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FEE FALL: The latest system-wide update on the monero network has resulted in a sharp reduction in transaction fees.
Within a week, monero fees for sending the cryptocurrency plunged by 96 percent on average, thanks to the addition of so-called "bulletproofs" tech to its blockchain code.
As an added benefit, making the network more affordable to use may bring in additional uses for its XMR token too.
The recent update also seeks to improve monero network's privacy features, as well as deter manufacturers from using specialized hardware to mine XMR. Full Story
BITMAIN BOOST: Bitcoin mining computer manufacturer Bitmain has released a firmware update for its Antminer S9 devices, which activates a controversial piece of code known as "AsiccBoost" to improve performance.
Bitmain announced Monday that the just-released firmware will support "overt AsicBoost" functionality, bringing a speed boost to the miners.
Notably, while Bitmain is only just now enabling these mining devices to use AsicBoost, the chips were already capable of supporting the function on a hardware level.
Bitmain's software release comes days after software startup Braiins announced it would publish open-source code to enable AsicBoost on the Antminer S9 on its own. Full Story
UPDATE DELAYED: Ethereum core developers have postponed the network’s next hard fork, dubbed Constantinople, after bugs were found when the new code was recently released on the Ropsten test network.
The upgrade includes five backward-incompatible changes to the network, ranging from minor code optimizations to more controversial changes, such as a reduction in mining rewards.
The delay in activation until early 2019 may have benefits, however, possibly allowing devs more time to add code for another proposal aimed at shoring up ethereum's resistance to specialized mining hardware. Full Story |
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Stablecoins have gained widespread attention in the crypto ecosystem over the past few weeks. The huge flight of capital from tether (USDT) triggered this attention shift.
Although the exchange volume from tether primarily went into bitcoin and ether, other stablecoins began to look attractive to some traders and gain notoriety.
From October 14 to 15, we saw:
- PAX: +3 percentage points
- DAI: +159 percentage points
- TUSD: +406 percentage points
- USDC: +985 percentage points
- GUSD: +1656 percentage points
However, some alternative stablecoins might have solidified their status as the newly preferred stablecoins over tether more so than others, when looking over the weekend:
- USDC: -40 percentage points
- PAX: -19 percentage points
- TUSD: -0.2 percentage points
- DAI: +43 percentage points
- GUSD: +48 percentage points
For more research insights check out the CoinDesk Research section here. |
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| | SIDEWAYS AGAIN: Bitcoin is continuing to trade laterally around $6,400, having created a bullish candlestick pattern last week. A break above the last week's high of $6,800 is needed to confirm a bullish breakout. Full Story |
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BEST OF THE BEST
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The idea of marrying blockchain with artificial intelligence is seeing increasing attention from startups, and some also see potential in the trend to wrestle control of AI out of the hands of the major tech giants, according to Nathaniel Popper.
In the Saturday article, the author cites fears among some in the AI industry that internet giants like Facebook and Google are snapping up all the experts in the field, as well as having control of massive silos of digital data that are required to train and improve machine learning software.
The use of blockchain technology to build data marketplaces, however, could help remove such monopolies of information, he says. Meanwhile, the tech is starting to be used to open up access to the AI algorithms themselves.
THE REST
CNBC: Salvador Rodriguez writes in a Sunday piece from CNBC that, with demand having soared by 400 percent since late last year, blockchain coders are now making from $150,000 to $175,000 on average, according to figures from recruitment firm Hired.
The figures, if accurate, suggest that blockchain devs can ask a premium over software engineers in most other fields, who earn $135,000 on average.
The demand for blockchain coding skills has grown following the launch of blockchain projects from tech giants like Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft – which are all hiring currently, the piece says.
FORBES: A piece from Forbes on Friday suggests a new potential use case for blockchain – franchising.
According to Ed Teixeira, a recent industry event saw discussion of how blockchain and smart contract might be applied in the franchise industry across digital payments and record management systems.
The tech could also help to eliminate intermediaries using smart contacts, the article suggests, while crypto tokens could be used to reward customers right across a brand's franchise chain. |
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