International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde said central banks around the world should consider issuing digital currency. Speaking in Singapore, Ms Lagarde said this could make digital currency transactions safer. Source: BBC Technology News Date: November 15th, 2018 Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46203869 Discussion 1) How much do you know about how cryptocurrencies, of which Bitcoin is just one example?  Why… Read more »

The image above is of a cryptomining rig For almost a year, cryptocurrency miners have snapped up all the graphics cards they could get their hands on. That was a financial windfall for Nvidia and AMD, the leading makers of consumer graphics cards. Both reported soaring profits their last two quarters. But on Thursday, Nvidia reported its financial… Read more »

A single bitcoin transaction uses more energy than a Canadian home for a month, one expert is estimating. Bitcoin miners will guzzle more electricity this year than some countries do, according to new numbers from a leading researcher. And while some critics take issue with these figures, few disagree that the digital currency’s energy use… Read more »

For Hydro-Quebec, the bitcoin boom may be too much of a good thing.  Canada’s biggest electric utility has been inundated with requests to supply electricity to cryptocurrency miners eager to set up shop in Quebec — more than it can deliver. Source: Toronto Star Date: March 8th, 2018 Link: https://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2018/02/28/cryptocurrency-frenzy-sparks-mad-dash-to-hydro-quebec.html Discussion 1) This is a so-called “second order effect”. … Read more »

Rows between artists, managers and their record labels often become the stuff of music legend, but does blockchain technology mean that musicians could soon just deal directly with their fans – and keep far more profit for themselves?  Gramatik – real name Denis Jasarevic – is a Slovenian electronic music producer and DJ with a worldwide… Read more »