Cryptocurrencies have always been in the gray end of the regulation spectrum when discussed in American politics. Legal bodies often view them as a criminal tool to purchase guns, drugs, and other illegal articles. Regulatory authorities such as are not sure whether to classify them as securities, while some states in the U.S. have proposed ideas to make the cryptocurrency holders pay tax on them.
Democrat Discourages Cryptocurrency “FUD”
However, , a Democrat from California running for the US House of Representatives, hasn’t been discouraged from all the mentioned uncertainty about . In fact, he is reportedly accepting campaign donations in the form of for the 2018 elections. Incidentally, Forde was also a senior advisor to the Obama Government on cryptocurrencies and other digital technologies.
Brian Forde on bitcoin donations
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Nevertheless, Dave Min, another Democrat candidate contesting for the same seat has singled out Forde’s affinity towards crypto and used it to his own advantage. This move might very well be the first time that a political advertisement in the U.S. has mentioned bitcoin in any capacity.
In the ad, it can be seen that Forde’s face is pasted over some footage of a cyber hacker, who is seen typing codes on the screen. A woman’s voice over cites “Brian Forde’s big donors” as “bitcoin speculators that oppose cracking down on drug deals and human trafficking.”
Brian Forde, who has already raised about $ 100,000 in campaign donations via bitcoin, called the ad “reckless.” Forde :
“These comments about my supporters are sensationalist, wildly inaccurate, and in line with my opponent’s lack of understanding of the technology.”
Blockchain’s Benefits Discussed
The democrat further added that his supporters are ardent believers in the pioneer cryptocurrency’s technology, as they did not “HODL” their bitcoins, instead used it for a cause.
Forde said that one of the primary reasons he is running for the seat is to remove the misunderstanding regarding the technology. He represents a growing force of technologists who aims to tackle the anti-science sentiment under the Trump administration.
Attacking the ad film made by Min, Forde said “While his ad disparages a technology he clearly doesn’t understand, the United Nations uses it to address human trafficking.”
Forde cites the United Nations (UN) led project in , which uses based IDs to curb sex trafficking.
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Norway-based has bought stakes in leading public blockchain provider, . The acquisition will allow the risk management and quality assurance company to gain access to tools and technologies for developing new digital assurance products.
DNV GL and VeChain Partnership
The two have yet to disclose the extent of the buy-in, as terms of the deal remain under wraps. However, the investment underscores DNV GL’s growing confidence in the growth potential of both VeChain and the technology it is working on.
With the partnership, DNV GL stands to gain access to vital technologies that will allow it to expand its blockchain privileges.
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DNV GL also stands to expand its blockchain capabilities thanks to what VeChain brings to the table with its platform. The collaboration also allows the company to become the first VeChain Authority Masternode holder, a feat that accords it will be one of 101 Authority Masternodes on the VeChainThor Network.
The two companies also plan to build a supply chain product leveraging VeChain Technology. According to DNV Chief Executive Officer of Business Assurance Japan K.K., , the investment is one of the many that the company is using to improve its existing processes. Crisciotti the following:
“VeChain has helped us realize our digital assurance ambitions through the launch of new revolutionary assurance products in the market. The acquisition of a stake in VeChain is a natural progression of our relationship, and the investment will allow us to transform our existing business model and bring Digital Assurance to a wider audience, including consumers.”
Building on My Story Success
According to CEO, , DNV GL has been in the business of building trust, and the acquisition of stakes in VeChain will only strengthen the company’s resolve and ambitions. The partnership is thus expected to bring greater transparency to thousands of the company’s customers.
It’s not the first time that DNV GL and VeChain have come together in a bid to leverage blockchain technology capabilities. , a digital assurance solution designed to track each stage of a product manufacturing cycle, was born out of the ongoing partnership.
My Story is currently being used by Italian winemakers to scan QR codes in wine bottles to get an insight about their origin, quality, and water usage among other characteristics. DNV GL has already used the VeChain blockchain solution to put 90,000 management certificates on a secure private blockchain.
DNV GL casts itself as a quality and risk and management company focused on safeguarding life and the environment. The company operates in over and has clients in the industries of oil, gas, maritime, power and renewables.
VeChain, on the other hand, is a blockchain focused startup that seeks to make identification of counterfeit products much easier with the help of RFID technology. The company aims to connect blockchain technology to the real world, backed by a first-class research and development team of over 90 employees. The VeChain Thor public blockchain is the company’s underlying infrastructure dedicated to blockchain applications.
VeChain Partnerships
VeChain comes into DNV GL partnership fresh from a partnership with German Car manufacturer BMW and Oxford University. While terms of the deal remain scarce, it is likely that it revolves around leveraging VeChain’s supply chain platform.
Currently, VeChain is at ~$3.45 with a market cap of ~$1.8 billion.
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Cardano’s creator will soon be rolling out a virtual reality (VR) based educational tool aimed at introducing to students. With the help of VR, learners will be able to experience blockchain technology in a rather novel way. The announcement was made by IOHK CEO, .
Cardano and Virtual Reality
The Virtual Reality model will have the same interface as that employed by Symphony of Blockchain but will come with a VR set for viewers to explore the blockchain more closely. Charles Hoskinson, CEO of IOHK :
“IOHK has a commitment to both education and design and this captivating and complex data visualization is the perfect combination of both. It’s beautiful as much as it is functional and our hope is that it will help make blockchain truly understandable for a whole new audience.”
The Symphony of Blockchain has drawn praise, with a renowned blockchain news portal describing it as “fascinating art” and “a breathtaking tool.” Speaking about the upcoming VR tool, , Creative Partner at Kuva, said, “The best part is that it’s only the beginning and we will continue to work with IOHK to unveil further blockchain visuals that capture the unique essence of this complex technology.”
Symphony of Blockchain
The Symphony of Blockchain suggests that it is a tool that lets users interact with a 3D model of the blockchain. It is a 3D representation of the blockchain with each block presented at a different depth to the viewer. This means that the oldest block is at the lowest level, while the most recently blocks are nearer to the viewer.
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The educational tool uses high-quality graphics and sounds to make learning more engaging, and the learner can select any date using the calendar button available below. Once a block has been selected by the user, details such as total fee, input and output value in bitcoin, are shown on the left. Below that, other information such as the block height, block hash, and the number of transactions in the block are displayed.
IOHK describes its tool as “An interactive, visual and auditory exploration of bitcoin, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.”
IOHK Teaching Haskell
The Cardano blockchain has been programmed using , a purely functional programming language. The blockchain company is Haskell to students at the National Technical University of Athens in Greece. Cardano believes that in order to take knowledge of blockchain technology to developing countries, such as , it is necessary to bring flexible languages like Haskell to the masses.
Blockchain and VR
IOHK is not the only company exploring the use of virtual reality in blockchain technology. lets gamers own parcels of virtual land where records are maintained on a decentralized ledger. The game allows users to use VR headsets to interact with objects in the game as they explore and build houses or businesses on their land.
Another project, , will let users teleport themselves to a distant location, allowing them to audience VR concerts of their favorite music artists.
bitcoin blockchain explorer that enable view in 3D or VR by
— bitcoin Art Gallery (@btcArtGallery)
As far as using 3D technology for teaching blockchain is concerned, offers another learning tool. The VR version of the explorer uses Google Cardboard to interact with bitcoin blockchain.
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