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duscarasheddinnswriting · 4 years ago

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Claw Game Team bio

Names: Xeno, Plopper, Taterman, Rexy, Pingyuwin

Role: Complete set of prizes from the Toy Claw; toys in the Williams house neutral to the battle royale

Age: Manufactured during or after 2005 (I haven’t decided when Action Figure Battle Royale takes place)

Height: Less than a foot each

Species: Living toy (all of them; Xeno and Pingyuwin are squeaky toys of a little green man and a penguin, respectively, Plopper is a piggy bank, Taterman is, well, a Taterman toy, and Rexy is a plastic T. Rex)

Personality: Due to all being won from the same Toy Claw, which was at a Rolly’s that the Williams family frequents, all five of them feel a special kinship towards each other. They did not form this while all in the crane, as they were each won during different visits, and none of them were in the claw machine at the same time. They have quite different personalities from the ones on the big screen.

Abilities: All five of them can become inanimate or animate at will, and they choose the former out of instinct when a human knows they’re there.

Xeno is a squeaky toy, so he can be squeezed without feeling pain. In fact, he likes it.

Plopper is a piggy bank, so he is hollow on the inside and can store coins, though getting them out is hard on purpose. Due to the nature of his toy functions, his head can unscrew, though both his head and body are still alive and can reattach easily.

Taterman can move his plastic potato body by rolling it, and he can choose to either move an individual part of him or coordinate them for normal movement. Each Toy Claw Taterman was manufactured as a potato body and matching accessories, so the single soul that is each Taterman can control each one, the potato body, and even the accessories that aren’t attached to him independently and always knows the location of every part. In the Toy Claw, each Taterman has all of his parts stored inside his Potatush storage compartment. This is so that winning them has less risk of losing parts in the process. The eyes, ears, nose, and mouth can see, hear, smell, and taste, respectively, and they function even if taken off. Taterman’s arms aren’t molded in a pose.

Rexy has a strong bite, though due to natural laws, he physically cannot harm a human with it. His arms, though small, are very powerful to compensate, and unlike a real T. Rex, they have three fingers.

Pingyuwin is another squeaky toy and can be squeezed without feeling pain, and it too feels good to him. Unlike what he is based on, his squeaker works.

Toy Claw Info: A Toy Claw is a claw machine in the shape of a rocket. They are popular enough that every arcade chain in the US has at least one in at least one location. They are not as rigged as most claw machines, but the trouble lies in the weight of several of the prizes. They debuted in arcades in 2005, though they were made as a tie-in to a 1995 movie, the world’s first feature-length film rendered in 100% CGI and the debut of Mixar Animation Studios, which later became a division of Dipney, who helped with Mixar’s films before then. They were made for the tenth anniversary of that movie. Here is the breakdown of what a fully stocked Space Crane has for its prizes:

Little green men (what Xeno is): 50%

Piggy bank (what Plopper is): 12.5%

Taterman (movie design): 12.5%

Green T. Rex toy (What Rexy is): 12.5%

Penguin squeaky toy (What Pingyuwin is): 12.5%

The Williams family has two Tatermen. The one they won from the Toy Claw is single, while the other one, bought in a Bullseye, is married to a Taterwoman also bought in that same Bullseye. That Taterwoman is not designed like the one from the movie.

Out of universe, they are a reference to “The Claw!” game included on Disc 2 of the Toy Story 10th Anniversary Edition 2005 DVD. I have that specific DVD, and I admit that I spent way more time on that game as a kid than I probably should have. Disc 2 is the bonus disc, and in that claw game, you can get an Alien, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, and Wheezy. Buzz and Woody are not there because the former is a high-end toy (at least in universe) and the latter is an extremely rare collectible from the 1950s (as revealed in Toy Story 2), neither of which are likely to be found in a claw machine because of those reasons.

Xeno is supposed to be one of the Aliens from Pizza Planet. The ones in the Toy Claw, including him, are based on the Toy Story Signature Collection Aliens. However, the ones in the Toy Claw all have squeakers.

Plopper is supposed to be Hamm, and I based him off of a Disney Store toy that was quite accurate, but was discontinued because it was fragile, being made of porcelain. The toy model in my story has the same mold, but is made out of hard plastic that is far more durable. I got the name Plopper from The Simpsons Movie, where Homer calls the pig he takes home with him “Harry Plopper” at one point after having referred to him as “Spider Pig” earlier on because he helped the pig walk on the ceiling.

The specific Taterman that these Toy Claws keep in stock, including the one the Williams family owns, all use the Toy Story design of Mr. Potato Head. I based him off of a custom one that is quite authentic to the movie, having eyes and shoes that go in separate holes, detailed ear molds, and eyebrows molded into each eye. They look quite good, but as the separate parts could be dangerous to kids under 4 years old, there is a warning molded on the Potatush saying not to give it to anyone that young.

Rexy is supposed to be Rex, mostly resembling the Toy Story Collection real-world toy of him. However, mine has no electronic components nor a voice box, so he does not take batteries. This also makes him less impressive, but cheaper to mass produce. The head, arms, and tail can be moved freely but stay in place when not touched.

Pingyuwin is supposed to be Wheezy. I based mine off of a custom one made by kop378454505. I know there is an official one, but the custom one has a louder squeaker, so I went with that. Their squeakers also all work by default, which I know is less authentic to the one in the movie, but I don’t think kids would understand that, so they would be disappointed when their squeaky penguins didn’t work. I named him after the way Dr. Blowhole from the Dreamworks TV series The Penguins of Madagascar says the word “penguin.”

I decided that the kids of the Williams family named their toys differently from the ones in the movie because they were too young at the time to understand their real names. After years of being referred to by the wrong names, they all accepted it.

Read the only story to have these toys in it, Action Figure Battle Royale, with these links:

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30466935/chapters/75127953

DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/duscara/gallery/74952731/action-figure-battle-royale

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/264799683-action-figure-battle-royale

FictionPress: https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3355621/1/Action-Figure-Battle-Royale

#i forgot to post this #it was for yesterday

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glitterycoffeeinfluencer · 2 years ago

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What are the Advantages of X Metaverse Pro Cloud Mining?

With the development of cryptocurrency, mining, as one of the powerful ways to acquire digital currency, has been gaining popularity in the investment circle.

Cloud mining is undoubtedly “special” in the cryptocurrency market, why is it?

First of all, it is an investment with low risk and stable return, which is rare in the fluctuant cryptocurrency market. Users can share the dividends of the market like buying financial products. For this reason, cloud mining has quickly become one of the first choices for newbies and one of the portfolio configurations for veterans.

Cloud mining only rents out hashpower, so there are no tedious steps of “buying mining rigs — deploying mining rigs — setting up mining rigs”. Just two steps are needed, “placing an order — getting revenue”. The whole process is done online, which is convenient and fast, and the investment credit is very flexible.

In regard to the market environment, although the hashpower of mainstream currencies such as BTC has been historical high, the same happens in coin prices. Miners’ incomes are substantial, and the market has been greatly encouraged. Cloud mining is rapidly expanding its market as a staple in the cloud services industry.

The demand for new miners is increasing, and more and more cloud mining platforms are emerging. However, most of the platforms still have the disadvantages of opaque data, lack of supervision, lack of control and flexibility, which are in desperate need of a solution.

With the spirit of innovation, X Metaverse Pro has attracted a large number of users as soon as it went live. It is leading the industry in terms of market usage frequency, customer loyalty and repurchase rates.

So what are the advantages of X Metaverse Pro cloud mining? Why is it so trusted and fascinating?

X Metaverse Pro cloud mining boasts four core advantages.

First, X Metaverse Pro has mining farms that enables 100% hashpower with security assurance.

X Metaverse Pro has set up professional mining farms in many countries and regions around the world, including the United States, Uzbekistan, Russia, Iran, Cambodia and some African countries and more. It also has abundant mining pool resources.

Hashpower is traceable. The operations of mining farms and mining rigs are traceable with the hashpower contract. Hashpower power data is accessible in third-party mining pools to ensure that the user can learn the size and fluctuation of the hashpower of the order in real time.

The mining base is equipped with a professional technical team to maintain and operate around the clock to ensure a smooth mining experience for users. It is reported that the X Metaverse Pro mining ecology is still under continuous construction, with thousands of new miners and exponential growth.

Secondly, the mining threshold of X Metaverse Pro cloud mining is low, neither mining rigs nor technical experience are required.

Using X Metaverse Pro platform, users do not need to buy expensive mining machines, nor do they need to deeply understand the mining knowledge. They can participate in mining with a single click, and they can participate with a minimum of 1000U and enjoy the rights and interests in real time. And all these measures directly help users save the time of learning and the cost of operating and maintenance. Individual users and novices can mine in a low-cost, high-efficiency way, with no investment risks.

Third, the cloud mining model has a flexible contract mechanism that provides users with a variety of hashpower contracts while effectively guaranteeing their stable earnings.

X Metaverse Pro platform supports the mining of mainstream currencies, including BTC, with precise operational capabilities. It offers a variety of 120/180/240/360-day hashpower contracts for users to choose from, which makes cloud mining more flexible.

Finally, X Metaverse Pro’s funding source is safe, and all processes are open and fair, and the revenue data will be directly uploaded to the chain.

X Metaverse Pro provides users with the best product prices and mining returns. It also boasts excellent ability in asset management. It focuses on sustainability and innovation. After the user places an order with one click, the whole process will be contracted by X Metaverse Pro’s independent mining farms or mining pool, and the funds do not pass through the platform. The user’s mining revenue is directly returned to the investor by the mining pool on a regular basis, and the revenue payment information can be directly uploaded to the chain, which greatly ensures the safety of the user’s assets.

At a time when cloud services are popular, the key point to X Metaverse Pro is how to open up the whole industry line of cloud mining. X Metaverse Pro is not limited to being a cryptocurrency mining platform, but focuses on the whole industry. After updating and iterating on the product form and performance, X Metaverse Pro will link professional mining farms, mining pools and other resources to create an integrated mining ecology, and this paradigm has become a benchmark for safe and compliant cloud services worldwide. X Metaverse Pro is committed to providing one-stop services for different customers.

#metaverse #x metaverse pro #cloud mining #mining

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primorcoin · 3 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://primorcoin.com/singapore-myanmar-investco-purchases-800-mining-rigs-firm-plans-to-offer-mining-services-mining-bitcoin-news/

Singapore Myanmar Investco Purchases 800 Mining Rigs, Firm Plans to Offer Mining Services – Mining Bitcoin News

On August 24, the investment and management company, Singapore Myanmar Investco Limited (SMI), revealed the company is entering the bitcoin mining industry as it has ordered 800 mining rigs to be delivered to Southeast Asia. The move follows a number of firms pivoting toward digital currency mining.

Singapore Myanmar Investco Pivots Toward Bitcoin Mining

In 2021, a number of firms from Asia have been pivoting toward offering blockchain services and operating mining facilities. For instance, Bitcoin.com News has reported on firms like China-based gaming and internet company, The9, and its decision to move into the bitcoin mining sector.

Alongside this, the U.S. publicly-listed Chinese sports lottery firm 500.com re-branded into a crypto company this year. Now Singapore Myanmar Investco (SMI) is joining the trend as the company has ordered 800 bitcoin mining rigs. SMI is an investment and management company that’s listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. The firm believes in digital currency mining and wants to increase mining accessibility.

“This is significant progress for SMI as we move towards technology-based SaaS businesses and help increase access to cryptocurrency mining for retail customers while generating substantial shareholder value,” Mark Bedingham, president and CEO of SMI explained in the announcement.

SMI to Offer Three Mining Services: Buy, Lease, and Fractional Time-Based Ownership

According to the announcement, SMI has plans to order up to 4,000 bitcoin mining machines. The disclosure does not detail what brand SMI has chosen or the type of model the company is using to dedicate hashrate toward the Bitcoin blockchain. While SMI traditionally focused on travel, fashion retail, food and beverage products, auto services, construction services, logistics, and supply chain concepts, the company revealed the shift toward crypto solutions in June.

Essentially, SMI says it wants to offer crypto solutions as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providing these solutions to both retail and institutional clients. The announcement notes that once the services are in place, customers can buy mining machines, lease hashrate, or leverage fractional time-based ownership of the mining machines.

What do you think about Singapore Myanmar Investco getting into bitcoin mining in order to make a crypto mining SaaS solution? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Tags in this story

4000 mining machines, 800 mining machines, Bitcoin, Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin mining, BTC, BTC Mining, crypto mining, Mark Bedingham, mining, mining machines, myanmar, SaaS solution, Singapore, Singapore Myanmar Investco, SMI

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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#CryptoMining #CryptoMiningNews #MineBTC

#CryptoMining #CryptoMiningNews #MineBTC #CryptoPress #Mining

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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Secret Base Media Club: Master and Commander and also Venus

An appreciation of Patrick O’Brian’s masterpiece, plus some VENUS TALK

Book: Master and Commander

In the first scene of Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander, Jack Aubrey meets Stephen Maturin at a concert. The two are destined to become lifelong friends, so naturally they hate one another immediately, and Lt. Aubrey goes home idly contemplating Dr. Maturin’s demise. From such unpromising beginnings emerge one of the most notable pairings in literary history.

The Aubrey-Maturin series is not short of evangelists. It has been turned into a pretty good movie. It would make an incredible television show. The books are action packed, the characters incisively drawn, and the dialogue is incredible. This exchange from the first chapter of Master and Commander, for instance, is seared into my memory:

’What is Catalan?’

’Why, the language of Catalonia – of the islands, of the whole of the Mediterranean coast down to Alicante and beyond. Of Barcelona. Of Lerida. All the richest part of the peninsula.’

’You astonish me. I had no notion of it. Another language, sir? But I dare say it is much the same thing – a putain, as they say in French.’

’Oh no, nothing of the kind – not like at all. A far finer language. More learned, more literary. Much nearer the Latin. And by the by, I believe the word is patois, sir, if you will allow me.’

’Patois – just so. Yet I swear the other is a word: I learnt it somewhere,’ said Jack.

In a later book, Aubrey commands HMS Leopard, an obsolete 50-gun ‘tweener that’s neither fit to be called a battleship nor blessed with the sailing qualities of a frigate. The Leopard is carrying prisoners to Australia much to the captain’s annoyance, and as a result is depopulated by gaol fever. Then she meets the Waakzaamheid, a 74-gun Dutch definitely-a-battleship, and the pair embark on a hellish chase through weeks of terrible South Atlantic seas. It’s an action sequence which can stand up to pretty much anything in fiction, invariably mentioned by anyone writing fondly of O’Brian.

But what really strikes me about his work is less what happens in the books, action sequence or not, and more the stratum upon which it’s all built. Two things, I think, distinguish O’Brian: his ferocious erudition and his sense of humor. The former manifests itself in the painstakingly elaborate re-construction of life in the Regency-era Royal Navy.

The series is utterly unrelenting in its willingness to immerse you in its world, which means that you’re going to learn more about, say, rigging than you ever thought plausible. This is a little intimidating, but worth it. O’Brian is so good at world-building that whenever I read him he starts invading my brain: I end up dreaming about rigging and I’m credibly informed my vocabulary changes too.

O’Brian is also very funny. He delights in inflicting animals of various sorts upon Aubrey. Maturin bringing a beehive into the captain’s cabin of the HMS Lively is amusing enough out of context; once you’ve spent a couple of books with these people Jack’s indignation is magnificent. The willingness to peel off into a joke at any moment gives O’Brian’s world a humane varnish, and while the whole edifice can sometimes creak over the demands of sustaining tension through a 20-book series, Master and Commander and its sequels are worth revisiting over and over again. So I do.

Youtube: Crash Course Astronomy

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My four-year-old son loves these videos, and frankly I wish Crash Course had been around when I was growing up. They do all sorts of shows, diving deep into subjects like chemistry, history, mythology, etc. But his favourite (and mine) are Phil Plait’s series on astronomy.

It’s a little out of date now that Dawn has hit up Ceres and, more importantly, New Horizons has done its flyby of Pluto and Arrokoth, but Dr. Plait does a fantastic job making astronomy accessible to anyone who’s interested. His combination of light-hearted thoroughness plus his sense of the sheer grandeur of his subject makes the episodes extremely watchable.

Plus I’m learning new things! The idea that the molten Earth ‘cooked’ the near side of the moon, causing material to move to the cooler far side, was definitely not around when I was a kid first encountering astronomy, and I don’t think I’d ever heard a good explanation for the presence of spiral arms in galaxies until now either.

Anyway, I embedded the Venus episode in particular because Venus has been in the news recently, and Dr. Plait — who runs the Bad Astronomy Blog at SyFy — is worth reading on it. Basically, astronomers have detected a gas called phosphine in minute amounts in the Venusian atmosphere, and none of the atmospheric models explain how it could have gotten there. One plausible mechanism is biological life. That doesn’t mean we have Found Life On Venus by any means, but what it does mean is that there is a lot of cool science to be done to figure out what’s going on there.

Astronomical mysteries are fun mysteries. I can’t wait to see what we find out.

This is Secret Base Media Club. Every Wednesday, a member of Secret Base staff will talk about what they’re reading and anything else they happen to be enjoying. Feel free to join in the conversation or start your own — books, movies, music, tv shows, sports (hah!) are all fair game.

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cryptocoingrowth · 5 years ago

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Mining Giant Canaan Faces Stiff Competition After IPO Shares Slump

On November 21, the Chinese mining rig manufacturer Canaan Inc. launched its initial public offering (IPO) sale of $90 million worth of U.S. shares. Canaan shares initially sold for $8.99, but plummeted over 48% on December 16 to $4.65 per share. Since then, Canaan has launched a series of five new mining rig batches that process between 48 terahash per second (TH/s) to 68TH/s for January and February delivery periods. Canaan stock sold on the Nasdaq Global Market has also managed to jump back 39% since the significant plunge in mid-December. Also Read: 2019’s Bitcoin Miners Are 5x Faster Than Predecessors

Canaan’s IPO Shares Lost 48% But Have Regained Much of the Losses in 2020

Months ago, three giant mining rig firms from China, Bitmain, Canaan, and Ebang, failed to IPO on the primary stock exchange in Hong Kong. Then Canaan surprised everyone when the mining rig manufacturer filed for its initial public stock offering in October with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Following the IPO filing by Canaan, rumors have been circulating that both Ebang and Bitmain are filing for IPO status in the U.S. as well. Canaan’s stock is called CAN (NASDAQ: CAN) and the shares were added to Nasdaq on November 21 with a standard opening ceremony. During the first day of trading, CAN lost a few pennies per share, but then dropped 7.68% on November 23rd’s trading sessions. By mid-December Canaan’s public shares were down 48% before regaining some ground.

Canaan’s shares jumped from an all-time low of $4.65 on December 16 to rise 11% the very next day. However, after another day of trading on Nasdaq, CAN dropped even lower to $4.63 a share. Canaan’s stock has been seemingly following BTC’s market footsteps and the stock value started to rise alongside BTC’s gradual climb. On January 9, CAN was trading for $6.49 per share and the stock is up 6% today. Market observers can’t pinpoint exactly why Canaan’s stock slumped during its first month out of the gate but it’s not uncommon for nascent shares to slide. However, speculators think that the CAN stock will follow alongside BTC’s price movements and have noted that Canaan has stiff competition. Following the IPO, Canaan has released a total of five high-powered bitcoin miners with 48-68TH/s. Chinese mining rig competitors like Bitmain and Innosilicon have also released a number of miners in the wake of Canaan’s initial IPO upset.

Canaan Creative’s February mining rig batch.

Canaan Reveals January and February Mining Rig Batches Aiming to Compete With Other Market Leaders

Canaan’s store is now selling February batches of the new Avalonminer 1166 series (68TH/s) at $1,978 per unit. The next generation Avalonminer is roughly the same price as Innosilicon’s Terminator 3+ Pro 67TH/s machine at $1,999 per unit. Canaan also has a lower model machine, the Avalonminer 1146 ($1,204 per unit with 56TH/s), as both the 1166 and 1146 are scheduled for February delivery. Now Canaan patrons can purchase miners that will deliver in January as the company is selling three versions of the Avalonminer 1066 series. These three miners process between 48-50TH/s and sell for $1,032 to $1,075 per unit. However, Bitmain shoppers can get January shipping for mining rigs that produce between 40-64TH/s and prices are a couple hundred less.

Canaan’s competitor Bitmain is selling a 70TH/s machine with a February shipping date. If a customer wanted to wait the same timeframe for the Avalonminer 1166 series (68TH/s) but purchase Bitmain’s Antminer S17+ (70TH/s) they would save $323 per unit. Miners should also keep in mind that the Avalonminer 1166 takes around 3196W off the wall, while the Antminer S17+ takes 2800W. That’s a reference power efficiency difference of 40 joules per terahash (J/TH) for the Antminer S17+ to the 47J/TH for Canaan 68TH/s model.

Innosilicon has 67TH/s machines for sale right now ($1,999) on a first paid, first serve basis. The price is $21 more than Canaan’s Avalonminer 1166 series ($1,978 per unit with 68TH/s). The Avalonminer 1166 power consumption is similar to Innosilicon’s Terminator 3+ Pro 67TH/s device which uses 3300W. Another competitor Canaan has to deal with is the Chinese firm Microbt which is selling the Whatsminer M21S ($1,299 per unit with 56TH/s). Microbt recently slashed the M21S price after initially charging $1,749 per mining rig and the company claims items ship 1-2 business days after the payment is settled.

Microbt’s best model right now claims 56TH/s and is $1,299 per unit. Whatsminers leverage Samsung’s 8nm semiconductors. The rising BTC prices might help Canaan’s shares sell better, but as far as manufacturing sales, the company has stiff competition. All of the Chinese mining rig manufacturers seem to be well-stocked with devices and are betting on investors ‘arming their farms’ with high-powered miners. Canaan’s public shares, however, could help the company a touch longer if the bull run doesn’t happen right away. Right now as far as 50TH/s to 70TH/s next-generation miners are concerned, there’s a high supply thanks to Canaan, Bitmain, Innosilicon, and Microbt. Out of all the competitors, Bitmain and Canaan have more choices as far as the mining rigs available for people looking for hashrates between 40-70TH/s. What do you think about Canaan’s public stock performance over the last month? What do you think about Canaan’s new mining rigs and the stiff competition the company faces? Let us know what you think about this topic in the comments section below. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation, endorsement, or sponsorship of any products, mining rigs, services, mining rig manufacturers or companies. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any ideas, software, mining rigs, mining rig manufacturers, websites, concepts, content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Image credits: Shutterstock, Canaan, Bitmain, Microbt, Innosilicon, Wiki Commons, Fair Use, and Pixabay. Did you know you can earn BTC and BCH through Bitcoin Mining? If you already own hardware, connect it to our powerful Bitcoin mining pool. If not, you can easily get started through one of our flexible Bitcoin cloud mining contracts. The post Mining Giant Canaan Faces Stiff Competition After IPO Shares Slump appeared first on Bitcoin News.Original Article - Bitcoin.com Read the full article

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kimkimparas-blog · 7 years ago

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Why is oil’s cost is as important as it’s price?

1.Research on various aspects of oil location and available amounts, the effect of oil on oil-rich developing countries, oil as an international point of contention, and environment concerns. (S-23)

This article examines contrasting claims made by scholars of oil and politics that oil wealth either tends (1) to undermine regime durability or (2) to enhance it. Using cross-sectional time-series data from 107 developing states between 1960 and 1999, I test the effects of oil wealth on regime failure, political protests, and civil war. I find that oil wealth is robustly associated with increased regime durability, even when controlling for repression, and with lower likelihoods of civil war and antistate protest. I also find that neither the boom nor bust periods exerted any significant effect on regime durability in the states most dependent on exports, even while those states saw more protests during the bust. In short, oil wealth has generally increased the durability of regimes, and repression does not account for this effect.

2.Share findings. What fields of study you have to pursue to learn about oil and its effects on people? (S-1)

geology-are the field of study to learn about oil. you’ll study about (oil, mining, environmental, engineering)

3.Why is oil important to people? Would people have agreed with you in the 1600s? 1800s? 1900s? Find times in history where the importance of oil changed. Why did it change? (S-13)

the 19th century was a period of great change and rapid industrialization. The iron and steel industry spawned new construction materials, the railroads connected the country and the discovery of oil provided a new source of fuel. The discovery of the Spindletop geyser in 1901 drove huge growth in the oil industry. Within a year, more than 1,500 oil companies had been chartered, and oil became the dominant fuel of the 20th century and an integral part of the American economy. Settlers used oil as an illuminant for medicine, and as grease for wagons and tools.Rock oil distilled from shale became available as kerosene even before the Industrial Revolution began. While traveling in Austria, John Austin, a New York merchant, observed an effective, cheap oil lamp and made a model that upgraded kerosene lamps. Soon the U.S. rock oil industry boomed as whale oil increased in price owing to the growing scarcity of that mammal. Samuel Downer, Jr., an early entrepreneur, patented “Kerosene” as a trade name in 1859 and licensed its usage. As oil production and refining increased, prices collapsed, which became characteristic of the industry.

4.Explore the significance of owning oil deposits. Consider Saudi Arabia. Would all Saudis agree about the importance of oil? Why oil is so important to Saudi Arabia? How has it affected their culture? Find other countries which have been affected by oil to that extent. Look at countries with a great deal of oil as well as those with very little oil. (S-17)

Saudi Arabia was the oil-producing country that pursued an active, even aggressive, policy designed to shape the global oil market. In the first round, oil prices went up three-fold, though not further, thanks to Saudi efforts. In the second instance, to recapture lost market share, Riyadh instigated a price war that resulted in a severe drop in prices. Saudi Arabia could fill this role because of its unrivaled position in the world oil market, one that resulted from a combination of factors: huge production capabilities, a moderate pricing policy, the size of its reserves, and its relations with the West. the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia caused a dramatic increase in the revenue of the country. Saudi Arabia’s newfound wealth was exploited to serve the political and economic needs of an opportunistic Islamic monarchy, while the concerns and rights of its subjects were consistently cast to the wayside. Through a global trade network, Saudi Arabia found great prosperity at the cost of sacrificing its founding principles.

5. Discuss differences in oil use among several countries and discuss the causes for and implications of these differences. Why does this country use so much (so little) oil? How does that affect that country? Its citizens? Its relationships to other countries?. (S-35)

The United States

The United States, the world’s biggest oil consuming country, consumed 18.5 million barrels of oil per day (mbd) in 2012, which accounted for nearly 20% of the world’s total oil consumption per day. The highest level of oil consumption in US history was 20.8mbd, which occurred in 2005. Consumption has since been declining, however, and the nation consumed 2.3% less oil in 2012 compared to the previous year.This decline in oil consumption during recent years is attributed to increased natural gas production and consumption, and the use of more fuel-efficient vehicles.The US is a net importer of oil, but its oil imports declined from 12.4mbd in 2005 to 7.4mbd in 2012 as its total oil production steadily increased from 8.3mbd in 2005 to 11.1mbd in 2012.

China

China’s oil consumption stood at 10.3mbd in 2012, accounting for about 11.7% of the world’s total oil consumption making it the second biggest oil consumer after the US. China’s oil consumption has more than doubled since 2000 and the consumption in 2012 increased by five percent compared to the previous year. China is also the second biggest oil importing country in the world currently and its net oil imports have steadily climbed up from 3.43mbd in 2008 to 5.86mbd in 2012. China’s total oil production during the period increased from 4mbd to 4.4mbd and the country is likely to surpass the US as the biggest oil importing country in the near future.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, the sixth biggest oil consuming country, consumed 2.86mbd of oil in 2012, accounting for about 3.1% of the world’s total oil consumption per day. Average daily oil consumption in 2012 increased by 3.9% compared to the previous year, the highest level seen in the last 30 years.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest oil producer and exporter in the world and also holds the second biggest proven oil reserves in the world. The country’s total oil production increased from 9.8mbd in 2009 to 11.7mbd in 2012, while net oil exports during the period increased from 7.62mbd to 8.86mbd. More than half of Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports go to the Far East Asian countries.

6.What reasons are there to lessen or end our dependence on oil? What reasons are there against doing so? What problem does use of oil cause? Who are affected? How? Who are helped? Harmed? Who would be hurt if we shift to using other kinds of energy? How could everyone’s needs be met? How would you solve the problems caused by extensive use of oil? (S-25)

there are reasons on why we should lessen our depedence on oil, because people want money,and money causes wars on oil because one country want to be rich. yes it helps people, Oil spills into rivers, bays, and the ocean most often are caused by accidents involving tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, drilling rigs, and storage facilities. Spills can be caused by: people making mistakes or being careless.

7.How has oil affected our foreign policy? Which oil-rich countries are our friends? Enemies? Neither? Why? How should we treat countries that supply us with oil? What if they cut off their supply of oil to us? (S-35)

United States foreign policy in the Middle East has its roots as early as the Barbary Wars in the first years of the U.S.'s existence, but became much more expansive after World War II. American policy during the Cold War tried to prevent Soviet Union influence by supporting anti-communist regimes and backing Israelagainst Soviet-sponsored Arab countries. The U.S. also came to replace the United Kingdom as the main security patron of the Persian Gulf states in the 1960s and 1970s, working to ensure a stable flow of Gulf oil.[1] Since the 9/11 attacks of 2001, U.S. policy has included an emphasis on counter-terrorism. The U.S. has diplomatic relations with all countries in the Middle East except for Iran, whose 1979 revolutionbrought to power a staunchly anti-American regime.

8.What are other significant questions on the topic “oil”? How could we further our research on it ? (S-5)

like how oil effects the lives of people? how important is oil in other countries? reading books, watching documentary.

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primorcoin · 3 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://primorcoin.com/higher-bitcoin-prices-create-resurrection-of-old-mining-rigs-outdated-miners-see-new-life-mining-bitcoin-news/

Higher Bitcoin Prices Create Resurrection of Old Mining Rigs, Outdated Miners See New Life – Mining Bitcoin News

The price of bitcoin has dipped a hair in value this past week, but the crypto asset is still up 14.4% over the course of the last month. Statistics show that Bitcoin’s hashrate has seen a resurgence and because bitcoin’s price has increased, mining profitability and hashrate has followed suit. Today’s top bitcoin mining rig is Microbt’s Whatsminer M30S++ (112 TH/s) but with higher bitcoin profits, older machines like Bitmain’s Antminer S9 have seen a revival as every S9 model is profitable today.

New Generation Models Rake in $20 to $29 per Day

The end of August is approaching and over the last month, bitcoin (BTC) prices have increased a great deal. Currently, BTC is over 14% higher in value than it was 30 days ago and this has elevated mining rig profitability.

At the time of writing, there’s 124 exahash per second (EH/s) of SHA256 hashrate dedicated to the BTC chain. BTC’s hashrate has risen dramatically after sliding to a low of 69 EH/s on June 28, 2021. Today’s BTC prices mean that a great majority of mining rigs are showing profits even after subtracting the cost of electricity and dealing with today’s mining difficulty.

Statistics via asicminervalue.com on Monday, August 30, 2021.

As mentioned above, the 112 terahash per second (TH/s) model crafted by Microbt, the Whatsminer M30S++, is currently profiting by $28.77 with an electrical cost of around $0.12 per kilowatt hour (kWh). Most bitcoin miners today spend much less than $0.12 per kWh if they are located in regions with cheap power.

The second most profitable mining machine today is Bitmain’s Antminer S19 Pro (110TH/s) as the mining rig can get up to $28.72 per day in profits using the same electrical cost rate. Microbt and Bitmain manufacture the most profitable bitcoin miners on the market today, and the firm Canaan’s products follow behind the two manufacturing giants.

Old Miners Become Profitable Again

Of course, new generation application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) models with the latest semiconductors can see daily profits mining BTC between $10 to $25 per day if they are using 100 TH/s units down to 50 TH/s units. If the $0.12 per kWh is cut in half to $0.06 then a great number of rigs can make close to double these rates.

It also means older ASIC machines are profitable today as machines that process less than 50 terahash can pull in small fractions of daily BTC. For instance, the Innosilicon T2 Turbo with 25 TH/s can get around $3 per day using today’s BTC exchange rates and $0.12 per kWh.

Bitmain S9 statistics via asicminervalue.com on Monday, August 30, 2021.

The old GMO B2 miner that launched in 2018 with 24 TH/s can make around $2.69 per day in profits. At $0.12 per kWh, the Canaan Avalonminer 921 processes around 20 TH/s, and an owner of this rig can get $2.03 per day. Bitmain’s popular mining rig the S9 at one time was estimated to power around 70% of the BTC hashrate.

Bitmain’s S9 models saw a resurrection in November 2020 and this month, all S9 models are once again profitable. In fact, they are more profitable than they were back in November 2020, when S9 models made between $0.10 to $0.59 per day in profits.

On August 30, 2021, using today’s BTC exchange rate and electrical consumption of around $0.12 per kWh, S9 models between 11.5 TH/s to 16 TH/s can get around $0.74 to $1.85 per day. Of course, the 16-terahash Bitmain Antminer S9 SE is the most profitable S9 model. Other older mining models produced by companies like Bitfury, Bitfily, Ebang, Halong, and more, are seeing profits at today’s BTC prices.

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) block statistics via Coin Dance on Monday, August 30, 2021.

Moreover, one would think that the best SHA256 coin to mine is BTC but on Monday, SHA256 blockchains such as Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoinsv (BSV), and Ecash (XEC) are seeing higher mining profits. Coin Dance statistics show that it is currently 2.9% more profitable to mine bitcoin cash (BCH) today, and 11.3% more profitable to mine on the Bitcoinsv (BSV) blockchain. Ecash (formally BCHA or Bitcoin ABC) is 10.7% more profitable to mine than bitcoin (BTC) on Monday.

What do you think about the resurgence of profitability with older bitcoin miners? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Tags in this story

$0.12 per kWh, ASIC miners, ASICs, Bitcoin Miners, Bitfily, BitFury, Bitmain, Canaan, Ebang, electrical consumption, Electricity, Exahash, gmo, Halong, Hashpower, Hashrate, Innosilicon, Microbt, mining, mining bitcoin, mining rigs, New Miners, old miners, Profitability, Profitibilty, profits, S9, SHA256, Terahash

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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#CryptoMining #CryptoMiningNews #MineBTC #CryptoPress #Mining

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aurelliocheek · 5 years ago

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Making Euclidean Skies on my own

Miro Straka, the creator of Euclidean Skies and Euclidean Lands, talks about developing games on his own and gives tips and tricks on a successful game release for solo developers.

Euclidean Skies is a successor to Euclidean Lands, an award-winning turn-based puzzle game that was released on iOS. Both games combine the manipulation of marvelous architecture and turn-based combat to create a beautiful world with mind-bending puzzles. Compared with its predecessor, Euclidean Skies evolves this principle into extremely complex and intricate levels, which ensured its release beyond mobile devices. Euclidean Lands was released in early 2017, received Apple Editors’ choice, and praise from mainstream media, which guaranteed a need for a sequel. Euclidean Skies was released in late 2018 on iOS and early 2019 on Steam, where it merged both games together for a more extended experience.

I am not a game developer I was born in 1990 in Slovakia, studied architecture in Vienna, during which time I’ve developed Euclidean Lands. I went to school, then to work, then home to work on the game, and I did that pretty much every day. My girlfriend lived in Prague at that time, and the apartment I was renting did not have an internet connection. I think these two factors were the biggest boosters of my productivity, and without these conditions, I would have never finished Euclidean Lands. The other push towards a successful release came when I signed with a publisher because from that point on I had fixed deadlines that I had to meet.

To be clear: I am not a game developer. I have neither programming nor art background, and I did not have any experience with game development before Euclidean Lands. Yet I managed to develop and release two successful videogames, and I want to share my main takeaway from this experience. It might not be helpful or even applicable to all of you, but just maybe it might help someone who is dealing with similar problems I was dealing with over the past couple of years. Let’s start with the actual tips that helped me with the development of both games, keeping my sanity, and surviving the release. I tried to select points that are not too case specific, but rather more of a general approach, with an applied case study.

Euclidean Lands (left) vs. Euclidian Skies – a jump in complexity, gameplay and design.

Focus on your passion I am an architect by trade. This makes me very proficient at designing structures, objects, and hard surface modeling. Euclidean Skies is a game about architecture. I enjoyed designing it tremendously and obsessed about every little detail of geometry, about how shadows fall on the curved surfaces, about how the geometry adapts with every new shape, and million other details that are seemingly unimportant. However, it was essential for me – and it kept my spirits and motivation high during the development. The point is: You should take something you are really passionate about, and make the game about it. Are you into web design? Great, make a game with lots of perfected UI. Motion design? Tight gameplay mechanics? Whatever rocks your boat. If you feel burn out during the development, you can always go back to that favorite part of the game, and make it better, iterate and experiment, until you get excited about the project again.

Acknowledge your weakness and find a way around it I can 3D model pretty good, but I’ve never animated a thing. During early development, I used colored cylinders for the game characters; however, a game with placeholder objects is not presentable. This was at first solved by stationary figures – easy to model, no need to animate, and I had some presentable materials ready. The game is turn-based, so the majority of the time the characters would be still, on in an “idle” animation state. This meant that the poses itself were most important – the transition between them would be barely seen.

Each character has a set of poses; each pose is a unique 3D model. The models get switched during the motion when the character moves from one tile to another, and because the transition is quick, our brain interpolates between the poses. It looks like the characters moved, but really they did not. This also enabled me to have each pose super polished – a rig might produce strange deformations in places, or geometry overlaps, and since the character is stationary a lot, it might be noticed and ruin the polished image of the scenery.

Are you developing alone or perhaps in a small team. Chances are you don’t have everything covered – maybe you aren’t the most celebrated artist, sound designer, or perhaps your programming skills are a bit lacking. It is important to realize where your strengths and weaknesses are, plan accordingly, and turn a problem into a feature, rather than having a half-baked solution. Players would know, trust me, I’ve tried.

Take a break and experiment Sometimes it will be too much. You will not know what to do next, what to fix sooner, how to do it, or why are you even doing it. We have all been there. And yes, it is okay to take a break and recharge. Some of the best parts of Euclidean Skies came when I took a break and did something different for a while – the single-camera across level transitions came into my mind during playing God of War – something I’ve been putting off because I needed to work on the game for a long time. However, this idea reinforced the game’s presence and fluidity, and this small feature changed the user experience and his emotions while playing the game dramatically. Moreover, it would not happen if I didn’t give up a little and let myself have time off from the project. Maybe you should work on a smaller experiment for a while, something to take your mind from the daunting task at hand so that your brain can relax a little and regain much-needed energy and enthusiasm.

Augmented reality mode places castles in your living room.

Develop features based on your (future) interests I was always fascinated by the prospect of augmented reality. To have something imaginary projected on the real world, to alter your world with the impossible and unthinkable, was always a very appealing prospect to me. When Apple announced the release of ARKit, I knew I had to try to use it. It was hard, but it paid off very much. I pushed myself to create a mode for Euclidean Lands that would be playable in AR – this was before the release of ARKit, with a developer beta, and there was almost no help or whatsoever on the forums, and no tutorials at all. Because I am not a programmer, using this technology was incredibly hard for me. However, augmented reality seemed to be everywhere and became “the topic of the year,” and I knew it was a chance to stay relevant, so I worked extra hard. On the launch of iOS 11, Euclidean Lands was one of the few AR ready games on the App Store. This resulted in great features, the sales more than doubled, and it was in a lot of prominent news articles. Thanks to that, I received interview invites from the biggest companies in tech, and it helped Euclidean Lands in popularity so much that I’ve decided to make a sequel. Each of us has a unique skill set. Also, each of us knows what topics they would like to explore more. Very often, your interests could be easily incorporated into the development, help you with the game tremendously. Because, in the end, it comes down to the single thing – do you enjoy making this?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help While I work alone, none of my projects would exist without input from others – mostly friends, but often strangers. My friend Rene Vidra did the character poses – he is a great animator, and because I only needed about 6 different poses with no animation, and it was a matter of minutes for him to get that stuff done. For me, it would have taken days, probably weeks  He was glad I asked and enjoyed doing something a little bit different for a moment, and seeing the result in the game was a lot of fun for both of us. Same goes for my publisher, kunabi brother. They are in Vienna (and now we actually share an office), so nowadays we often meet and talk about the product. They have different views and opinions compared with mine, and talking about my ideas with experienced people helps me filter out the wrong ideas. Yes, maybe you don’t have a publisher, but you can still go to local game shows and show it to strangers, or make a little session with your friends where you talk about it (and drink beer and have some fun!).

Another important part is asking a stranger for help – the worst that can happen is that they don’t reply to your email, but more often than you’d think they will try to help. Early on in 2015, I had a prototype of Euclidean Lands, but no idea what to do with it. So I emailed the biggest Slovakian gaming company – Pixel Federation – asking for some input and guidance. Pixel Federation is one of the most successful companies over here, with over 200 employees. Still, the CEO took the time to reply to my request, looked at the prototype and shared some excellent business and gameplay advice that helped me incredibly. Not everyone you meet will be eager to help you, or even like your product, but you need to ask to get something in the first place. Also, an email doesn’t cost anything.

Don’t be afraid, but realize first that you can fail Making games is hard. Not only hard but very risky. There’s a good chance your game will not make it. No one will notice it, maybe the launch will collide with a big surprise hit, maybe you fail to convince journalists to talk about it, and perhaps you will run out of power and never release it. Regardless of the outcome, the journey is worth it – if only just for the learning. However, you shouldn’t drop everything you do and start working on your dream exclusively – there’s always a way to make it work otherwise. I developed Euclidean Lands after school and after work. Yes, my social life sucked for a while. Yes, it took way too long. Yes, maybe the game would have been better if I worked on it full time – but I knew that nothing bad would happen if I failed. I would still go to work, receive my Master, and continue with life without any dramatic change. Even after the success of Euclidean Lands, I did not stop working at my job for more than another year, and I only stopped once my daughter was born, to spend more time with her and work from home. Euclidean Skies was partially developed full-time, and you can feel it in the visual polish, but even so, Euclidean Lands remains a slightly better game in my opinion.

Learn to Google properly Unity forums, Stack Overflow, Reddit, Blender exchange and many other forums have most (if not all) the answers you need. Chances are someone already had the same problem as you in the past and found a way to solve it. You just need to find it. Learn proper googling practices, it’s not that hard, and it helps you in everything you do. Crawl forums tirelessly if you are stuck, and if you cannot find the problem you have, try breaking it into smaller problems and search those. If you absolutely cannot find it, post in the forums, but be sure to post correctly to raise the chances for a response. Forums are full of people willing to help if you ask nicely and precisely for a direction. Do not expect people to write your code, but most of them will gladly help you. I wrote shaders for Euclidean Skies with a lot of help from strangers on the Unity forums, and I try to return the favor to other anonymous developers whenever I can.

My mistakes and regrets after the release I think my biggest regret, for both games, was not getting enough outside input – especially for Euclidean Skies, which was developed in a stealth mode in hope to generate more press on the release day ( which did not really work out any better than Euclidean Lands).

Due to not having the game announced, I did not participate in any shows or conferences and therefore had almost no feedback from other people playing it. There is a big chokepoint in the first 30 minutes of the game that many people found frustrating, including editors and reviewers. This problematic level was designed because it fit the game format visually, but game development is not only a visual art, and the most essential part of the game, the gameplay, was neglected. I noticed this on my own after the game was released, and I could immediately tell it would be troublesome for other players, too, but it was already too late though. With the appropriate feedback from testers and other people, I could have noticed and solved the problem earlier, and that annoyed me a lot afterward.

The other point, in both games, was the audio. I did it myself, and you can hear it. In the second game, people are actually complaining about it. For Euclidean Lands, I did not have any funds to hire someone better than me to do it, but for Euclidean Skies, I really have no excuse. I thought that if I did it for the first game and it was fine, I can surely do it better for the second game. This was very wrong, as the sound is a vital part of the overall experience, and in this case, it almost ruined it.

My conclusion The release of Euclidean Skies and Euclidean Lands was a success for me. I sometimes think it was because of my hard work and dedication, but it was absolutely not. Sheer luck has more to do with this than anything else – meeting the right people, finding the right resources, getting the right inspiration, having the right people read and answer your email. It‘s a thousand little things, and all of them out of my own sphere of influence. Contributions of other competent people, like my publisher, play an enormous role in the release. Doing a game about something I love – architecture, plays a significant role in actually holding on long enough finish it. So the bottom line is: Do what you love, don’t be shy to ask for help, but don‘t count on success.

Miro Straka is the creator of Euclidean Skies and Euclidean Lands. Before developing games, Miro studied and worked as an architect.

The post Making Euclidean Skies on my own appeared first on Making Games.

Making Euclidean Skies on my own published first on https://leolarsonblog.tumblr.com/

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adrianjenkins952wblr · 6 years ago

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Cryptocurrency companies use ‘backdoor’ listings to ease into mainstream

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Several cryptocurrency exchanges have moved closer to mainstream markets by buying listed companies, looking to raise funds and present themselves as embedded in the traditional financial services world they once spurned.

In the most recent deal, U.S. crypto broker-dealer Voyager Digital on Feb. 11 achieved a “backdoor” listing on Toronto’s Venture Exchange after it bought control of mineral exploration firm UC Resources.

Such purchases, also known as reverse mergers, allow companies to offer shares to the public without the rigors and regulatory scrutiny of a full initial public offering (IPO).

“Many (cryptocurrency) exchanges have put a lot of strategic effort into trying to legitimize their operations and their reputations, and for some there’s an assumption that having some exposure to the traditional public market will help,” said Fei Ding’an, managing partner at Ledger Capital, a digital asset investment firm.

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is the only major national regulator so far to have drawn up a definitive framework to govern digital assets and the platforms where they are traded.

In January, OKC Holdings, a company controlled by Star Xu, the founder of crypto-exchange OK Coin, bought 60.5 percent of LEAP Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed construction firm, for HK$484 million ($61.69 million).

Days later, the parent of Korean crypto exchange Bithumb announced plans for a U.S. listing via the purchase of Blockchain Industries.

Last year, investors that included the co-founders of crypto-exchange software producer ANX International bought a controlling stake in Hong Kong-listed marketing firm Branding China, while Huobi, a Singapore based exchange, bought a 72 percent stake in Hong Kong-listed power electrical company Pantronics Holdings.

Voyager said its listed shares could help fund growth.

“Being a public company enables Voyager to operate with the transparency that the crypto market deserves from its institutions,” Voyager CEO Steve Ehrlich said in an email.

Neither Huobi nor OKCoin has given details of their plans for the purchases.

ANX International remains separate from the renamed BC Group, but since the change in ownership the listed unit has launched new businesses that include a digital asset trading and exchange platform.

A spokesman for BC Group said being publicly traded gave clients “additional confidence in knowing we are a credible company and here for the long game.”

Spokespeople for OKCoin and Huobi declined to comment.

Neither Bithumb nor its parent Blockchain Exchange Alliance responded to requests for comment.

LEGITIMACY

Crypto experts said the deals could help the industry gain greater mainstream acceptance.

The reputation of cryptocurrencies, and particularly exchanges, has been hit hard by fears of price volatility and possible uses for laundering money alongside high-profile hacks and infrastructure failures.

Last year, the New York attorney general’s office warned that several cryptocurrency exchanges were plagued by poor market surveillance and pervasive conflicts of interest, saying some may be operating illegally.

This month, $137 million in cryptocurrencies was frozen in the user accounts of Canadian digital platform Quadriga after the founder, the only person with the password to gain access, died unexpectedly.

The crypto market peaked in late 2017, when trading volumes surged and bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, reached a high just above $20,000. Bitcoin’s price has fallen more 80 percent since then, and trading volumes have slumped.

Some exchanges may also feel pressure from investors seeking a means of realizing their profits.

“With the market turning south and regulators not being happy, this is an opportunity to satisfy investors and founders who are looking for an exit,” said Zennon Kapron, director at financial technology consultancy Kapronasia.

WRESTLING WITH REGULATORS

Public listings of cryptocurrency exchanges also pose a challenge for regulators, who are only beginning to grapple with the issues of overseeing the trading of digital currencies.

Japan’s FSA became the first major jurisdiction to regulate the exchanges in 2016, but has since refined its rules to allow the industry to largely self-regulate.

In the United States, New York state has, so far, issued a handful of so-called BitLicences for companies doing any sort of virtual currency business.

Both Hong Kong’s market watchdog, the Securities and Futures Commission, and the Hong Kong Exchange declined to comment.

But the commission is considering whether some cryptocurrency trading platforms are suitable for regulation, a process it hopes to finish this year, its chief executive, Ashley Alder, told legislators on Tuesday.

Hong Kong officials have already questioned the sustainability of crypto businesses when last year, the world’s largest makers of cryptocurrency mining rigs did not follow through on IPO plans in Hong Kong, in part because of the questions officials raised.

“It’s possible a crypto exchange could incubate a new crypto business inside a Hong Kong-listed company, maintain the listed company’s existing operations, and not be treated as a new IPO, but it is a very difficult tightrope to walk,” said a person familiar with the listing committee’s processes, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media on the subject.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s Listing Committee must be satisfied that a company’s business is sustainable before it can list. The miners’ bids were stymied by fears that the falling price of bitcoin made their business models unworkable, sources said.

Although backdoor listings are permitted in most countries, some regulators, including those in Hong Kong, can review the deals and can in some circumstances require a full IPO instead.

“Crypto companies may struggle to demonstrate suitability for listing given the state of regulation of the industry and uncertain business models,” said Jason Sung, a Hong Kong-based partner at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.

Exchanges like Bithumb that are looking to the United States could also similar roadblocks.

The SEC has authority both over U.S. companies selling digital securities and companies conducting a reverse merger in the United States.

“Depending on what the companies are planning to do they very well might have to seek regulatory approval from the SEC or the CFTC,” said Richard Levin, chairman of the financial technology and regulatory practice at the U.S. law firm Polsinelli.

Reporting by Alun John in Hong Kong and Anna Irrera in New York; Editing by Jennifer Hughes and Gerry Doyle

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

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bobbynolanios88 · 6 years ago