Category Archives: Futurism

In BriefBitcoin is the world's most popular cryptocurrency, and its value continues to reach new heights. Here are a few reasons this relatively unknown digital coin was able to make the climb from obscurity to the mainstream consciousness.

So far, 2017 has been an eventful year for Bitcoin.

The platform recentlyendured a hard fork that saw it split in two and come out seemingly unscathed. Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency has risen from relative obscurity to become a popular topic of discussion in the mainstream, with everyone from Bloomberg to Forbes covering it regularly. The year isnt even over, and bitcoin has reached numerous milestonesalready, both in terms of its own history and that ofcryptocurrency in general.

Overall, Bitcoin seems to be steadily trending upward, with even greater heights predicted for the platforms future. So, how did a cryptocoin originally associated with the internets darkest corners become a popular contender for the future of financial and other transactions?

Longevity seems to play a factor. After years of trading, the coin has proven itself as here to stay, leading to years of value increases first a steady rise from 2012 through 2016, and then a more dramatic surge that is still ongoing today.

A cryptocurrency researcher who goes by the Twitter handle Jack Sparrow shared a comparative overview of just how fast bitcoins value has risen.

After it was created in 2009, bitcoin needed roughly seven years to reach a $2,000 valuation. However, the crypto saw the same level of increase from $2,000 to $4,000 in a matter of just 85 days.

The numbers are backed up, of course, by confidence fromlarger institutions. Big financial firms like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Fidelity Investments are now invested in the crypto, and nations such asChina, Japan, and, more recently, Australiahave started considering more permanent roles for cryptocurrencies in their respective economies as well.

All of this large-scale support is giving smaller organizations and individual investors confidencein the crypto.

The growing popularity of blockchain enterprise use has also contributed to the successes of Bitcoin and other platforms. As more institutions in the financial industry and beyondlook for ways to utilizethe decentralized and secure digital ledger, the cryptocurrencies that spring from these blockchains also get a boost.

Still, even with Bitcoins seemingly unstoppable successes, experts advise caution. As with any hot item, investing in bitcoin can be risky. Some, such as billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban and veteran investor Peter Schiff, even warn that the current cryptocoin craze is simply a bubble. However, while Schiff claims cryptocurrencies will never be money, many others thinkotherwise.

Are we witnessing the beginnings ofa truly cashless future? Only time will tell, and as with any revolution, Bitcoinhas many hurdles to overcome before it can truly transform our society. Right now, though, the crypto is clearly on the rise.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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Here's Why Bitcoin Rose More than $1000 in Two Months - Futurism

In BriefFollowing a recent change in leadership, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas is hopeful that Ford will soon be fully committed to the creation of electric vehicles. He is, however, unsure of how the manufacturer's investors will react to the endeavor.

Fords plans for electric vehicles could take a turn for the better under its new leadership, as speculated by Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas.

Electrek reports that Jonas recently sent a new note to clients, in which he explains where the car manufacturer could go following the appointment of Jim Hackett as the companys new president and CEO.

We expect Ford to go all-in on EVs. With an emphasis on pure EV, writes Jonas. Hybrids? Not so much. Prior management was vague with how its $4.5b investment in electrification would be allocated. We are hopeful for a significantly upgraded level of transparency, given the pace of change in EV adoption and expenditure worldwide.

Other companies like Chevrolet, Tesla, Honda, and Porsche have released, or have plans to release, electric vehicles. Ford has spoken about releasing electric cars in the past, such as the F-150 Hybrid and Mustang Hybrid. Alongside these, Ford has also said its developing a fully-electric SUV and two electrified police vehicles.

Despite his optimism, and Fords previous announcements, Jonas is not confident in the company investors support the initiative.

We expect Fords next strategy to be more open to partnerships, new structures and entities, and a far greater emphasis on all-electric powertrains. However, we are not convinced investors are prepared for the required sacrifice to near term profit.

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Ford May Soon Be Fully Committed to Electric Vehicles - Futurism - Futurism

The Futurism blog, which describes itself as reporting on the breakthrough technologies and scientific discoveries that will shape humanitys future, has published a post on basic income as a response to increasing automation of the workplace.

Although universal basic income (UBI) is neither a technology nor a scientific discovery, Futurisms FAQ page lists UBI as one of the topics that it is particularly interested in.

The article sets out the nature of basic income, explores arguments for and against it, lists a number of recent and upcoming experiments, and provides quotes from a number of supporters of UBI throughout history. It is written by Luke Kingma, Futurisms Head of Creative and a former copywriter for companies such as Hasbro, Toyota and Warner Brothers.

Futurism has appeared in a list of top futurist blogs on Quora, a popular question-and-answer site. It states that it has approximately 200,000 subscribers to its regular newsletter.

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Luke Kingma, Universal Basic Income: The Answer to Automation?, Futurism, 22th April 2016

Claire Bott has written 6 articles.

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Universal Basic Income Examined by Futurism Blog - Basic Income News

In BriefEstonia is considering plans to expand upon its e-Residency program with a new form of cyrptocurrency dubbed estcoin.

Estonia is mulling over the idea of issuing its own cryptocurrency, known as estcoins, which would make the country the first in the world to complete an Initial Coin Offering (ICO). Previously, China hastested its own coin, and Russia demonstrates an interest in Ethereum.

The proposal is an extension of Estonias e-Residency program, which allows non-residents and people who want to establish a business in the country virtually to take advantage of elements of the governments online infrastructure.

A blog post from the project manager of the e-Residency program, Kaspar Korjus, states that the program currently receives more applications in a week than there are births across the whole of Estonia in the same timeframe.

One of the biggest concerns for any government looking to accept crypto tokens is the threat of illicit usage. One of the requirements expected to be included in the cryptocurrency bill, which is set to be submitted to the US Congress, is a demonstration that the currency cant be used for money laundering.

Estcoin could dodge this thorny issue by being tied to the digital profiles associated with e-Residency. This idea is backed by Vitalik Buterin a co-founder of Ethereum who has been advising the Estonian government on the project.

An ICO within the e-Residency ecosystem would create a strong incentive alignment between e-residents and this fund, and beyond the economic aspect makes the e-residents feel like more of a community since there are more things they can do together, said Buterin.

While Estonia is using the term estcoin at the moment, there are hopes that the project could stretch far beyond the Baltic state.

Its use could grow far bigger than Estonia, writes Korjus. The same thing is happening to e-Residency as a whole, which was initially thought of as a way to be part of the Estonian nation but is now creating a new global digital nation, powered by the Republic of Estonia.

This kind of project has the potential to further blur the boundaries between nation states. A business owner could be a virtual resident of Estonia, and use the country as the home base for their company without ever stepping foot there.

The world is changing, and Estonia clearly wants to remain on the cutting edge. Keeping abreast of dcryptocurrency developments could have huge benefits for the country as a whole, as the proposal states that profits from estcoin could be poured into a community-run VC fund.

The authors of the proposal are currently gauging interest, but plan to demonstrate how the project would benefit Estonia. Its expected that estcoin would start as a pilot project before being scaled up as demand rises.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team are personal investors in cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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Estonia Could Be the First Country in the World to Introduce Its Own Cryptocurrency - Futurism

In BriefFounder and CEO Elon Musk took to Instagram today to post the first of several previews of SpaceX's space suit. This futuristic space suit aims to combine 21st century aesthetics with advanced functionality.

This past weekend, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk promised to reveal photos of the space suit his company has been developing for NASA.Musk revealed the first of these photos on hisInstagram earlier today, and promised to show [m]ore in days to follow. First announced in 2015, its taken SpaceX almost two years to previewthe design.

Musk says that whats in the photo is an actual working space suit andnot a mock up perhaps referring to the one he wore in that Vogue photoshoot two years ago. The suit is also white rather than gray like the design Musk worefor the shoot.

While Musk admitted it was difficult to balance esthetics and function, the suit we see in the photo seems to fit the bill if not slightly reminiscent of the suits worn by soldiers in the video game Halo. Further evidence that SpaceX is making good on its promise to develop a space suit that looks like it belongs in the 21st century.

In terms of function, Musk said the suit has already passed double vacuum pressure tests and ocean landing mobility/safety tests are underway. To be sure, SpaceX wants to have this space suit ready for what could be its first manned missionslated for 2018 that lunar round trip paid for by two people. Its also expected to see use for SpaceXs missions under NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

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Elon Musk Just Shared the First Photo of SpaceX's Space Suits - Futurism

In BriefAfter 6 years, China is reclaiming its title for the world's fastest train. In September, a new series of bullet trains capable of reaching speeds of 400 km/h (248 mph) will go into operation.

China once held the title for the worlds fastest train, but a devastating crash in 2011 forced the country to slow down their transits, lest they experience another tragic event.

Next month, however, China will regain is lost title, as it plans to introduce several new bullet trains that will move at the speeds necessary to once again be the worlds fastest. Prior to the aforementioned accident, Chinas bullet trains traveled at 350 km/h (217 mph), but were then reduced to 250-300 km/h (155-186 mph).

Come September 21, when the new trains are up and running, speeds will return to 350 km/h, but will be capable of going 400 km/h (248 mph). For comparison, the still-in-development Hyperloop One recently reached speeds of 308 km/h (192 mph), though the plan is to hit 402 km/h (250 mph) while still in testing.

Zhao Jian, Beijing Jiaotong University professor and a leading researcher on Chinas high-speed railway network, told the South China Morning Post that in order to avoid more accidents at higher speeds, the railway operator will need to reduce the number of trains in use at one time.

According to the Associated Press, China has laid over 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) of high-speed rail, and intends to add another 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) by 2020. To date, over $360 billion has been spent on the railways creation.

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China Is Reviving the World's Fastest Train - Futurism