Friday 30 June 2017

Options Trading – Advantages and Disadvantages

What is Options Trading?

An option is simply granting someone the right to buy or sell something in the future. In the case of Dow index futures options, when someone buys a Dow call option they are buying the right to purchase that underlying Dow future at a specific price, known as the “strike price,” at a future point in time, known as the “expiration date.” When an investor buys a put, they are essentially selling the market; a call essentially buys the market. Likewise, selling a put essentially buys the market; selling a call essentially sells the market.

In order to receive the opportunity to buy an option on this future, investors pay a “premium.” If the market does not reach the strike price of the option, then that option will expire worthless on the expiration date. If the market does reach the strike price of the option on the expiration date, then the investor will be assigned the underlying future at that strike price.

Advantages of Options Trading

Flexibility. Options can be used in a wide variety of strategies, from conservative to high-risk, and can be tailored to more expectations than simply “the stock will go up” or “the stock will go down.”

Leverage. An investor can gain leverage in a stock without committing to a trade.

Limited Risk. Risk is limited to the option premium (except when writing options for a security that is not already owned).

Hedging. Options allow investors to protect their positions against price fluctuations when it is not desirable to alter the underlying positon.

Disadvantages of Options Trading

Costs. The costs of trading options (including both commissions and the bid/ask spread) is significantly higher on a percentage basis than trading the underlying stock, and these costs can drastically eat into any profits.

Liquidity. With the vast array of different strike prices available, some will suffer from very low liquidity making trading difficult.

Complexity. Options are very complex and require a great deal of observation and maintenance.

Time decay. The time-sensitive nature of options leads to the result that most options expire worthless. This only applies to those traders that purchase options – those selling collect the premium but with:

Unlimited Risk. Some option positions, such as writing uncovered options, are accompanied by unlimited risk.

Overall Options present a good opportunity to formulate plans which can take advantage of volatility in underlying markets as well as price direction. However for most traders the disadvantages are significant and online futures trading is usually a better option.



Source by Tim Wreford



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/options-trading-advantages-and-disadvantages-2/

Top 4 Alternative Ways to Accept Litecoin Payments – The Merkle


Given the recent popularity increase Litecoin has gone through, a lot of people are looking to accept LTC payments online. While they could easily sign up for GoCoin or CoinPayments, there are quite a few other ways to go about things as well. We have collected a list of Litecoin merchant service providers which most people have not heard of before. Having more options at one’s disposal is never a bad thing.

4. eDigiCash

This will be, by far, the one cryptocurrency merchant service provider virtually no one has heard of. That is not entirely surprising, even though the company processed 63 different currencies on behalf of their clients. Bitcoin is included of course, as are a lot of popular cryptocurrencies such as Dash, Dogecoin, and Litecoin. Moreover, merchants can have their earnings converted to Bitcoin on the fly, if they think that is a better store of value. There is no verification process to start using eDigiCash, and there is a 0.5% commission on every sale, which includes the transaction fee.

3. AlfaCoins

Another Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment service provider we hardly hear about goes by the name of AlfaCoins. It is more than just a merchant service provider, though, as they allow users to send cryptocurrencies to employees and customers as well. Merchants choosing for AlfaCoins can also receive payments directly into their bank account, which can shield retailers from price volatility. Litecoin is, of course, one of the support cryptocurrencies. Members will pay a 0.99% commission for every transaction, which needs to be taken into account.

2. Cointopay

It is evident there is a fair bit of competition in the cryptocurrency merchant service industry. Cointopay is looking to make it easy for everyone in the world to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency payments. They accept a variety of currencies, including Litecoin. Users can receive daily payouts to their bank account in five different supported fiat currencies, which is a nice touch.

Users who are looking to accept any kind of cryptocurrency may want to look into the Cointopay Franchise model. It can only be obtained on request, but it is a white label solution which can be quite appealing for large companies. The regular package is subject to a 1% fee for fiat currency conversions and supports all of the “major” cryptocurrencies. A nice feature is how Cointopay users can invoice their clients by sending them an email.

1. LitePaid

Most Litecoin users will have come across LitePaid in the past, even though they may not have had much experience with it so far. LitePaid lets users accept major cryptocurrencies as a form of payment with relative ease. Users can convert the incoming payments to both Euros or Bitcoin, depending on their preference. Having more choices is never a bad thing in this regard.

LitePaid prides itself on offering an affordable service. More specifically, they charge a flat fee of 25 euro cent per transaction, which is more than affordable. Payments occur every single day, both in Euro and cryptocurrency. The company supports a wide range of different cryptocurrencies, including Litecoin, Bitcoin, and Dogecoin. It is a more than viable solution to start accepting cryptocurrency payments.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.



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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/top-4-alternative-ways-to-accept-litecoin-payments-the-merkle/

Top 10 Sexiest TV Series

American TV Series are often loaded with sex scenes, and the production seems to try to squeeze in at least 5 sexual scenes in each episode. And people love it. In the following few posts, I will present to you our Top 10 of America’s sexiest TV Series.

Sex in the City

Showcased for the first time on HBO in 1998, this glamour TV show brings to us the ups and downs of 4 New York single girlfriends, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte & Miranda. Each is either looking for sex, love or to found a family. A great series that treats sexuality with a nice touch of humor.

Sex and the City – Movie Trailer on YouTube

Californication

Californication is for men what Sex in the City is for women. In this series full of sex, drugs and alcohol, Hank Moody (David Duchovny) has sex as often as he can. Beautiful women, young girls, bottles of wine, whisky, joints… nothing is left out by this forty-some artist still broken hearted by his muse.

For a glimpse, search for Californication – Trailer on YouTube

The L World

The L World is the first series exclusively dedicated to lesbian sexuality. The explicit “women on women” sex scenes have as a goal to break taboos. Jenny, a young student in search of love moves in with her future husband, Tim, but ends up falling under Marina’s charm, a Latina sex bomb. This is the beginning of tons of questioning and loads of hot nights in L.A. where ladies have sex in public washrooms and all…

For a glimpse, search for The L Word: Season 5 Coming in 2008 on YouTube

Desperate Housewifes

What kind of life do women have in an uptown suburbia of the States? At Wisteria Lane, women face infidelity, relationship issues, seduction, crime, suspense, and more. Behind her perfect appearance, Bree hides a complex personality. Gabrielle, ex-fashion model is scared of routine and therefore alternates between expensive shopping sprees and extramarital relationships. Lynette tries to manage both her professional life and big family, while Susan always finds a way to make her chaotic love life even more complicated. And finally, Edie seems to love creating conflicts. An amusing and sexy portrait of typical house wives that was a great success.

For a glimpse, search for Everything You Need to Know About Desperate Housewives on YouTube

Tell me you love me

In Tell Me You Love Me, three couples in therapy have the most realistic sexual relationships ever seen on American TV. So realistic that everybody wonders is they really did it or not. They claim that aside from masturbation and fellatio, it was all an enactment, but the rumor keeps contributing to its success. Dr May Foster, a marriage counselor, meets the couples which she tries to assist. Dave & Katie, in their forties, no longer have sex. Carolyn & Palek, in their thirties, want a kid but the pressure is too high for Carolyn. And finally, Jamie & Hugo, engaged, must face infidelity. Between sexuality & psychology, this is one of the most realistic series.

For a glimpse, search for Tell Me You Love Me: Episode 2 Trailer on YouTube

Dirt

This trashy series relates the life of Lucy Spiller, heartless chief editor of two gossip & scandals newspapers. Far away from her role in Friends, Courtney Cox shocks the public who watches her having intercourse with a sex toy. Not only does she play the first role in this series, she also assists her husband, David Arquette, in the production of this sexy series.

For a glimpse, search for Dirt Trailer Promo on YouTube

Nip Tuck

In this trashy series, we see two plastic surgeons in their professional environment, but also in their colorful intimate lives… loaded with incest, rape, bisexuality, Tran sexuality and sadomasochism. With the arrival of Portia De Rossi next season, where she will have a savage relationship with another woman, the public will be again pleased with a series that explores the physical & moral boundaries of human sexuality.

For a glimpse, search for Nip/Tuck Season 1 Promo on YouTube

Big Love

Co-produced by Tom Hanks, this series is one of America’s Top 5 most watched TV shows. Full of family drama, it talks about Bill Henrickson, a polygamous Mormon from Salt Lake City, and that maintains relationships with 3 wives and 7 kids!

For a glimpse, search for Big Love – Season 2 Promo on YouTube

Skins

This British “new generation teenage series” treats about sex, drugs, bulimia, religion, homosexuality and teenage despair. Written by teens for teens, it was an instant success. These youngsters have three things in mind: sex, sex and … sex. There is the good-looking guy, the Muslim, the gay, the anorexic, the virgin, and a night-clubber in love of his teacher. What they have in common? Their frustration. Dramatic and touching.

For a glimpse, search for Skins season 2 [OFFICIAL TRAILER] on YouTube

One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill is about the day to day life of three teenagers who live in a love triangle. Both raised separately in One Tree Hill in South Carolina, Lucas & Nathan, two half-brothers find become rivals, not only on the basketball court, but also to win the hearth of Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton). This superficial series talks about love stories more than it does sex though. Dedicated to teenage only.

For a glimpse, search for One Tree Hill trailer – The Choice on YouTube



Source by Sandrine Vondrejs



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/top-10-sexiest-tv-series/

Bitcoin – Yes or No? Should You Invest in Bitcoin?

Wondering if you should invest in Bitcoin? If you've been around any kid of financial news lately, you've no doubt heard about the meteoric rise in the world's most well-known cryptocurrency.

And if you're like a lot of people right about now, you're probably wondering, "Bitcoin – yes or no?"

Should you invest? Is it a good option? And what the heck is Bitcoin anyway?

Well here's a few things you should know about Bitcoin before you invest. Also note that this article is for information purposes only and should not be taken as any kind of financial advice.

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is known as a cryptocurrency or a digital currency. It's basically online money. Like any currency you can exchange it for other currencies (like say, buy bitcoins with US dollars or vice versa) and it fluctuates in relation to other currencies as well.

Unlike other treaties however it is decentralized, meaning there is not any one central bank, country or government in charge of it. And that means it's not as susceptible to government or central bank mismanagement.

Pros of Bitcoin

# 1 Easy To Send Money

Because it's decentralized, this also means that you can send a friend Bitcoin (money) on the other side of the world in seconds without having to go through a bank intermediary (and pay the banking fees).

This fact alone makes Bitcoin very popular. Instead of waiting for a wire transfer which can take days, you can send your payment in seconds or minutes.

# 2 Limited Supply

There are only 21 million Bitcoins that will ever be mined. This limits the amount of Bitcoin that can ever be produced. This is like saying a government can not print money because there is a limited supply of bills – and they will not print anymore.

When there is a set supply your purchasing power is preserved and the currency is immune to runaway inflation.

This limited supply has also helped to contribute to the rise in the price of Bitcoin. People do not want a currency that can be printed – or inflated – into infinity at the whim of a greedy government.

# 3 Private

Most people think that Bitcoin is completely anonymous. But actually it's not anonymous – it's more private. All Bitcoin transactions ever made can be seen on the Blockchain – the public Bitcoin ledger.

But your name and identifying details behind the transaction are not seen. Each transaction is linked to an address – a string of text and characters. So while people might see your address – there is no way to link that address to you.

A lot of people who do not like their banks spying on them (or telling them how much of their own money that they can or can not move), really like this privacy feature.

# 4 Cheaper to Transact

Many businesses have to take Visa or MasterCard these days to stay competitive. However these cards take some rather substantial fees out of each sales transaction.

But a merchant who accepts Bitcoin does not pay these hefty fees – so it puts more money in their pockets.

So those are some of the main pros of Bitcoins. What about the cons?

Cons of Bitcoin

# 1 Risky – Price Fluctuations

Bitcoin is famous for rising slowly over months – and then falling 20 – 50% over a couple of days.

Because it's being traded 24 hours a day 7 days a week, the price is always fluctuating. And all it takes it some bad news – like the news of the Mt Gox hack a few years ago – to send the price tumbling down.

So basically it's not stable – and there are a lot of unknowns out there that can affect the price. The rule here is this: do not put any money into Bitcoin that you can not afford to lose.

# 2 Slowing Transaction Sycles

Bitcoin is starting to run into problems with slower transaction speeds and higher transaction fees. Other cryptocurrencies have come along that are faster and cheaper.

The Bitcoin miners are working on the problem. However until these issues are resolved, you can expect the price to be extremely volatile.

# 3 Bitcoin Transactions Not Reversible

Unlike a credit card charge, Bitcoin transactions are not reversible. So if you send Bitcoin to the wrong address – you can not get it back.

Also, there are a lot of tales from people who have lost their Bitcoin wallet address (through hacking, phones being stolen, virus-infected computers, etc.) and they've completely lost their coins. There's no way to get them back.

For this reason, you really need to know what you're doing and take the time to research how to buy and store your coins correctly if you want to invest in Bitcoins – or any other cryptocurrency.

So those are some of the things to consider before investing in Bitcoin. Basically while Bitcoin has a lot of great things going for it – and while it has the potential to change financial transactions as we know it – there is still a lot of risk. There are a lot of unknowns out there still.

If you do decide to buy, take your time and research your options. Do not buy from just any seller. Some of them are trustworthy and run a great business. But there are others that will overcharge you and may not even deliver your coins.

Be safe and do your research first. Find a trusted seller with a stellar reputation – there are quite a few of them out there. And remember the golden rule here – never invest more than you can afford to lose.



Source by Eric Summers



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/bitcoin-yes-or-no-should-you-invest-in-bitcoin-22/

Ethereum and Bitfury to help Russia in testing blockchain specialists

Speed ​​Secret

A high school coach was looking forward to track season. As he assembled his class of young men to compete for the 100 yard dash, he had several boys line up for the start of the race. One boy seemed a bit shorter than the rest of the group, but the mismatch in size did not have much bearing on the exercise. The coach prepared his stopwatch, raised his hand and called out the sequence to start the race, blowing his whistle to signal the launch.

To the coach's surprise, the first one across the finish line was the boy he had noted to be the shortest one in the line. As the coach looked at his stopwatch, he did a double-take. The time his watch showed for the race was faster than the school record for the varsity members of his track team, by a significant margin. Thinking he must have somehow delayed the start of his watch, or stopped it too early, the coach made a mental note to verify the results later, after the boys had a few minutes to rest up from their race. Later on, the coach lined up another group of boys which included the one who had registered such speed on the first round. As he started this race, the coach was careful to be sure the stopwatch was started and stopped precisely for the interval of the race. On this round, the short boy again registered the fastest time, and even slightly improved the previous mark.

At the end of the class, the coach took the boy away from the rest of the class, and spoke to him about the possibility of trying out for the track team after school. The boy agreed to show up for the practice. When the time came to begin the team warm ups, the coach instructed the boys to take a lap around the track. As the group circled the track, the short boy fell far behind the rest of the pack, and was the last one to complete his lap. He seemed extremely winded from his run.

"Are you all right?" Asked the coach.

"Yeah," replied the boy, "I just need to catch my breath. If it's all the same to you, Coach, I'd rather do my running without having to go through this warm up stuff. , But that's about all I can do. "

The coach saw an immediate problem with this technique. Without the ability to run more than 100 yards and participate in warming up exercises, the coach felt he could not use the boy on his team for fear that he might be injured in a meet. Reluctantly, he decided to release the boy from the squad. He told the boy the reason for his decision, which did not appear to cause the young man any disappointment. Before the boy left the field, the coach could not resist satisfying his curiosity about the kid's exceptional ability for short distance running without any kind of preparation.

"I'm curious about your talent, son. If you never warm up for a race, and you have never participated in a track meet, how did you develop such an exceptional speed in short distance running? '

The boy did not hesitate in his reply, "I do better when someone is chasing me. I tease my brothers a lot, so I got pretty quick at running away from them. Probably beat the crap out of me, but they never do. When I race, I just imagine they're after me, and that is why I win. " It would be several more years before we figured out the secret to how to catch up with my brother.



Source by John Dir



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/speed-%e2%80%8b%e2%80%8bsecret/

4 Effective Techniques To Build Patience

When we’re waiting in line at the supermarket or an ATM, when our YouTube video is taking forever to buffer, when you’re trying to teach your grandmother the usage of technology or when you’re stuck in traffic on your way to work. Does picturing yourself in these situations enrage you?

If the answer to that was yes, then you’re on the right page. The one characteristic that we lose foremost in trivial situations, is patience.

We tend to say and do things we regret in haste, out of pure restlessness or lack of composure. While there are plenty of consequences to being impatient, maintaining peace within, learning to stay calm or controlling the restless within is a lot easier. Developing the character trait of patience helps you stay more focused, make better decisions and most importantly it helps you with understanding, empathy and compassion.

Distract yourself: When you’re in a situation that makes you feel restless, anxious and impatient, one of the best ways to maintain your inner sanctity is to find a healthy distraction. For example, let’s say you’re on the road, you’re in a hurry and unluckily so, you’re stuck in a traffic jam. As a result, you’re honking, looking at the cars on the opposite side drive by or counting down for the traffic signals to change.

Let me tell you that this is not going to help. Focusing in-depth on the activity that’s triggering impatience within, isn’t going to make it go away. Instead, the next time you find yourself stuck in a jam, pull your mobile up and check your mails or go through your Social News feeds or maybe turn the volume up and play your favorite song – the traffic is going to clear up before you even know it!

Don’t stress over what you can’t control: As much as we’d like to believe that we can control everything around us, let’s face it – we can’t. Every now and then we’re going to find ourselves caught up in situations that are far beyond our control. Let’s say you just got fired / you’re awaiting an exam result or you placed a bid for your favorite painting at an auction.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds for us in these situations. When we’re pushed into scenarios we can’t really mold with the mindset that we can control everything – we tend to live in denial, we certainly struggle and it tends to get ugly. The key to being patient in scenarios out of reach is to start developing an understanding that we can’t control everything and that’s completely okay.

Talk to yourself – listen to your inner voice: As silly as this might sound, at a moment of impatience – there’s always a voice in the back of our heads telling us we’re being irrational. We tend to mute that voice out whenever the scenario befits us – when what we really should be doing is paying attention to it.

The next time you’re about to lose it and yell at you co-worker for messing up – pause for a second and pay attention to the voice within. It’s probably saying ‘No, don’t shout at him. You’re going to regret it – everybody is watching.’ Our irrational, impulsive side is always overpowering the logical reasoning within us – in the heat of the moment. The voice within you is almost always more composed than your exterior. Pay attention to it. Talk to yourself. Tell yourself to calm down, take a deep breath and let it go.

Recognize when you act on an impulse: When things get heated up, we tend to act on an impulse and later regret it. Let’s say you eat a bowl of ice-cream on a whim – despite being on a diet or you trade a stock as soon as the market opens up and later realize that you’d be a lot richer if you held onto your stock for a little while longer.

Acting on an impulse tends to mess situations up more often than never.

The next time you’re about to buy ice-cream, you could consciously remind yourself about all the hard work you put in on the diet and stop yourself. The day you realize that the choice you’re about to make is impulsive and choose to wait it out is the day you start truly taking a step forward.

Once you’re done reading this article, take a moment to think about four things that trigger the impatience within you and match one of the four techniques above to each of those triggers. Remember to practice a technique or two the next time you’re on the verge of losing it and I can assure you that you will not lose anything.



Source by Abhiram Akkipeddi



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/4-effective-techniques-to-build-patience/

How to trade cryptocurrencies and gain 1000% with Rocky Darius


I’m super pumped about this episode today! Be sure to have your notebooks ready because there will be plenty of action and tons of great advice on how you can get yourself started in the world of cryptocurrency trading, today!

In this episode I interviewed Rocky Darius, a full-time cryptocurrency trader who has risen to stardom in the industry in only three short years. His aggressive, yet passionate approach to learning, understanding and implementing advanced trading strategies has seen him become one of the industries foremost experts.

Rocky has recently launched a crypto trading courses with @ChrisDunnTV  on his platform Skill incubator. Skill incubator is an online community for people wanting to develop skills that can help them generate income, build a business, and grow their wealth.

I’m really excited to share this episode with you all today because Rocky shares some great tips and strategies on how absolutely anyone can get started in cryptocurrency trading without any major risk. The beauty of this form of investing is that there are no giant barriers that will stop you entering the market like in stocks and futures.

For as little as five dollars you can get yourself up and running and have some skin the game! But of course, with all investment opportunities it’s important to learn, study, practice and review your strategies – and luckily, in this episode Rocky will show you how to do just that!

In this episode you’ll discover:

3:30 – The steps you need to take to start trading crypto currency today.

10:35 – Some simple trading strategies for anyone who is just starting out in crypto trading.

13:09 – Rocky’s professional advice on exit strategies and navigating the cryptocurrency market.

17:17 – The thought process behind investing in Lisk and earning himself a nice 200% profit.

21:47 – Rocky’s crystal ball: some expert predictions for the future.

29:40 – The Path to freedom round.

Rocky’s thoughts on:

  • the biggest opportunities for entrepreneurs today?
  • the single most important threat to success
  • The legacy question – Rocky’s ultimate set of instructions for succeeding in life.

Key Takeaways

“Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent”.

“You can liken what’s happening to bitcoin and the blockchain movement to that of the dot com bubble in the 90’s”.

“It’s very easy to network and approach leaders within the industry, there is a strong startup culture going on”.

“Patience and persistent are critical to getting things right”.

Give A LOT of free value before you even think about the money”.

Important notes from this episode:

  • Trezor: a cryptocurrency hardware wallet that isolates your private keys from the internet.
  • Coinbase: the world’s most popular way to buy, sell, and use bitcoin
  • Google authenticator appan app providing 2 step authentication for your Google account.
  • Ethereum: a decentralized platform for applications that run exactly as programmed without any chance of fraud, censorship or third-party interference.
  • Lisk: a crypto-currency and decentralized application platform.
  • CounterPartya platform for free and open financial tools on the Bitcoin network.
  • Wavesa decentralized platform that uses custom blockchain tokens to represent value

Connect with Rocky:

Thanks for listening!


If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with your friends and leave a review on iTunes.

For questions, comments or suggestions simply enter your message below.



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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/how-to-trade-cryptocurrencies-and-gain-1000-with-rocky-darius/

A Tribute to Flip Charts

In this world of PowerPoint, it is easy to underestimate the power and value of flip charts. I love using them! I think that they are the key audiovisual for any interactive training. The minute you have them in the room, people KNOW that they are going to have to get involved !!

They are amazingly flexible. The facilitator can lead a large group brainstorming session and post their responses on the flip chart. The group can be divided into two groups to brainstorm, post their responses, and then report out what they have written.

You can post several around the room for a gallery walk, having small groups brainstorm answers or ideas and post them before they have to move to the next one.

When small groups work on case studies, problem solving exercises or other activities, they can post their answers or conclusions on the flip chart. When they report out to the larger group, there is a visual support to what they are saying.

Training rooms may not have LCD projectors or screens, but they usually have flip charts. And now that there are charts with self-sticking pages, as long as the room has walls to stick the pages on, you're set!

Flip charts have staying power. Put a title on top of the page, write in large print, and you have a great audiovisual for reference through the training session. Throw in fragrant colorful marking pens and you have a party when groups gather around the flip chart to brainstorm!

They are terrific for icebreakers and community building. Mixing up participants into different groups through the day to work on different issues that they post on the page spreads the expertise and builds new insight and relationships. That's where the real learning happens!

Want your participants to feel that they are actively involved in creating the training content? Ask them what they want to learn, and post that. Is the training a mandatory refresher session? Ask the participants what types of issues or challenges they are facing, and post those on the chart. Then either address those items immediately or refer to them through the session as the training content addresses the items.

Flip charts can also be wonderfully decorative. There are books about how to decorate them, but I learned the most from other trainers. One trainer showed me that adding colorful borders and decorations really jazz up a page. Another trainer showed me how to create a border very quickly by using two different colored marks in the same hand! So, no more plain white pages when it is so easy to add color and character to them!

Photos of the flip charts create a living montage of the group work. I take digital photos, post them on the Internet and send a link to the participants. I like to believe that the photos give the information greater immediacy and intelligence than a typewritten page. The email with the link also reinforces the learning that occurred in the classroom.

Flip charts give participants freedom to be creative, not only in what they write but also in how they structure what they create. I've seen folks transform a page into games and game boards. They are great and lasting surfaces for mind maps, collages, pictures of organizational visions, job aids- the list is endless!

And is not that the point? Flip charts are fantastic teaching and learning tools!

PowerPoint is extremely overrated and overused. With all the bells and whistles, animation, colors and fonts, the media becomes the message- and no real learning takes place. Learning is noisy and active and messy and busy, especially the learning that lasts. And flip charts are perfect for that. Beside, they do not need electrical outlets, cables, batteries, or bulbs. Talk about plug and play- you do not even need a plug!

So, grab a few self-sticking flip charts and fragrant marks- and launch your learners on a voyage of self-discovery! You and they will never look back!



Source by Deborah Laurel



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/a-tribute-to-flip-charts/

Telegram Registers With Russian Government But Won’t Give Up User Data – The Merkle


About a week ago, the world was taken by storm when Russia announced its plans to potentially ban Telegram from the country. Privacy advocates were not too pleased with this decision and became rather vocal to make their voice be heard. The story has gotten another major plot twist, as Telegram founder Pavel Durov registered the company to ensure it operates within Russia’s legal framework.

Telegram Wants to Stick Around in Russia

Although the Russian government never got around to banning Telegram in the country, the communications company took matters into their own hands. More specifically, founder Pavel Durov went ahead and registered the company with the Russian government. That is a big surprise to a lot of people, even though it ensures Telegram can’t be banned in the country right now. Sometimes, one has to get in bed with the “enemy”, even though things are not looking as dire as some people may think.

More specifically, Telegram has no intention of turning over user data to the Russian government. That was one of the requirements by the government, otherwise, they would restrict access to the platform altogether. Now that the company is officially registered, however, that restriction will be nearly impossible to enforce. Telegram will protect user privacy first and foremost, and no government will change that.

Considering how Telegram serves over 100 million users globally, it is in their best interest to explore all small loopholes it can find to avoid seeing access restricted. Registering with the Russian government and submitting all of the required data – without breaching privacy – is the smart thing to do at this stage. Moreover, Telegram now officially operates within Russia’s legal framework. By the look of things, the company has successfully averted the crisis, for the time being.

In the eyes of the government applications such as Telegram allow terrorists to freely communicate with one another. Whether or not that is true, is anybody’s guess right now. Most people are well aware of how Telegram uses strong end-to-end encryption, which allows anonymous communication and guarantees consumer privacy at any given time.

Considering how encryption is a thorn in the side of virtually every government around the world, it was only a matter of time until they would become somewhat hostile toward communication service providers with strong encryption. Then again, countries such as Russia are not exactly known for allowing free speech. Attempting to shut down Telegram and similar services could also be a ploy to ensure the government can control what information people spread over the internet.

In the end, this step by Telegram is the right one. They will not store user data on a Russian server for a year and share that data with the authorities when requested. That situation will not change soon, which is a good thing. Consumers deserve to use privacy-oriented communication features, as neither the government nor anyone else has any business spying on their conversations. Telegram users can sleep on both ears knowing everything is still alright, for now.

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The Curious Dilemma of the Bitcoin ‘Community’ Going Separate Ways

So-Called Bitcoin Creator Rejects SegWit Activation


 

Self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator Craig Wright announced that his company nChain will form an non-segwit Bitcoin pool, promising to retain 20% of the Bitcoin network.

The announcement was made today at The Future of Bitcoin conference sponsored by Bitcoin Unlimited and Bitmain. The event is being held in Arnhem, the Netherlands, which will run from June 30 to July 1.

The seemingly unhinged Wright made his non-segwit pool announcement during a speech that was peppered with expletives, threats, and egotistical boasts.

We’re going to scale radically,” proclaimed Wright. “If you don’t want to come along, stiff shit.

The pool would reject all segwit transactions, something Wright claimed would really “slow down” the network too.

“If you want to be slower, run Segwit,” he said.

“As a miner, I choose,” continued Wright. “I decide if I don’t want segwit. It’s about time miners figured out their role. Miners choose.”

 

Claims, Threats and Taxes

When asked if he was Satoshi Nakamoto, he took a philosophical approach (like the Sartre file, released as evidence of him being Nakamoto, since dismissed as sleight of hand).

He appeared to intimate an “I am Spartacus” Marxist collective defense counter to the speech’s capitalistic rhetoric, until he said that “there is no king, there is no glorious leader. I am here to kill off Satoshi.”

Wright also reiterated that he’s ready to take legal action against those who have ridiculed his claim of being the creator of Bitcoin, which he made back in 2016. However, this was met with derision by many prominent figures in the community such as Bitcoin developer Peter Todd.

Meanwhile, lead maintainer of Bitcoin Core Wladimir van der Laan called Wright a “charlatan” because he has failed to prove ownership of Satoshi Nakamoto’s private keys, adding that all of his claims thereafter should be ignored.

 

What are your opinions on Craig Wright and his speech? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

Source: Bitcoinist

Image from DailyTelegraph.com.au









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How to Successfully Manifest All You Desire

There is in popular writing, and so in people's minds, some confusion over the distinction between creating and manifesting. These words point to two separate and important processes, and so, do not point to the same thing at all. Some of this confusion comes over the fact that the things that we desire to either create or manifest, are the same! But the processes we are using these words to describe most certainly are not. Using them interchangeably would be like using "baking" and "buying" as if they were one and the same action. If we try to bake when we're actually buying a cake, instead of getting the ingredients ready and turning on the oven, then what happens? I do not know, but for certain, no cake shows up! So in every case, if we mistake one simple word for another, clarity sufferers, and in turn, so does our access to the incredible ability we have for manifestation! Since we normally desire to manifest what we want, in real time and space, it would behoove us to clear up our use of this distinction so that we can most effectively manifest our desires.

We often hear that if we desire to have something, "then all we have to do is just create it." But think about that. Can you create a dollar? Do you even know how? Or a relationship, a car, or a cherished avocation? How is it possible to even create these things? For most of us, it is not even possible to create them. Yet all of us have it within our power to manifest them. How come we can not usually create them? For two reasons. Let's take the example of the dollar first.

Okay, in order to create a dollar, we would have to go out and purchase some special cloth impregnated paper, some ink, a few very expensive printing plates, a press, not to mention all of which is highly illegal, and also not simply Just available at the local pick-quick shop. Sure, there are people out there with access to these things, but most of us do not have a clue as to where to attain them, and that's a good thing. It would cost a few hundred thousand dollars just to print one single dollar bill, and that's not what we want for our lives. We would like our dollars to come to us as profit, not loss. So creating even a single dollar in this physical way is out of the question. And then you say say "Well, that was not what I meant, when I said create. What I really meant was I wanted to manifest my dollars." So if it was not what you wanted to say, why would we be trained to waste our energy say what we do not want to do? Or even what we can not do? Point is, it is important to say exactly what we are intending to do, because this is the most efficient use of our energy, and efficiency supports us in producing results. The results we want!

And the second thing that is also usually out of the question, is the creation of most any other detail of our lives. Think about it, if we want to create our true soul mate, and we're over twelve, can we do this? No, we can not. We can not, because if we desire to be with someone, it would usually be with someone close to our age, and if they're close to our age, they're already here on Planet Earth! So there's no way to "create them" since they have already been created. And most likely, it was not us who created them! Same for that 1968 SS396 Chevelle you have been wanting. You do not need to create that either. It was done and painted back in '68. Same with that avocation, or that suit you desire. All done, all already here, and all just waiting for you. Waiting for you, to manifest them!

And that's the point. Your manifestations are waiting for you! Therein lay your power to have something show up in real time and real space in your direct experience. You always have perfect access to your ability to manifest something, because what we desire to manifest is already here, on Earth, in real time and in real space. Given that this is so, then if we take whatever energy we are devoting to this process of actually getting what we want, and give that energy entirely over to manifesting, or having something show up, rather than trying to create it, then it would Stand to reason that our manifestation process will be much more successful. We get what we want!

If you think that this distinction is too small to bother with, think again. Think again, because does not even the thinking process take energy? And if you are devoting energy over to creating, or thinking that it is you who are going to create what you want, instead of you who with your energy are going to pull into your experience what you already want, and is something that already exists, Then you are wasting energy trying to do something that can not be done. Wasted energy is misaligned energy, and misaligned energy goes off to be used for purposes other than the direct manifestation of what we desire to manifest. Think about it, it's just two words, right? But so are "good" and "bad" just two words, and yet if you interchange them in a mantra, what happens? One makes you feel good, and one makes you feel bad. And it's in our feelings that we have the maximum effect on just what we do manifest in our lives, because we are literal "feeling magnets" who draw in what we want the more we resonate with how good we feel about that manifestation. And what is resonation? It's something that comes from how we feel.

Take success, for instance. If you interview a thousand successful people, and I have, you will find that each of them not only believed in the outcome of their success, no matter what field it was in, but they also felt and felt deeply, the good feelings associated With being successful with their particular endeavors. They just knew it would work out to their favor, and it was in this knowing which was generated by how they felt about themselves, that both acted as magnets for their continuing success! They did not create anything, they discovered it! Only Source creates. But it is us, who ask, and so draw into our experience, or … manifest what we desire! And if we take every single bit of our energy and devote it to what we are capable to do, then what happens? Our skill at manifesting becomes what others will tell us is "miraculous" and a sheer mystery to them as to how someone can do what we do. They marvel at how much of what we want is showing up in our lives. And they would be right, life is an incredible and miraculous mystery, with so many details of our lives unknown to us, but there is one very important detail that does not need to be unknown anymore, and that is the process we need to get Into, in order to actually manifest in real time and real space, all that we desire. So let's get going and start manifesting, and how about right now!

Some simple steps for getting into a feeling place regarding manifesting what you desire:

1) Instead of thinking, which is the use of our energy for one purpose, try feeling. Ask yourself, "What does someone who is successful in manifesting what I would like to manifest, feel like?

2) Give up trying to create, and make the commitment to manifest. In this way, you can relax, because 99.999% of the work has already been done. And what happens when we relax about things? That's when what we want most easily shows up!

3) Give up trying to "figure things out" and instead, "feel things out." When we give up trying to do what only source does, to know everything, and instead, do what we can do, appreciate everything, then that is a clear signal to Source that we are ready to manifest what we desire, and right now.

4) And finally, give up working so hard to try and create the form that what we desire comes in. I know, you may want the gorgeous, tall, whatever, but what if your true love is short and happy? And by the way, makes you happy being around them as well? Now that's a manifestation worth having! So form is not important, feel is! Even with money feel is more important than form. What if you want to make enough money to buy a house, and instead, someone offered to give you one. Would you refuse the manifestation just because the form it was coming in was not what you expected? So the invitation is to begin to practice the giving up of your demands for what forms your manifestations come in, and instead, accept with joy what does come! In this way, what you are saying to the Greatest Creator Of All, Source, is that yes, I would like more of what I desire to manifest! And that's how your great internal permission slip for "having it all" really gets written. You go!



Source by Here B. Wright



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/how-to-successfully-manifest-all-you-desire/

How Blockchain Reshapes Online Advertising: Trends


The hype around Blockchain is expanding further as more and more use cases become apparent to the wider business community. Even though it started off as a decentralized substrate for a single virtual currency (Bitcoin), it soon became clear that the technology is applicable far beyond just one cryptocurrency and even beyond financial transactions altogether.

There are on-going attempts to bring Blockchain to the complex industry of online advertising. Nearly 40 percent of all ads in the world are delivered online on the Internet, and no modern company can neglect this massive medium, proven capable of promoting products and services more effectively than the traditional advertising channels.

Privacy, bots, metrics, ad-blockers and other problems

There are numerous problems inherent to the current technologies used in online advertising.

The number one issue troubling the general community is the privacy of user data. In most cases, ad publishers take pot shots at search queries by users in order to show them relevant ads. But the problem goes beyond that.

For instance, Google has been automatically scanning user mail to retrieve data that is later used for targeted advertising. Many people rightly find this disturbing and even though the corporation recently announced it has put this practice to a halt, most experts suggest the move was caused by a sufficiency of gathered data, not by privacy concerns.

Another issue the professional advertising community experiences results from dishonest practices by hackers and shady market players that cause multimillion dollar losses for both advertisers and publishers.

A well-known and somewhat recent instance of such a problem is Methbot, which mimics human behavior and is used specifically to create clones of popular websites to trick publishers and advertisers into placing and paying for ads that nobody actually sees. Experts believe that the bot was successfully making between $3-5 mln a day in ill-gotten gains for its fraudulent work.

For the professional advertising community, there are other problems invisible to the end user but deeply rooted in the architecture of centralized ad markets. For instance, online campaign reporting uses lots of different metrics that, when combined, completely confuse advertisers, make them unable to cross-reference their results and therefore assess the efficiency of their campaigns across different platforms.

Finally, there is the issue of ad-blocking. In 2016 alone, nearly 615 mln devices around the world were using ad-blocking software, which effectively shielded their users from most of the ads and, therefore, from advertisers hoping to reach them.

This certainly is owed to the generally poor quality of online ads and their persistent and intrusive behavior that no end user likes. This, in turn, leads to serious losses for advertisers and publishers. Moreover, some ad-blocking software providers essentially extort money from advertisers by offering them inclusion in a whitelist of permitted ads.

Solutions: Blockchain-based platforms and browsers

With all these existing problems, Blockchain seems to offer a solution for most if not all of them. The thought of applying Blockchain in the online advertising industry might have seemed like a wild fantasy even five years ago, but today multiple solutions are offered by numerous companies from old whales of big business to fresh marketing startups.

North American telecom giant Comcast, for instance, has partnered with other entertainment giants like Disney, NBC, Mediaset Italia, Channel 4 and TF1 to develop a Blockchain-based platform for ad campaigns, dubbed Blockchain Insights Platform. The developers claim that Blockchain technology will make managing ad campaigns more transparent and efficient while ensuring the thorough protection of user data.

Another example is New York Interactive Advertising Exchange, which in early 2017 partnered with NASDAQ to develop a Blockchain-based platform for selling ad contracts. The platform would enable webmasters and advertisers to buy and sell ad contracts while ensuring the same transparency and security of transactions thanks to Blockchain.

As for startups, in early 2017, the Los Angeles-based MetaX, in cooperation with ConsenSys, started to develop a Blockchain platform that coordinates digital ad campaigns in a scalable, reliable and secure way. The platform, dubbed adChain, uses Ethereum smart contracts and enables all parties involved in online ads to harmonize their activities.

However, there still are not many projects working with the online advertising market in a way that engages the public as the main source of fundraising. All the aforementioned solutions are backed by corporate investment to deploy those solutions. Prominent exceptions that opted to raise funds for development from a crowdsale campaign are Mass Network and AdEx Network.

The former brought together Blockchain and advertising experts in late 2016 to develop a solution that monetizes user attention while creating fair and transparent rules for all parties involved in the process using Bitcoin’s Blockchain. The community could participate in an ICO for the project by purchasing its pre-mined tokens.

AdEx, on the other hand, seeks to create an ad exchange fully integrated to the Ethereum Blockchain that has the potential to replace most of the existing centralized solutions. The developers of AdEx Network claim that their project is capable of tackling the existing problems that plague the traditional online advertising industry. AdEx shares a very different vision compared to Mass Network.

Finally, there is another project worth mentioning in this space: Brave, a browser developed by the creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla, Brendan Eich. Among the most notable features of the browser are a built-in ad-blocker and the opportunity to get paid with Bitcoins for watching an ad. The project’s team held one of the most successful ICO’s in history, raising $35 mln in just 30 seconds.

Decentralization as a leading global trend

With the abundance of Blockchain-based solutions for the online ad industry, it seems inevitable that the notorious imbalance and complexities of today’s industry will evolve in the next few years.

Decentralization of technologies is gradually becoming the leading global trend and the online ad industry is poised to enjoy its advantages. With the problems digital advertising faces now, it is in desperate need of a complete overhaul, so it’s no wonder there’s such a supply of new solutions being offered.

Regardless of which projects prevail in the end (as there’s no assurance that only one of the current solutions is going to be the answer), the commonality of these solutions is undeniable: focus on transparency, simplification of business processes and – what is most important for end users – protection of consumer privacy.



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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/how-blockchain-reshapes-online-advertising-trends/

Decent Launches Global Media Distribution Platform — Bitcoin Magazine


Free and open communication has long been an essential component of a successful democracy. Unfortunately, money, power and influence over time have stifled today’s media environment adversely impacting both content producers and consumers alike.

In an effort to democratize creative content, DECENT has officially launched its blockchain-based, global media distribution platform. The name is an acronym for Decentralized Network; Encrypted & Secure; Content Distribution System; Elimination of 3rd Parties; New Way of Online Publishing; Timestamped Data Records.

Designed to bring more transparency and fairness to the media industry, DECENT allows artists to seamlessly distribute digital content for immediate payment and without hefty fees. Peer-to-peer in its orientation, consumers decide the merits of a certain piece of content posted through a Yelp-like community rating system. The content, however, cannot be censored or removed.

This blockchain initiative endeavors to disrupt the legacy world of media distribution by allowing artists more freedom and control over the ownership and distribution of their content, all without compromising on security. It represents a potential gamechanger for the massive global media and content distribution industry — one that’s estimated to grow from $1.7 trillion in 2016 to over $2 trillion in 2019.

DECENT was founded in 2016 by two friends, Matej Michalko and Matej Boda, from Slovakia. It sprouted from a shared vision that blockchain technology could fuel a coordinated system of digital content publishing and sharing throughout the world.

Funding for DECENT was fueled by an ICO campaign last summer, which raised more than 5,881 BTC, at that time valued at $4.2 million USD. There were 4,300 ICO participants in total and no other key funding partners.

Michalko recounted the journey leading up to his own personal discovery of blockchain technology and its potential uses for the content distribution space. “I’ve been extensively involved in Bitcoin since 2011, even mining it from my own laptop at the beginning. I quickly realized that the innovative technology behind Bitcoin had the potential to change the modern world.”

When Michalko started to delve further into blockchain technology, he found a seemingly endless list of use cases the new technology could support. “I became determined to use blockchain technology to create something revolutionary that would be beneficial for people on a global scale. A short time later ongoing discussions between myself and our future co-founder Matej Boda quickly led to DECENT being born.”

He says that DECENT Network is a reaction to the issues that the majority of content producers face nowadays in the entertainment and media industry. “There is too much artificial complexity and too many barriers in the industry affecting both the access to market and income of the content owners.”

DECENT’S digital model allows artists to distribute any form of content, including written, music, videos, ebooks and pictures. These distribution channels are free of third-party influence, meaning that artists can also manage their intellectual property rights and set their own pricing.

One of the innovative adaptations that distinguishes DECENT from other blockchain platforms is the network’s reputation management system. This allows content creators who share their digital work on the platform to build a lifetime reputation, based on ratings from those who purchase content on the platform. DECENT Network also allows content creators to instantly receive payment when someone downloads their content, without any middleman interference.

Michalko believes that DECENT can break the trajectory in which a majority of power is concentrated in the hands of a few players controlling the industry. “Artists, filmmakers and writers lose control over their work and depend on the mercy of the ‘big guys.’ We designed DECENT Network to do away with all that and bring more transparency and fairness to the digital content industry.”

DECENT estimates that writers, for example, lose a healthy 30–75 percent chunk of their earnings when publishing with Amazon. Similarly, musicians, through licensing agreements, lose around 30 percent when selling a track on iTunes. Blockchain technology therefore serves as a mechanism that helps writers and musicians keep more money, while connecting with their audiences directly.

Michalko says that artists will be paid for their downloaded content through DECENT’s own cryptocurrency called “DCT,” which will be launched together with DECENT Network. Other payment options, he says, will be available in the future. “Artists will no longer have to wait months before seeing a penny from their work. And at the time of launch, DECENT Network will be a completely free-of-charge service for artists.”

Michalko hopes that by  2020, DECENT Network will have become the number one worldwide media sharing platform. “We hope to bring more transparency and fairness to the digital content industry for both creators and consumers. I hope that with our launch people will realize the advantage of DECENT Network over other content distribution platforms.”



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Becoming a Hairdresser – The Advantages and Disadvantages

Like any other kinds of types of jobs, profession and career in the world, there are advantages and disadvantages to being a hairdresser. Yet despite the pros and cons, as long as you have the motivation, inspiration and the love for what you do, nothing will hinder you from succeeding as a hair dresser or any other career you choose to pursue.

Hairdresser Pros: What makes the profession enjoyable?

  • Interaction with different types of people. A hairdresser always has this opportunity with various types of clients, young or old, male or female. As a matter of fact, it is this dealing with different personalities that add challenge and reward to the job. A hairdresser is prevented from boredom as each client requires specific hair care needs.
  • Work Flexibility. If you are a hairdresser, you may choose to work for a salon or for yourself. You may opt to work in an 8-hour shift or by appointment only. You may also establish your own salon or offer home service.
  • Variety of services. These days, clients prefer a convenient on-stop salon where they could get different services like hair styling, facials and nail care. If you are a hairdresser working for a salon such as this, you would need to know how to perform other beauty services. Expect that every day, you might be performing a different service and not just the basic hair trimming.
  • Options for training. If you want to become a hairdresser, you may choose to attend a training course from a technical school. You may also choose to become an apprentice in a work environment where you would likely be absorbed once the apprenticeship is completed.

Hairdresser Cons: What makes the profession taxing?

  • People interaction. Although this may also be considered as an advantage, if you are a type of person who has less interest and patience in dealing with people, you may consider this as one advantage. Not all clients are easy to deal with. As a hairdresser there will be times when you will be working for difficult to please clients. Some will take note on how you would handle your scissors, some will not like the way you shampoo their hair and others will even mind the way you speak and talk to them. So you must be careful and gentle with your technical hair styling and communication skills.
  • Hair and Beauty responsibility. As a hairdresser, your clients expect you to enhance their appearance and not ruin it. There will be accidents and though it is not your fault, most clients will consider this as your flaw and they will likely not come back for your service.
  • Physical strain. A hairdresser’s job involves standing for long straight hours resulting to inflamed feet and ankles, growth of varicose veins, back and joint pains.
  • Competition among other hairdressers. There are many other hairdressers out there, each with his or her own skills. If you will not think of an effective marketing strategy, you will be left with just a few clients. You may pursue additional training on the recent hair dressing techniques; you may offer a light massage or any freebie that will make your service extraordinary and special to your clients.



Source by W Tsang



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/becoming-a-hairdresser-the-advantages-and-disadvantages/

The Bisexual Dating Dilemma

Sexual orientation is something that one does not have a choice about and even in this modern world most of us progressive humans have some difficulty in believing that. Even till not so long ago, being gay or homosexual was considered straight out bad. While that perception has somewhat changed today, and there is more acceptanceof gay and lesbians, there is another section of the society that still is a victim of marginalization. We are talking about the bisexual community here.

Insensitivity towards bisexuals is a real issue

The dating scene for a bisexual is difficult, and even the best of the dating websites do not do much to help on this regard. Make no mistake! There are plenty of choices you do have while finding a partner on a bisexual dating website. That is not where the problem lies. The real problem is with the attitude of people at large about bisexual orientation. It's just that we, who call ourselves progressive and modern do not quite make the effort to understand them in the first place.

For instance, the first dating mistake that people make while dating a bisexual is asking their partner whether they prefer sex with a man or a woman! This is downright humiliating for someone who is bisexual. It's not like he or she is constantly checking out everyone and lusting after everyone. Just like a straight or a gay person they have standards and limits and make a gender choice based on their feelings. Many of the bisexuals who ever get married, do so based upon love. So if you are dating a bisexual do not ask them what they "prefer" in terms of a sexual relationship. If they are out with you, it means that they have chosen to be with you!

Bisexuals are not "confused"

This is another perception that can absolutely ruin your relationship with your bisexual partner. People often have the perception that bisexuals are in a perpetual state of confusion and are in a transitional phase. It is often believed that they will either "turn" straight or "gay". While it is normal to worry whether your bisexual partner will have feelings for another man or woman, it is not so because of his sexual orientation. A straight man or a woman in a relationship or a gay couple may fall out of love and look for comfort outside the precincts of marriage or relationships. That is true of bisexual couples too. If you have chosen to enter into a relationship with a bisexual partner, concentrate on being the best "you" and try and consolidate your relationship based on your feelings and not just the sexual orientation of your partner.

Choosing a person from a bisexual dating website is difficult, but if you have plunged into the dating game, look for websites that have been in business for a long time now and give you the option of sending out emails to those who are single, sexy And are looking out at exploring their sexuality.

A good bisexual dating website is one that will give you the option of a bisexual search, will have blogs and videos about bisexuality and will treat you the same as they would treat a straight or a gay person. If you do not have such options on a dating website, that's a clear sign that you've got to stay away!



Source by Shalini Mittal



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/the-bisexual-dating-dilemma-4/

What is Ethereum Classic’s ECIP-1025? – The Merkle


Anonymity is very important to a lot of cryptocurrency users. That is rather strange, considering hardly any of the popular cryptocurrencies provide anonymity features as of right now. Ethereum Classic may soon see a drastic change though, thanks to the ECIP-1025 proposal. If this proposal is accepted and activated on the network, ETC users will enjoy a certain degree of anonymity moving forward.

ECIP-1025 Can be a Major Change for Ethereum Classic

It is evident a lot of cryptocurrencies could benefit from anonymity features, even though not everyone may be looking for such improvements right now. More specifically, opt-in anonymous features can be quite beneficial to any major cryptocurrency out there right now. It is doubtful we will see such a feature in Bitcoin or Litecoin soon, even though other currencies may see major changes in this regard.

More specifically, there is an Ethereum Classic Improvement Proposal which looks to introduce zk-SNARK verification. This proposal is known as ECIP-1025, and is quite interesting to take note of. It allows for a certain degree of anonymity while using the Ethereum Classic network. Some people may recall the Ethereum developers are looking to integrate similar features moving forward.

It is evident some people are not too keen on how Ethereum’s Metropolis hard fork will introduce changes. To be more precise, the improvement proposals look to make Ethereum better, even though the changes are rather complicated. Additionally, they may not benefit the entire network, which makes these changes far less appealing than they should be. More progress can be made where Ethereum Classic is concerned, as it is the only immutable Ethereum blockchain in existence.

Sorpaas, the person responsible for the ECIP-1025 proposal, feels now is a good time to add three precompiled contracts to Ethereum Classic. These contracts allow for zk-SNARK verification, which can provide additional layers of anonymity to all users in the process. Executing anonymous transactions on the Ethereum Classic blockchain has been impossible so far, yet this “small” change could make it become a reality in an uncomplicated manner.

Introducing mixer smart contracts with zk-SNARK verification is quite an interesting proposal, to say the least. It takes three “primitive” operations to perform this verification, which makes it rather straightforward to integrate. More importantly, these changes can be introduced without using a network hard fork. It is evident some people see a hard fork as a go-to solution, whereas other developers feel it should be avoided at all costs.

So far, the Ethereum Classic community seems to be quite intrigued by ECIP-1025. Whether or not it will be merged into the main branch of ETC development, remains to be seen. Increased privacy and anonymity is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it would put Ethereum Classic on par with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and ZCash combined, minus the ICO part, according to Barry Silbert. It will be quite interesting to keep an eye on this proposal, that much is certain.

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First ever blockchain real estate project — 3,000 BTC crowdfunded on Waves platform

Web Mining

With the bang of the era of information technology, we have entered into an ocean of information. This information blast is strongly based on the internet; which has become one of the universal infrastructures of information. We can not deny the fact that, with every passing day, the web based information contents are increasing by leaps and bounds and as such, it is becoming more and more difficult to get the desired information which we are actually looking for. Web mining is a tool, which can be used in customizing the websites on the basis of its contents and also on the basis of the user interface. Web mining normally comprises of usage mining, content mining and structure mining.

Data mining, text mining and web mining, engages various techniques and procedures to take out appropriate information from the huge database; so that companies can take better business decisions with precision, hence, data mining, text mining and web mining helps a lot in the promotion of the ‘customer relationship management’ goals; whose primary objective is to kick off, expand, and personalize a customer relationship by profiling and categorizing customers.

However, there are numbers of matters that must be addressed while dealing with the process of web mining. Data privacy can be said to be the trigger-button issue. Recently, privacy violation complaints and concerns have escalated significantly, as traders, companies, and governments continue to gather and warehouse huge amount of private information. There are concerns, not only about the collection and compilation of private information, but also the analysis and use of such data. Fueled by the public’s concern about the increasing volume of composed statistics and effective technologies; conflict between data privacy and mining is likely to root higher levels of inspection in the coming years. Legal conflicts are also pretty likely in this regard.

There are also other issues facing data mining. ‘Erroneousness of Information’ can lead us to vague analysis and incorrect results and recommendations. Customers’ submission of incorrect data or false information during the data importation procedure creates a real hazard for the web mining’s efficiency and effectiveness. Another risk in data mining is that the mining might get confused with data warehousing. Companies developing information warehouses without employing the proper mining software are less likely to reach to the level of accuracy and efficiency and also they are less likely to receive the full benefit from there. Likewise, cross-selling may pose a difficulty if it breaks the customers’ privacy, breach their faith or annoys them with unnecessary solicitations. Web mining can be of great help to improve and line-up the marketing programs, which targets customers’ interests and needs.

In spite of potential hurdles and impediments, the market for web mining is predicted to grow by several billion dollars in the coming years. Mining helps to identify and target the potential customers, whose information are “buried” in massive databases and to strengthen the customer relationships. Data mining tools can predict the future market trends and consumer behaviors, which can potentially help businesses to take proactive and knowledge-based resolutions. This is one of the causes why data mining is also termed as ‘Knowledge Discovery’. It can be said to be the process of analyzing data from different points of view and sorting and grouping the identified data and finally to set up a useful information database, which can further be analyzed and exploited by companies to increase and generate revenue and cut costs. With the use of data mining, business organizations are finding it easier to answer queries relating to business aptitude and intelligence, which were very much complicated and intricate to analyze and determine earlier.



Source by Sushanta Majumdar



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/web-mining-3/

Commodity Trading – Advantages and Disadvantages

What Is Commodity Trading?

Commodity futures markets allow commercial producers and commercial consumers to offset the risk of adverse future price movements in the commodities that they are selling or buying.

In order to work a futures contract must be standardised. They must have a standard size and grade, expire on a certain date and have a preset tick size. For example, corn futures trading at the Chicago Board of Trade are for 5000 bushels with a minimum tick size of 1/4cent/bushel ($12.50/contract).

A farmer may have a field of corn and in order to hedge against the possibility of corn prices dropping before the harvest he might sell corn futures. He has locked in the current price, if corn prices fall he makes a profit from the futures contracts to offset the loss on the actual corn. On the other hand, a consumer such as Kellogg may buy corn futures in order to protect against a rise in the cost of corn.

In order to facilitate a liquid market so that producers and consumers can freely buy and sell contracts , exchanges encourage speculators. The speculators objective is to make a profit from taking on the risk of price fluctuation that the commercial users do not want. The rewards for speculators can be very large precisely because there is a substantial risk of loss.

Advantages of commodity trading

Leverage. Commodity futures operate on margin, meaning that to take a position only a fraction of the total value needs to be available in cash in the trading account.

Commission Costs. It is a lot cheaper to buy/sell one futures contract than to buy/sell the underlying instrument. For example, one full size S&P500 contract is currently worth in excess off $250,000 and could be bought/sold for as little as $20. The expense of buying/selling $250,000 could be $2,500+.

Liquidity. The involvement of speculators means that futures contracts are reasonably liquid. However, how liquid depends on the actual contract being traded. Electronically traded contracts, such as the e-mini’s tend to be the most liquid whereas the pit traded commodities like corn, orange juice etc are not so readily available to the retail trader and are more expensive to trade in terms of commission and spread.

Ability to go short. Futures contracts can be sold as easily as they are bought enabling a speculator to profit from falling markets as well as rising ones. There is no ‘uptick rule’ for example like there is with stocks.

No ‘Time Decay’. Options suffer from time decay because the closer they come to expiry the less time there is for the option to come into the money. Commodity futures do not suffer from this as they are not anticipating a particular strike price at expiry.

Disadvantages of commodity trading

Leverage. Can be a double edged sword. Low margin requirements can encourage poor money management, leading to excessive risk taking. Not only are profits enhanced but so are losses!

Speed of trading. Traditionally commodities are pit traded and in order to trade a speculator would need to contact a broker by telephone to place the order who then transmits that order to the pit to be executed. Once the trade is filled the pit trader informs the broker who then then informs his client. This can take some take and the risk of slippage occurring can be high. Online futures trading can help to reduce this time by providing the client with a direct link to an electronic exchange.

You might find a truck of corn on your doorstep! Actually, most futures contracts are not deliverable and are cash settled at expiry. However some, like corn, are deliverable although you will get plenty of warning and opportunity to close out a position before the truck turns up.



Source by Tim Wreford



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/commodity-trading-advantages-and-disadvantages-2/

Sex Drive, Sex Addiction And Anger

In psychiatry, we do a mental state examination that is quite like a physical examination. In it, one of the questions we ask of every patient is- How is your sexual appetite? In many parts of the world this question can be considered offensive especially when asked by the member of the opposite sex. But in the western world, people can talk freely about it. So in psychiatry, one has to be respectful of the culture one is working in.

The importance of this question is that sexual drive determines the mental health of a person. In most psychiatric conditions, the drive is reduced. This happens in depression and anxiety conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder. In certain conditions like mania, it increases. In a person who is not manic, but has an unhealthy, elevated sexual drive, it is considered to be a sign of an addiction. An addiction has the quality of being compulsive and it is in excess to the norm. This excess starts damaging the person’s financial, social and personal condition. In such situations, it is a sign of ill health.

In my experience, sex drive is the indicator of the physical and mental tension a person carries. When the tension increases to the extent that the body and the nervous system start getting tired, the drive reduces. If the tension is reduced, the drive comes back. In my experience, this happens typically in people who suffer with depression. Depression, is suppressed anger. When a depressed person, having low sex drive, starts releasing anger, the nervous system experiences a release and the sex drive or libido is increased as a result.

Excessive sexual drive is the result of excessive tension or stress being produced in the body. The fact that regular physical exercise produces a healthy sex drive is a clinically known fact. When the tension is increased in the body, as happens in anger and following physical exercise, there is an upsurge in sex hormones. At that stage, the drive can become excessive. Despite having regular sexual partners, such people will feel the need to masturbate frequently to reduce their nervous tension. Such people are usually normal individuals except that they are torn inside with guilt about masturbation. If such people were to do nothing about their ‘sex addiction’, they would end up being depressed. This is because the body has a limit to tolerate tension. When the limit is reached,the nervous system becomes fatigued and features of depression kick in.

In medical practice, medicines can be prescribed to control the excessive sexual drive. In my work, I have used meditation and imagery exercises to help the patients reduce their anger. The reduction in their sexual drive is a natural spontaneous follow up.

Many years ago, there was an earthquake in the region of California. In the studies done at that time, scientists were perplexed to learn that immediately after the earthquake, the survivors reported a surge in their sexual drives. The reason for this, as I understand is this. Sex is an activity that is gift from nature to the animal world to continue with the progeny. During times of danger, the survival of the species or individual is threatened. This causes an anger drive that is necessary to undo the effects of the danger. Testosterone is a typical male hormone that increases muscle tension and produces energy in the body. Its secretion is increased at such times too. In order for the progeny to continue, reproductive activity has to take place. So there is a consequent increase in sexual drive.

On the other hand, what would happen, if the anger tension is considerably reduced in the body? In all kinds of spiritual literature, there is emphasis on celibacy. Some religions enforce it on their followers. This is so because if you meditate regularly, the body’s physical and mental needs reduce considerably. There is also a reduction in anger levels and the body’s tension. The sexual drive reduces as a result. In such cases reduction in sexual drive is a sign of excellent mental health rather than the sign of mental illness. In spiritual literatures, sex is not a weakness because it provides pleasure, but because it is a sign of tension. Spiritual practices, like meditation, reduce this tension. Engaging in sex is a ‘weakness’ from anger/tension perspective in spirituality. It has nothing to do with denial of pleasure.



Source by Pradeep Chadha



source http://bitcoinswiz.com/sex-drive-sex-addiction-and-anger-2/

VidAngel Debuts “Life On Bitcoin” Ahead of iTunes, Amazon Premier


A couple’s year living off Bitcoin which became a movie has debuted on controversial US network VidAngel.

Following newlyweds Beccy and Austin Craig, “Life On Bitcoin” has received the go-ahead after it was first conceived in 2013.

The Craigs spent 100 days living completely free of the US dollar, something since echoed by other US projects for longer or shorter periods.

VidAngel is an interesting portal for the movie, the service known for filtering out allegedly non-family-friendly content from mainstream movies.

The service has also branched out into its own homegrown content, however, and will premier Life On Bitcoin privately before moving to YouTube, iTunes and Amazon.com, CEO Neal Harmon told Hollywood Reporter in exclusive comments.

“The more filtering the audiences do, the lower the royalties, so we have comedians from New York and Los Angeles bending over backwards to be family friendly,” he said.

The move appears not to be entirely random; Harmon is a fan of Bitcoin over the movie itself, he says, even admitting he pays his children in the virtual currency for domestic chores.

“My 14-year-old son mows the lawn, and he’d rather be paid in Bitcoin,” he added. “It’s a system you can predict. You know the rules, and the rules won’t change.”



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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/vidangel-debuts-life-on-bitcoin-ahead-of-itunes-amazon-premier/

$4 Billion 4Chan Hoax Shows how Much Ethereum Needs Vitalik Buterin – The Merkle


The Ethereum ecosystem has seen its ups and downs over the past few years, as was expected. Things took a very dark turn when a Vitalik Buterin’s death hoax started to make the rounds on social media. 4Chan, a popular online community for some of the weirder stuff the Internet has to offer, was buzzing with rumors regarding Buterin’s death. Although these claims were false, the Ethereum market cap lost close to $4 billion.

4Chan Rumors Get out of Hand Quickly

One golden rule on the internet is to never take anything posted on 4Chan at face value. Especially when it pertains to financial information or deaths of famous people. The Ethereum community found that out the hard way after 4Chan members started spreading “evidence” of Vitalik Buterin’s premature death. According to their information, the public face of Ethereum died in a horrible car crash.

Unfortunately, some people thought it was an official confirmation of this unfortunate event. It did not take long for the Ethereum market to start showing signs of huge sell orders, effectively driving the ETH price down to sub-200 Euro in the coming days. That is a rather remarkable trend, considering Ether’s value had risen astronomically throughout 2017 up until that point.

When all was said and done, a total of $4bn was wiped off the Ethereum market cap. For a currency with a market cap of $30bn, that is quite a steep drop caused by information based on nothing but 4Chan rumors. Things only got worse when one international news blog picked up the news and wrote an article about it, further validating these unfounded claims. That article was removed shortly afterward, but it still showed up in Google’s search results for some time.

Luckily for everyone involved, Vitalik Buterin is not dead by any means. He is still alive and well, which is good to see. Then again, Buterin posted a tweet in which he held up a piece of paper referring to a recent Ethereum network block. Interestingly enough, that block was the start time of a very popular cryptocurrency ICO, which ended up crippling the Ethereum network for several days. Buterin also included the block hash on the piece of paper to confirm this was taken at that moment in time and is not a doctored picture.

Ever since this incident took place, the Ethereum market has been trying to recover. Slowly but surely, Ether price is heading back in the direction where it left off a few days ago. It always takes some time for cryptocurrency markets to recover from a major setback. Bitcoin price recently took a nosedive as well, which wasn’t helping Ethereum’s case whatsoever. This incident also highlights the dangers of making the identity of a cryptocurrency developers public. Someone will take advantage of this information sooner or later.

Moreover, it shows how “reliant” Ethereum’s market value is on the well-being of Vitalik Buterin himself. Even though he is one of the many co-creators of Ethereum and its current team of developers, many people see him as the face of this particular cryptocurrency. There is no telling how the market would respond in case Buterin would actually be out of commission for legitimate reasons. Rest assured there would be some blood in the water if such a thing were to happen.

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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/4-billion-4chan-hoax-shows-how-much-ethereum-needs-vitalik-buterin-the-merkle/