if it’s true? What’s going to happen if it’s true?

“Ryou-san, is— “

He doesn’t get to finish, the words halting in his throat when Ryousuke moves to kneel before his altar and claps twice before pressing his hands together. Youichi bites his lip, fighting down his own agitation. As much as he wants answers, it’s his job first and foremost to listen when he’s being prayed to. His questions could wait, maybe. Or perhaps Ryousuke’s obviously refusing to let him ask because he expects he’d be able to glean for clues on his own.

The system works like this: deities can hear the prayers of humans as long as the humans themselves are sincere. Famous deities usually have the power to choose who and what to hear, but those in charge of smaller areas like Youichi usually have no choice. That’s not the problem, in any case. The problem is that if Ryousuke himself needs a heartfelt prayer to Youichi, then there’s no doubt that there’s something huge about to happen.

“Your feet smells.” Ryousuke’s voice rings clear in his mind the moment he focuses. Youichi’s quick to make a sound of protest, receiving a playful smirk in response.

He can’t help noticing how quickly it fades.

“Please keep my brother safe while I’m gone.” Ryousuke’s tone takes an abrupt, grave turn the moment his mirth fades. “Please watch over the village as well; make sure there’s still a village for me to come back to when it’s all over.”

“Where are you going?”

It’s only when Ryousuke glances up at him with a strange look that Youichi realizes he hadn’t said that aloud. One of the abilities of a tengu include appearing in people’s dreams and speaking directly to them in their minds. Youichi admits he’s had a few chats with Haruichi that way, but he’s never bothered (and wanted) to try with Ryousuke. This form of telepathy involves creating temporary  links between himself and the recipient, and Youichi doesn’t even need to try to know Ryosuke’s got a solid wall as his mental defences. He has to if he wants to avoid the chances of him being possessed himself. There’s no doubt plenty of spirits who’d want to get their hands on that sort of spiritual power over the years.

And now Youichi has practically invaded Ryousuke’s mind by accident while he still has his guard down during his prayer—probably not the most polite thing he could’ve done. With how uptight Ryousuke seems to be when it comes to respect and all that, Youichi tenses almost immediately, bracing himself to have his ass whooped any moment now. He’s scrambling trying to form the best apology that doesn’t involve him begging for forgiveness in a voice a pitch or two higher than usual when Ryousuke answers.

“Haven’t you heard? The Nine-tailed Fox is in the Capital.”

It takes Youichi half a second to register he’s heard him with his ears this time. Ryousuke’s tone retains its unreadable nonchalance, but Youichi has glimpsed enough during that quick moment of linkage to know better. Even the great onmyouji Kominato Ryousuke could be afraid of something. And with what the current ‘something’ he’s about to face is, Youichi doesn’t blame him. Even the gods have been struggling to stop her all this while; what chances would humans have?

“And you’re going there to face her?” It comes out sounding more incredulous, more involved than Youichi thinks should be necessary. They’re partners, their jobs complement each other’s—but they’re not exactly…friends. Or at least Youichi has never gotten the impression. His idea of friends sort of includes less instinctive flinching and a whole less verbal harassment.

“Technically, yes, but I won’t be doing it alone,” Ryousuke replies, and Youichi catches himself nearly sighing in relief.  Still, Ryousuke tilts his head slightly, smiling in scarcely concealed amusement as though noticing his efforts. “Are you worried, Youichi?”

Youichi thanks whatever gods who are listening for his dark complexion because he feels his cheeks warming in betrayal. Then again, he’s never been much of a great liar and Ryousuke’s definitely shrewd enough to see a lie a mile away—Youichi resigns to the fact that he’ll probably only make things more embarrassing for himself for trying so unnecessarily hard.

“With that kind of danger so close by? You bet.” It’s surprisingly easy to admit. Youichi averts his gaze, expecting to bear the brunt of Ryousuke’s usual teasing.

“I won’t let her come this far even if all things fail.”

Youichi focuses on him once more, slightly taken aback by the unexpected declaration. Ryousuke moves to leave without another word, turning his back so Youichi isn’t able to see the expression he’s wearing.

…Right. If there’s someone who loathes openly showing his own weakness more than anyone else, it’s Ryousuke. With all that’s happened in the past few minutes alone, Youichi guesses he’s probably at his limit before his ego takes permanent damage. He’d cackle at the revelation under normal circumstances, but not now. Not with how it’s just dawned him anew how recklessly brave Ryousuke could be.

“Ryou-san.”

At the call of his name, Ryousuke pauses in his steps. Youichi waits until he glances a little over his shoulder, his profile obscured by his pink hair. He then takes a breath.

“Be careful.”

Youichi still isn’t quite sure until this time and day, but he thinks he hears a barely audible “thank you” before Ryousuke leaves.

*more on okuri inu,nurarihyon, and the Hyakki Yagyō

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Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

The level of innovation over the past century has been unprecedented. As each new discovery or invention gives birth to hundreds of spin-off products or services, the competitive landscape becomes more crowded and cut-throat. What represents opportunity for the entrepreneur is a threat for the incumbent and both need to adapt to remain in the game.

Competition is built into the fabric of society, but then again so is a sense of community. It is through the notion of trust that they are reconciled. According to Dunbar, 150 is the maximum number of stable relationships any single individual can maintain before rules and norms need to be enforced to broker the trust required. Building a global business clearly mandates the use of these rules.

Finding ways to trust, particularly at a distance, is tricky. This is perhaps why the world is so excited about blockchains. Distributed consensus through clever cryptography and economic incentives, orchestrated by an impartial protocol is a tantalising prospect. As much as it is promising, it is conceivably frightening too. Trust in the code is easier said than done. After all, computers are as fallible as the humans that program them. The DAO showed us just how vulnerable immutable code can be, and the various blockchain forks illustrate the fragility of consensus. So how can we build a future where power is distributed, trust assumed, that nurtures individual aspirations and also serves society at large?

A fascinating infographic was making its way around LinkedIn not too long ago. Essentially, it was a summary of the blockchain world as it currently exists. The punch line (perhaps not surprisingly) is that, of the many decentralised solutions being developed, almost all appear to be either funded or owned by the big financial players from the non-blockchain world. Presumably some detective work was required to make these assertions and I have not personally verified the accuracy of the claims, but I can believe it to be true. It makes sense for the occupants in power to protect their dominion. Ethics and ideological differences aside, it would be short-sighted to think that anything else would occur. But it does present a conflict which is yet to be resolved.

Many ardent blockchain fans adopt the anarchist view that banks, multinationals and governments need to relinquish their controls. Purportedly the financial crisis and the distrust of bankers prompted Satoshi Nakamoto (the infamous creator(s) of the Bitcoin network) to launch the Genesis block with The Times headline embedded in the first transaction: ‘Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks’.

The frenzy that followed brought insane valuations and several thousand new coins into the market with all the crypto-rebels chanting the death of monopolies and centralised authorities.

It would be naïve to think that anyone would take that lying down – especially the grey-haired suits who had built the empires we see still today.

Roll forward a decade and the likes of BBVA, Barclays, Goldman Sacks, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse and many, many others are trialling blockchain and investing in cryptocurrencies. And if the infographic is to be believed, they are also largely in control of the projects whose aims are to disrupt the status quo that they have designed. Trust in blockchain indeed.

However, without throwing the baby out with the bath water, it is worth considering that blockchain and its relatives may actually be of value in building trust, removing business frictions and help level the playing field. Consider the 2 billion unbanked, the unidentified refugees, the charity funds that get misappropriated and the counterfeit pharmaceuticals which damage the health of humans and companies. Somewhere in the centre – between the oligarchy and the dreamy blockchain democracy, is a happy medium.

Humans have been cycling between centralised and decentralised structures for centuries. Just 20 years ago, the internet promised every aspiring shop-keeper to open a website and take back the market from the big stores that dominated the retail arena. It was a great idea – and Jeff Bezos took full advantage of the new technology. Today, Amazon is no longer an online bookstore but an e-tailing behemoth with, what some might consider, way too much influence and power.

FAGA (Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple) companies are now branching out into healthcare. While many sing the praises of a less expensive, more efficient pharmaceutical delivery service or the ability to share every heartbeat with their family doctor via a watch, others worry about the monopoly, the privacy risk and perhaps the damage done to aspiring entrepreneurs or SMEs. There is little doubt that FAGA-enabled healthcare will be smooth, cheaper and probably save lives. The question is at what cost? Centralising data has its advantages, but it creates an attractive honeypot for hackers and a leverage tool for the oligopolies to command the market as they wish. Do the advantages outweigh the perils? How much do we trust the giants? Recent data breach scandals (and the fact that the business model of some of these giants relies on monetising personal information) only strengthen the need for change.

In steps blockchain and its magical ‘code-is-law’ consensus driven protocol to save the day.

Decentralised, democratised healthcare sounds wonderful: patient-owned and controlled records, granular permissions managed by private keys and a fully transparent audit trail of who did what. Finally, we have a way to get the conflicting stakeholders to work together for the benefit of all. It sounds so attractive in fact, that in 2018 a BIS research report quoted the healthcare blockchain market to be worth $176.8 million and predicted growth to reach a value of $5.61 billion by the end of 2025. The overall digital healthcare market has been predicted to top $379 billion by 2024 and includes Telehealth, the use of AI and other technologies. It is not a big shock, therefore, that FAGA et al. are interested or that droves of aspiring hopefuls present their wares at conferences hoping to get industry leaders to bite.

Who will win? Can blockchain bind organisations together to uproot the almighty incumbents?

It depends on the models of collaboration being offered.

The path to nirvana is inevitably tortuous and long. Technological barriers ignored, the world is yet to settle on whether socialism, capitalism, democracy or benign dictatorships work best for both the individual and the group. So, it is unfair to expect wholesale adoption of a sharing economy because the blockchain code is open-source and distributed.

Some contend that the middle ground lies in the permissioned, semi-trusted private blockchain alternatives such as Hyperledger or Ripple. Others evangelise the censorship-resistant merits of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While each has its own advantages when we consider scalability, speed, security and privacy, healthcare has its own particular constraints when making these choices.

Fundamentally, though, none of these are mature enough to completely convince all organisations to collaborate without reservation. So how can we progress?

The notion that it all comes out in the crypto-economic wash has not been borne out so far by the health tokens in play.  So far, the successes can be measured in single digits and even they are in embryonic stages of development. Perhaps it is simply too early to tell, but the value of tokens being able to create trust is simply not evident.

Extrapolating the value proposition from Bitcoin (borderless, uncensored, peer-to-peer coin ownership transfer) to building widespread business trust is naively optimistic; the number of variables is far too great. And because any form of collaboration usually includes the possibility that business identities and market shares may be jeopardised, Joint Ventures are generally not done on a whim.

Instead, JVs are built on trust which develops over time and with evidence. Parties generally only enter into these agreements after careful due diligence and the presence of the following success factors:

Each party must have something of value to contribute

There needs to be interdependence and complementarity

Trust in one another and a willingness to share are essential

Both parties require formalised relationships to avoid future disputes

Effective communication systems must be in place.

Healthcare blockchain ventures may therefore need to bear this in mind when constructing their solutions. Akin to building a playground and then hoping rival gangs will use the slides and swings together, platform entrepreneurs might prudently consider gaining buy-in from stakeholders beforehand, and then building relationships on-chain one variable at a time.

Co-ownership of a blockchain platform that is used, generates value and encourages data sharing is surely better than full ownership of a solution that nobody trusts.

There are many challenges ahead. The perfect business models for blockchain are far from being agreed. One thing if for certain, though – if you want to compete with the incumbents, collaboration is essential. It is, ultimately, what blockchains are all about.

Source link http://bit.ly/2SbPJ7N

[mccartneynathxzw83]

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

The level of innovation over the past century has been unprecedented. As each new discovery or invention gives birth to hundreds of spin-off products or services, the competitive landscape becomes more crowded and cut-throat. What represents opportunity for the entrepreneur is a threat for the incumbent and both need to adapt to remain in the game.

Competition is built into the fabric of society, but then again so is a sense of community. It is through the notion of trust that they are reconciled. According to Dunbar, 150 is the maximum number of stable relationships any single individual can maintain before rules and norms need to be enforced to broker the trust required. Building a global business clearly mandates the use of these rules.

Finding ways to trust, particularly at a distance, is tricky. This is perhaps why the world is so excited about blockchains. Distributed consensus through clever cryptography and economic incentives, orchestrated by an impartial protocol is a tantalising prospect. As much as it is promising, it is conceivably frightening too. Trust in the code is easier said than done. After all, computers are as fallible as the humans that program them. The DAO showed us just how vulnerable immutable code can be, and the various blockchain forks illustrate the fragility of consensus. So how can we build a future where power is distributed, trust assumed, that nurtures individual aspirations and also serves society at large?

A fascinating infographic was making its way around LinkedIn not too long ago. Essentially, it was a summary of the blockchain world as it currently exists. The punch line (perhaps not surprisingly) is that, of the many decentralised solutions being developed, almost all appear to be either funded or owned by the big financial players from the non-blockchain world. Presumably some detective work was required to make these assertions and I have not personally verified the accuracy of the claims, but I can believe it to be true. It makes sense for the occupants in power to protect their dominion. Ethics and ideological differences aside, it would be short-sighted to think that anything else would occur. But it does present a conflict which is yet to be resolved.

Many ardent blockchain fans adopt the anarchist view that banks, multinationals and governments need to relinquish their controls. Purportedly the financial crisis and the distrust of bankers prompted Satoshi Nakamoto (the infamous creator(s) of the Bitcoin network) to launch the Genesis block with The Times headline embedded in the first transaction: ‘Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks’.

The frenzy that followed brought insane valuations and several thousand new coins into the market with all the crypto-rebels chanting the death of monopolies and centralised authorities.

It would be naïve to think that anyone would take that lying down – especially the grey-haired suits who had built the empires we see still today.

Roll forward a decade and the likes of BBVA, Barclays, Goldman Sacks, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse and many, many others are trialling blockchain and investing in cryptocurrencies. And if the infographic is to be believed, they are also largely in control of the projects whose aims are to disrupt the status quo that they have designed. Trust in blockchain indeed.

However, without throwing the baby out with the bath water, it is worth considering that blockchain and its relatives may actually be of value in building trust, removing business frictions and help level the playing field. Consider the 2 billion unbanked, the unidentified refugees, the charity funds that get misappropriated and the counterfeit pharmaceuticals which damage the health of humans and companies. Somewhere in the centre – between the oligarchy and the dreamy blockchain democracy, is a happy medium.

Humans have been cycling between centralised and decentralised structures for centuries. Just 20 years ago, the internet promised every aspiring shop-keeper to open a website and take back the market from the big stores that dominated the retail arena. It was a great idea – and Jeff Bezos took full advantage of the new technology. Today, Amazon is no longer an online bookstore but an e-tailing behemoth with, what some might consider, way too much influence and power.

FAGA (Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple) companies are now branching out into healthcare. While many sing the praises of a less expensive, more efficient pharmaceutical delivery service or the ability to share every heartbeat with their family doctor via a watch, others worry about the monopoly, the privacy risk and perhaps the damage done to aspiring entrepreneurs or SMEs. There is little doubt that FAGA-enabled healthcare will be smooth, cheaper and probably save lives. The question is at what cost? Centralising data has its advantages, but it creates an attractive honeypot for hackers and a leverage tool for the oligopolies to command the market as they wish. Do the advantages outweigh the perils? How much do we trust the giants? Recent data breach scandals (and the fact that the business model of some of these giants relies on monetising personal information) only strengthen the need for change.

In steps blockchain and its magical ‘code-is-law’ consensus driven protocol to save the day.

Decentralised, democratised healthcare sounds wonderful: patient-owned and controlled records, granular permissions managed by private keys and a fully transparent audit trail of who did what. Finally, we have a way to get the conflicting stakeholders to work together for the benefit of all. It sounds so attractive in fact, that in 2018 a BIS research report quoted the healthcare blockchain market to be worth $176.8 million and predicted growth to reach a value of $5.61 billion by the end of 2025. The overall digital healthcare market has been predicted to top $379 billion by 2024 and includes Telehealth, the use of AI and other technologies. It is not a big shock, therefore, that FAGA et al. are interested or that droves of aspiring hopefuls present their wares at conferences hoping to get industry leaders to bite.

Who will win? Can blockchain bind organisations together to uproot the almighty incumbents?

It depends on the models of collaboration being offered.

The path to nirvana is inevitably tortuous and long. Technological barriers ignored, the world is yet to settle on whether socialism, capitalism, democracy or benign dictatorships work best for both the individual and the group. So, it is unfair to expect wholesale adoption of a sharing economy because the blockchain code is open-source and distributed.

Some contend that the middle ground lies in the permissioned, semi-trusted private blockchain alternatives such as Hyperledger or Ripple. Others evangelise the censorship-resistant merits of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While each has its own advantages when we consider scalability, speed, security and privacy, healthcare has its own particular constraints when making these choices.

Fundamentally, though, none of these are mature enough to completely convince all organisations to collaborate without reservation. So how can we progress?

The notion that it all comes out in the crypto-economic wash has not been borne out so far by the health tokens in play.  So far, the successes can be measured in single digits and even they are in embryonic stages of development. Perhaps it is simply too early to tell, but the value of tokens being able to create trust is simply not evident.

Extrapolating the value proposition from Bitcoin (borderless, uncensored, peer-to-peer coin ownership transfer) to building widespread business trust is naively optimistic; the number of variables is far too great. And because any form of collaboration usually includes the possibility that business identities and market shares may be jeopardised, Joint Ventures are generally not done on a whim.

Instead, JVs are built on trust which develops over time and with evidence. Parties generally only enter into these agreements after careful due diligence and the presence of the following success factors:

Each party must have something of value to contribute

There needs to be interdependence and complementarity

Trust in one another and a willingness to share are essential

Both parties require formalised relationships to avoid future disputes

Effective communication systems must be in place.

Healthcare blockchain ventures may therefore need to bear this in mind when constructing their solutions. Akin to building a playground and then hoping rival gangs will use the slides and swings together, platform entrepreneurs might prudently consider gaining buy-in from stakeholders beforehand, and then building relationships on-chain one variable at a time.

Co-ownership of a blockchain platform that is used, generates value and encourages data sharing is surely better than full ownership of a solution that nobody trusts.

There are many challenges ahead. The perfect business models for blockchain are far from being agreed. One thing if for certain, though – if you want to compete with the incumbents, collaboration is essential. It is, ultimately, what blockchains are all about.

Source link http://bit.ly/2SbPJ7N

[teiraymondmccoy78]

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

The level of innovation over the past century has been unprecedented. As each new discovery or invention gives birth to hundreds of spin-off products or services, the competitive landscape becomes more crowded and cut-throat. What represents opportunity for the entrepreneur is a threat for the incumbent and both need to adapt to remain in the game.

Competition is built into the fabric of society, but then again so is a sense of community. It is through the notion of trust that they are reconciled. According to Dunbar, 150 is the maximum number of stable relationships any single individual can maintain before rules and norms need to be enforced to broker the trust required. Building a global business clearly mandates the use of these rules.

Finding ways to trust, particularly at a distance, is tricky. This is perhaps why the world is so excited about blockchains. Distributed consensus through clever cryptography and economic incentives, orchestrated by an impartial protocol is a tantalising prospect. As much as it is promising, it is conceivably frightening too. Trust in the code is easier said than done. After all, computers are as fallible as the humans that program them. The DAO showed us just how vulnerable immutable code can be, and the various blockchain forks illustrate the fragility of consensus. So how can we build a future where power is distributed, trust assumed, that nurtures individual aspirations and also serves society at large?

A fascinating infographic was making its way around LinkedIn not too long ago. Essentially, it was a summary of the blockchain world as it currently exists. The punch line (perhaps not surprisingly) is that, of the many decentralised solutions being developed, almost all appear to be either funded or owned by the big financial players from the non-blockchain world. Presumably some detective work was required to make these assertions and I have not personally verified the accuracy of the claims, but I can believe it to be true. It makes sense for the occupants in power to protect their dominion. Ethics and ideological differences aside, it would be short-sighted to think that anything else would occur. But it does present a conflict which is yet to be resolved.

Many ardent blockchain fans adopt the anarchist view that banks, multinationals and governments need to relinquish their controls. Purportedly the financial crisis and the distrust of bankers prompted Satoshi Nakamoto (the infamous creator(s) of the Bitcoin network) to launch the Genesis block with The Times headline embedded in the first transaction: ‘Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks’.

The frenzy that followed brought insane valuations and several thousand new coins into the market with all the crypto-rebels chanting the death of monopolies and centralised authorities.

It would be naïve to think that anyone would take that lying down – especially the grey-haired suits who had built the empires we see still today.

Roll forward a decade and the likes of BBVA, Barclays, Goldman Sacks, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse and many, many others are trialling blockchain and investing in cryptocurrencies. And if the infographic is to be believed, they are also largely in control of the projects whose aims are to disrupt the status quo that they have designed. Trust in blockchain indeed.

However, without throwing the baby out with the bath water, it is worth considering that blockchain and its relatives may actually be of value in building trust, removing business frictions and help level the playing field. Consider the 2 billion unbanked, the unidentified refugees, the charity funds that get misappropriated and the counterfeit pharmaceuticals which damage the health of humans and companies. Somewhere in the centre – between the oligarchy and the dreamy blockchain democracy, is a happy medium.

Humans have been cycling between centralised and decentralised structures for centuries. Just 20 years ago, the internet promised every aspiring shop-keeper to open a website and take back the market from the big stores that dominated the retail arena. It was a great idea – and Jeff Bezos took full advantage of the new technology. Today, Amazon is no longer an online bookstore but an e-tailing behemoth with, what some might consider, way too much influence and power.

FAGA (Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple) companies are now branching out into healthcare. While many sing the praises of a less expensive, more efficient pharmaceutical delivery service or the ability to share every heartbeat with their family doctor via a watch, others worry about the monopoly, the privacy risk and perhaps the damage done to aspiring entrepreneurs or SMEs. There is little doubt that FAGA-enabled healthcare will be smooth, cheaper and probably save lives. The question is at what cost? Centralising data has its advantages, but it creates an attractive honeypot for hackers and a leverage tool for the oligopolies to command the market as they wish. Do the advantages outweigh the perils? How much do we trust the giants? Recent data breach scandals (and the fact that the business model of some of these giants relies on monetising personal information) only strengthen the need for change.

In steps blockchain and its magical ‘code-is-law’ consensus driven protocol to save the day.

Decentralised, democratised healthcare sounds wonderful: patient-owned and controlled records, granular permissions managed by private keys and a fully transparent audit trail of who did what. Finally, we have a way to get the conflicting stakeholders to work together for the benefit of all. It sounds so attractive in fact, that in 2018 a BIS research report quoted the healthcare blockchain market to be worth $176.8 million and predicted growth to reach a value of $5.61 billion by the end of 2025. The overall digital healthcare market has been predicted to top $379 billion by 2024 and includes Telehealth, the use of AI and other technologies. It is not a big shock, therefore, that FAGA et al. are interested or that droves of aspiring hopefuls present their wares at conferences hoping to get industry leaders to bite.

Who will win? Can blockchain bind organisations together to uproot the almighty incumbents?

It depends on the models of collaboration being offered.

The path to nirvana is inevitably tortuous and long. Technological barriers ignored, the world is yet to settle on whether socialism, capitalism, democracy or benign dictatorships work best for both the individual and the group. So, it is unfair to expect wholesale adoption of a sharing economy because the blockchain code is open-source and distributed.

Some contend that the middle ground lies in the permissioned, semi-trusted private blockchain alternatives such as Hyperledger or Ripple. Others evangelise the censorship-resistant merits of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While each has its own advantages when we consider scalability, speed, security and privacy, healthcare has its own particular constraints when making these choices.

Fundamentally, though, none of these are mature enough to completely convince all organisations to collaborate without reservation. So how can we progress?

The notion that it all comes out in the crypto-economic wash has not been borne out so far by the health tokens in play.  So far, the successes can be measured in single digits and even they are in embryonic stages of development. Perhaps it is simply too early to tell, but the value of tokens being able to create trust is simply not evident.

Extrapolating the value proposition from Bitcoin (borderless, uncensored, peer-to-peer coin ownership transfer) to building widespread business trust is naively optimistic; the number of variables is far too great. And because any form of collaboration usually includes the possibility that business identities and market shares may be jeopardised, Joint Ventures are generally not done on a whim.

Instead, JVs are built on trust which develops over time and with evidence. Parties generally only enter into these agreements after careful due diligence and the presence of the following success factors:

Each party must have something of value to contribute

There needs to be interdependence and complementarity

Trust in one another and a willingness to share are essential

Both parties require formalised relationships to avoid future disputes

Effective communication systems must be in place.

Healthcare blockchain ventures may therefore need to bear this in mind when constructing their solutions. Akin to building a playground and then hoping rival gangs will use the slides and swings together, platform entrepreneurs might prudently consider gaining buy-in from stakeholders beforehand, and then building relationships on-chain one variable at a time.

Co-ownership of a blockchain platform that is used, generates value and encourages data sharing is surely better than full ownership of a solution that nobody trusts.

There are many challenges ahead. The perfect business models for blockchain are far from being agreed. One thing if for certain, though – if you want to compete with the incumbents, collaboration is essential. It is, ultimately, what blockchains are all about.

Source link http://bit.ly/2SbPJ7N

[courtneyvbrooks87]

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

The level of innovation over the past century has been unprecedented. As each new discovery or invention gives birth to hundreds of spin-off products or services, the competitive landscape becomes more crowded and cut-throat. What represents opportunity for the entrepreneur is a threat for the incumbent and both need to adapt to remain in the game.

Competition is built into the fabric of society, but then again so is a sense of community. It is through the notion of trust that they are reconciled. According to Dunbar, 150 is the maximum number of stable relationships any single individual can maintain before rules and norms need to be enforced to broker the trust required. Building a global business clearly mandates the use of these rules.

Finding ways to trust, particularly at a distance, is tricky. This is perhaps why the world is so excited about blockchains. Distributed consensus through clever cryptography and economic incentives, orchestrated by an impartial protocol is a tantalising prospect. As much as it is promising, it is conceivably frightening too. Trust in the code is easier said than done. After all, computers are as fallible as the humans that program them. The DAO showed us just how vulnerable immutable code can be, and the various blockchain forks illustrate the fragility of consensus. So how can we build a future where power is distributed, trust assumed, that nurtures individual aspirations and also serves society at large?

A fascinating infographic was making its way around LinkedIn not too long ago. Essentially, it was a summary of the blockchain world as it currently exists. The punch line (perhaps not surprisingly) is that, of the many decentralised solutions being developed, almost all appear to be either funded or owned by the big financial players from the non-blockchain world. Presumably some detective work was required to make these assertions and I have not personally verified the accuracy of the claims, but I can believe it to be true. It makes sense for the occupants in power to protect their dominion. Ethics and ideological differences aside, it would be short-sighted to think that anything else would occur. But it does present a conflict which is yet to be resolved.

Many ardent blockchain fans adopt the anarchist view that banks, multinationals and governments need to relinquish their controls. Purportedly the financial crisis and the distrust of bankers prompted Satoshi Nakamoto (the infamous creator(s) of the Bitcoin network) to launch the Genesis block with The Times headline embedded in the first transaction: ‘Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks’.

The frenzy that followed brought insane valuations and several thousand new coins into the market with all the crypto-rebels chanting the death of monopolies and centralised authorities.

It would be naïve to think that anyone would take that lying down – especially the grey-haired suits who had built the empires we see still today.

Roll forward a decade and the likes of BBVA, Barclays, Goldman Sacks, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse and many, many others are trialling blockchain and investing in cryptocurrencies. And if the infographic is to be believed, they are also largely in control of the projects whose aims are to disrupt the status quo that they have designed. Trust in blockchain indeed.

However, without throwing the baby out with the bath water, it is worth considering that blockchain and its relatives may actually be of value in building trust, removing business frictions and help level the playing field. Consider the 2 billion unbanked, the unidentified refugees, the charity funds that get misappropriated and the counterfeit pharmaceuticals which damage the health of humans and companies. Somewhere in the centre – between the oligarchy and the dreamy blockchain democracy, is a happy medium.

Humans have been cycling between centralised and decentralised structures for centuries. Just 20 years ago, the internet promised every aspiring shop-keeper to open a website and take back the market from the big stores that dominated the retail arena. It was a great idea – and Jeff Bezos took full advantage of the new technology. Today, Amazon is no longer an online bookstore but an e-tailing behemoth with, what some might consider, way too much influence and power.

FAGA (Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple) companies are now branching out into healthcare. While many sing the praises of a less expensive, more efficient pharmaceutical delivery service or the ability to share every heartbeat with their family doctor via a watch, others worry about the monopoly, the privacy risk and perhaps the damage done to aspiring entrepreneurs or SMEs. There is little doubt that FAGA-enabled healthcare will be smooth, cheaper and probably save lives. The question is at what cost? Centralising data has its advantages, but it creates an attractive honeypot for hackers and a leverage tool for the oligopolies to command the market as they wish. Do the advantages outweigh the perils? How much do we trust the giants? Recent data breach scandals (and the fact that the business model of some of these giants relies on monetising personal information) only strengthen the need for change.

In steps blockchain and its magical ‘code-is-law’ consensus driven protocol to save the day.

Decentralised, democratised healthcare sounds wonderful: patient-owned and controlled records, granular permissions managed by private keys and a fully transparent audit trail of who did what. Finally, we have a way to get the conflicting stakeholders to work together for the benefit of all. It sounds so attractive in fact, that in 2018 a BIS research report quoted the healthcare blockchain market to be worth $176.8 million and predicted growth to reach a value of $5.61 billion by the end of 2025. The overall digital healthcare market has been predicted to top $379 billion by 2024 and includes Telehealth, the use of AI and other technologies. It is not a big shock, therefore, that FAGA et al. are interested or that droves of aspiring hopefuls present their wares at conferences hoping to get industry leaders to bite.

Who will win? Can blockchain bind organisations together to uproot the almighty incumbents?

It depends on the models of collaboration being offered.

The path to nirvana is inevitably tortuous and long. Technological barriers ignored, the world is yet to settle on whether socialism, capitalism, democracy or benign dictatorships work best for both the individual and the group. So, it is unfair to expect wholesale adoption of a sharing economy because the blockchain code is open-source and distributed.

Some contend that the middle ground lies in the permissioned, semi-trusted private blockchain alternatives such as Hyperledger or Ripple. Others evangelise the censorship-resistant merits of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While each has its own advantages when we consider scalability, speed, security and privacy, healthcare has its own particular constraints when making these choices.

Fundamentally, though, none of these are mature enough to completely convince all organisations to collaborate without reservation. So how can we progress?

The notion that it all comes out in the crypto-economic wash has not been borne out so far by the health tokens in play.  So far, the successes can be measured in single digits and even they are in embryonic stages of development. Perhaps it is simply too early to tell, but the value of tokens being able to create trust is simply not evident.

Extrapolating the value proposition from Bitcoin (borderless, uncensored, peer-to-peer coin ownership transfer) to building widespread business trust is naively optimistic; the number of variables is far too great. And because any form of collaboration usually includes the possibility that business identities and market shares may be jeopardised, Joint Ventures are generally not done on a whim.

Instead, JVs are built on trust which develops over time and with evidence. Parties generally only enter into these agreements after careful due diligence and the presence of the following success factors:

Each party must have something of value to contribute

There needs to be interdependence and complementarity

Trust in one another and a willingness to share are essential

Both parties require formalised relationships to avoid future disputes

Effective communication systems must be in place.

Healthcare blockchain ventures may therefore need to bear this in mind when constructing their solutions. Akin to building a playground and then hoping rival gangs will use the slides and swings together, platform entrepreneurs might prudently consider gaining buy-in from stakeholders beforehand, and then building relationships on-chain one variable at a time.

Co-ownership of a blockchain platform that is used, generates value and encourages data sharing is surely better than full ownership of a solution that nobody trusts.

There are many challenges ahead. The perfect business models for blockchain are far from being agreed. One thing if for certain, though – if you want to compete with the incumbents, collaboration is essential. It is, ultimately, what blockchains are all about.

Source link http://bit.ly/2SbPJ7N

[bobbynolanios88]

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

The level of innovation over the past century has been unprecedented. As each new discovery or invention gives birth to hundreds of spin-off products or services, the competitive landscape becomes more crowded and cut-throat. What represents opportunity for the entrepreneur is a threat for the incumbent and both need to adapt to remain in the game.

Competition is built into the fabric of society, but then again so is a sense of community. It is through the notion of trust that they are reconciled. According to Dunbar, 150 is the maximum number of stable relationships any single individual can maintain before rules and norms need to be enforced to broker the trust required. Building a global business clearly mandates the use of these rules.

Finding ways to trust, particularly at a distance, is tricky. This is perhaps why the world is so excited about blockchains. Distributed consensus through clever cryptography and economic incentives, orchestrated by an impartial protocol is a tantalising prospect. As much as it is promising, it is conceivably frightening too. Trust in the code is easier said than done. After all, computers are as fallible as the humans that program them. The DAO showed us just how vulnerable immutable code can be, and the various blockchain forks illustrate the fragility of consensus. So how can we build a future where power is distributed, trust assumed, that nurtures individual aspirations and also serves society at large?

A fascinating infographic was making its way around LinkedIn not too long ago. Essentially, it was a summary of the blockchain world as it currently exists. The punch line (perhaps not surprisingly) is that, of the many decentralised solutions being developed, almost all appear to be either funded or owned by the big financial players from the non-blockchain world. Presumably some detective work was required to make these assertions and I have not personally verified the accuracy of the claims, but I can believe it to be true. It makes sense for the occupants in power to protect their dominion. Ethics and ideological differences aside, it would be short-sighted to think that anything else would occur. But it does present a conflict which is yet to be resolved.

Many ardent blockchain fans adopt the anarchist view that banks, multinationals and governments need to relinquish their controls. Purportedly the financial crisis and the distrust of bankers prompted Satoshi Nakamoto (the infamous creator(s) of the Bitcoin network) to launch the Genesis block with The Times headline embedded in the first transaction: ‘Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks’.

The frenzy that followed brought insane valuations and several thousand new coins into the market with all the crypto-rebels chanting the death of monopolies and centralised authorities.

It would be naïve to think that anyone would take that lying down – especially the grey-haired suits who had built the empires we see still today.

Roll forward a decade and the likes of BBVA, Barclays, Goldman Sacks, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse and many, many others are trialling blockchain and investing in cryptocurrencies. And if the infographic is to be believed, they are also largely in control of the projects whose aims are to disrupt the status quo that they have designed. Trust in blockchain indeed.

However, without throwing the baby out with the bath water, it is worth considering that blockchain and its relatives may actually be of value in building trust, removing business frictions and help level the playing field. Consider the 2 billion unbanked, the unidentified refugees, the charity funds that get misappropriated and the counterfeit pharmaceuticals which damage the health of humans and companies. Somewhere in the centre – between the oligarchy and the dreamy blockchain democracy, is a happy medium.

Humans have been cycling between centralised and decentralised structures for centuries. Just 20 years ago, the internet promised every aspiring shop-keeper to open a website and take back the market from the big stores that dominated the retail arena. It was a great idea – and Jeff Bezos took full advantage of the new technology. Today, Amazon is no longer an online bookstore but an e-tailing behemoth with, what some might consider, way too much influence and power.

FAGA (Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple) companies are now branching out into healthcare. While many sing the praises of a less expensive, more efficient pharmaceutical delivery service or the ability to share every heartbeat with their family doctor via a watch, others worry about the monopoly, the privacy risk and perhaps the damage done to aspiring entrepreneurs or SMEs. There is little doubt that FAGA-enabled healthcare will be smooth, cheaper and probably save lives. The question is at what cost? Centralising data has its advantages, but it creates an attractive honeypot for hackers and a leverage tool for the oligopolies to command the market as they wish. Do the advantages outweigh the perils? How much do we trust the giants? Recent data breach scandals (and the fact that the business model of some of these giants relies on monetising personal information) only strengthen the need for change.

In steps blockchain and its magical ‘code-is-law’ consensus driven protocol to save the day.

Decentralised, democratised healthcare sounds wonderful: patient-owned and controlled records, granular permissions managed by private keys and a fully transparent audit trail of who did what. Finally, we have a way to get the conflicting stakeholders to work together for the benefit of all. It sounds so attractive in fact, that in 2018 a BIS research report quoted the healthcare blockchain market to be worth $176.8 million and predicted growth to reach a value of $5.61 billion by the end of 2025. The overall digital healthcare market has been predicted to top $379 billion by 2024 and includes Telehealth, the use of AI and other technologies. It is not a big shock, therefore, that FAGA et al. are interested or that droves of aspiring hopefuls present their wares at conferences hoping to get industry leaders to bite.

Who will win? Can blockchain bind organisations together to uproot the almighty incumbents?

It depends on the models of collaboration being offered.

The path to nirvana is inevitably tortuous and long. Technological barriers ignored, the world is yet to settle on whether socialism, capitalism, democracy or benign dictatorships work best for both the individual and the group. So, it is unfair to expect wholesale adoption of a sharing economy because the blockchain code is open-source and distributed.

Some contend that the middle ground lies in the permissioned, semi-trusted private blockchain alternatives such as Hyperledger or Ripple. Others evangelise the censorship-resistant merits of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While each has its own advantages when we consider scalability, speed, security and privacy, healthcare has its own particular constraints when making these choices.

Fundamentally, though, none of these are mature enough to completely convince all organisations to collaborate without reservation. So how can we progress?

The notion that it all comes out in the crypto-economic wash has not been borne out so far by the health tokens in play.  So far, the successes can be measured in single digits and even they are in embryonic stages of development. Perhaps it is simply too early to tell, but the value of tokens being able to create trust is simply not evident.

Extrapolating the value proposition from Bitcoin (borderless, uncensored, peer-to-peer coin ownership transfer) to building widespread business trust is naively optimistic; the number of variables is far too great. And because any form of collaboration usually includes the possibility that business identities and market shares may be jeopardised, Joint Ventures are generally not done on a whim.

Instead, JVs are built on trust which develops over time and with evidence. Parties generally only enter into these agreements after careful due diligence and the presence of the following success factors:

Each party must have something of value to contribute

There needs to be interdependence and complementarity

Trust in one another and a willingness to share are essential

Both parties require formalised relationships to avoid future disputes

Effective communication systems must be in place.

Healthcare blockchain ventures may therefore need to bear this in mind when constructing their solutions. Akin to building a playground and then hoping rival gangs will use the slides and swings together, platform entrepreneurs might prudently consider gaining buy-in from stakeholders beforehand, and then building relationships on-chain one variable at a time.

Co-ownership of a blockchain platform that is used, generates value and encourages data sharing is surely better than full ownership of a solution that nobody trusts.

There are many challenges ahead. The perfect business models for blockchain are far from being agreed. One thing if for certain, though – if you want to compete with the incumbents, collaboration is essential. It is, ultimately, what blockchains are all about.

Source link http://bit.ly/2SbPJ7N

[vanessawestwcrtr5]

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

Blockchain And The Resistance Of Incumbents

The level of innovation over the past century has been unprecedented. As each new discovery or invention gives birth to hundreds of spin-off products or services, the competitive landscape becomes more crowded and cut-throat. What represents opportunity for the entrepreneur is a threat for the incumbent and both need to adapt to remain in the game.

Competition is built into the fabric of society, but then again so is a sense of community. It is through the notion of trust that they are reconciled. According to Dunbar, 150 is the maximum number of stable relationships any single individual can maintain before rules and norms need to be enforced to broker the trust required. Building a global business clearly mandates the use of these rules.

Finding ways to trust, particularly at a distance, is tricky. This is perhaps why the world is so excited about blockchains. Distributed consensus through clever cryptography and economic incentives, orchestrated by an impartial protocol is a tantalising prospect. As much as it is promising, it is conceivably frightening too. Trust in the code is easier said than done. After all, computers are as fallible as the humans that program them. The DAO showed us just how vulnerable immutable code can be, and the various blockchain forks illustrate the fragility of consensus. So how can we build a future where power is distributed, trust assumed, that nurtures individual aspirations and also serves society at large?

A fascinating infographic was making its way around LinkedIn not too long ago. Essentially, it was a summary of the blockchain world as it currently exists. The punch line (perhaps not surprisingly) is that, of the many decentralised solutions being developed, almost all appear to be either funded or owned by the big financial players from the non-blockchain world. Presumably some detective work was required to make these assertions and I have not personally verified the accuracy of the claims, but I can believe it to be true. It makes sense for the occupants in power to protect their dominion. Ethics and ideological differences aside, it would be short-sighted to think that anything else would occur. But it does present a conflict which is yet to be resolved.

Many ardent blockchain fans adopt the anarchist view that banks, multinationals and governments need to relinquish their controls. Purportedly the financial crisis and the distrust of bankers prompted Satoshi Nakamoto (the infamous creator(s) of the Bitcoin network) to launch the Genesis block with The Times headline embedded in the first transaction: ‘Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks’.

The frenzy that followed brought insane valuations and several thousand new coins into the market with all the crypto-rebels chanting the death of monopolies and centralised authorities.

It would be naïve to think that anyone would take that lying down – especially the grey-haired suits who had built the empires we see still today.

Roll forward a decade and the likes of BBVA, Barclays, Goldman Sacks, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse and many, many others are trialling blockchain and investing in cryptocurrencies. And if the infographic is to be believed, they are also largely in control of the projects whose aims are to disrupt the status quo that they have designed. Trust in blockchain indeed.

However, without throwing the baby out with the bath water, it is worth considering that blockchain and its relatives may actually be of value in building trust, removing business frictions and help level the playing field. Consider the 2 billion unbanked, the unidentified refugees, the charity funds that get misappropriated and the counterfeit pharmaceuticals which damage the health of humans and companies. Somewhere in the centre – between the oligarchy and the dreamy blockchain democracy, is a happy medium.

Humans have been cycling between centralised and decentralised structures for centuries. Just 20 years ago, the internet promised every aspiring shop-keeper to open a website and take back the market from the big stores that dominated the retail arena. It was a great idea – and Jeff Bezos took full advantage of the new technology. Today, Amazon is no longer an online bookstore but an e-tailing behemoth with, what some might consider, way too much influence and power.

FAGA (Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple) companies are now branching out into healthcare. While many sing the praises of a less expensive, more efficient pharmaceutical delivery service or the ability to share every heartbeat with their family doctor via a watch, others worry about the monopoly, the privacy risk and perhaps the damage done to aspiring entrepreneurs or SMEs. There is little doubt that FAGA-enabled healthcare will be smooth, cheaper and probably save lives. The question is at what cost? Centralising data has its advantages, but it creates an attractive honeypot for hackers and a leverage tool for the oligopolies to command the market as they wish. Do the advantages outweigh the perils? How much do we trust the giants? Recent data breach scandals (and the fact that the business model of some of these giants relies on monetising personal information) only strengthen the need for change.

In steps blockchain and its magical ‘code-is-law’ consensus driven protocol to save the day.

Decentralised, democratised healthcare sounds wonderful: patient-owned and controlled records, granular permissions managed by private keys and a fully transparent audit trail of who did what. Finally, we have a way to get the conflicting stakeholders to work together for the benefit of all. It sounds so attractive in fact, that in 2018 a BIS research report quoted the healthcare blockchain market to be worth $176.8 million and predicted growth to reach a value of $5.61 billion by the end of 2025. The overall digital healthcare market has been predicted to top $379 billion by 2024 and includes Telehealth, the use of AI and other technologies. It is not a big shock, therefore, that FAGA et al. are interested or that droves of aspiring hopefuls present their wares at conferences hoping to get industry leaders to bite.

Who will win? Can blockchain bind organisations together to uproot the almighty incumbents?

It depends on the models of collaboration being offered.

The path to nirvana is inevitably tortuous and long. Technological barriers ignored, the world is yet to settle on whether socialism, capitalism, democracy or benign dictatorships work best for both the individual and the group. So, it is unfair to expect wholesale adoption of a sharing economy because the blockchain code is open-source and distributed.

Some contend that the middle ground lies in the permissioned, semi-trusted private blockchain alternatives such as Hyperledger or Ripple. Others evangelise the censorship-resistant merits of Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While each has its own advantages when we consider scalability, speed, security and privacy, healthcare has its own particular constraints when making these choices.

Fundamentally, though, none of these are mature enough to completely convince all organisations to collaborate without reservation. So how can we progress?

The notion that it all comes out in the crypto-economic wash has not been borne out so far by the health tokens in play.  So far, the successes can be measured in single digits and even they are in embryonic stages of development. Perhaps it is simply too early to tell, but the value of tokens being able to create trust is simply not evident.

Extrapolating the value proposition from Bitcoin (borderless, uncensored, peer-to-peer coin ownership transfer) to building widespread business trust is naively optimistic; the number of variables is far too great. And because any form of collaboration usually includes the possibility that business identities and market shares may be jeopardised, Joint Ventures are generally not done on a whim.

Instead, JVs are built on trust which develops over time and with evidence. Parties generally only enter into these agreements after careful due diligence and the presence of the following success factors:

Each party must have something of value to contribute

There needs to be interdependence and complementarity

Trust in one another and a willingness to share are essential

Both parties require formalised relationships to avoid future disputes

Effective communication systems must be in place.

Healthcare blockchain ventures may therefore need to bear this in mind when constructing their solutions. Akin to building a playground and then hoping rival gangs will use the slides and swings together, platform entrepreneurs might prudently consider gaining buy-in from stakeholders beforehand, and then building relationships on-chain one variable at a time.

Co-ownership of a blockchain platform that is used, generates value and encourages data sharing is surely better than full ownership of a solution that nobody trusts.

There are many challenges ahead. The perfect business models for blockchain are far from being agreed. One thing if for certain, though – if you want to compete with the incumbents, collaboration is essential. It is, ultimately, what blockchains are all about.

Source link http://bit.ly/2SbPJ7N

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

Ever since I learned that Viktor got into the Academy by pretending to be a student until he impressed Heimerdinger enough to stay, his character arc becomes a lot more clear.

He starts out with sneaking into a university, something that could that could get him arrested but it pays off. He meets a disgraced academic with a theory he likes and is immediately on board with breaking and entering and tampering with evidence on the off chance that this’ll work out, and it does, beyond his wildest dreams. He decides to go visit Zaun in the middle of a blockade and manages to get the Shimmer he needs and not get shot. He does a highly dangerous experiment with the Hexcore, and his leg gets better. He does an even bigger experiment....and his lab assistant gets disintegrated right in front of him, and it becomes clear that the Hexcore has become dangerous and he can’t control it or destroy it.

Viktor’s entire arc through the show (or at least the first season) is him taking larger and larger risks in the name of science and having them pay off against all odds, right up until the moment it doesn’t. It’s a much more interesting story about arrogance than “dumbass says he’s God and gets ironically smote by lightning”, because it happens so naturally and so slowly that you can’t even see it coming until it punches you in the face. It’s not an overblown ego or obvious pride, it’s simple confirmation bias, and it’s vastly more relatable and terrifying in that way.