subimpact.net

Month: August 2020

  • Visa, Mastercard and PayPal hasten launch of crypto debit cards

     Why You Should Never Use a Debit Card to Pay for Anything - Clark ...

    Enterprise companies like Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal have shown
    a lot of interest in the crypto card/reward space. With plans to
    partner with many blockchain companies, Visa intends to work with
    licensed and regulated digital currency platforms such as Coinbase
    and Fold and create a bridge between Visa’s network of 61 million
    global merchants and cryptocurrencies. With Wirecard out of the
    picture, Visa quickly jumped in to fill the void of the WirecardCrypto.com partnership and launched the MCO card via
    Crypto.com. 

     In an expansion of its current cryptocurrency program, Mastercard
    is making it easier for companies in the digital currency space to
    issue branded payment cards on Mastercard’s network. Wirex
    became the first native cryptocurrency platform to gain principal
    membership. 
    Soon, PayPal’s 265 million users will be able to buy bitcoin via the
    Venmo mobile payment app which could begin rolling out within the
    next 3 months. 
    The cryptocurrency industry has also been making progress in the
    issuance of cards as well. For example, Binance announced recently
    that its payment card, Binance card, will be coming to Europe in the
    next year. Developing interest in blockchain rewards, last year Nike
    patented CryptoKicks—tokenized shoes on the ethereum
    blockchain—and partnered with Plutus to offer cryptocurrency
    rewards on Nike product purchases

  • Ethernal – Bestiary

     Ethernal

    Hey guys, I’ll be updating this post from time to time for all types of monsters in the realm of Ethernal, a multiplayer dungeon generated & owned by the players.

    Floor 8

    Klaksonaut

    Level: 8

    HP: 36 

    Type: Mob

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense: 

    Poisonous Snake Pit

    Level: 8

    HP: 36 

    Type: Mob

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense: 

    Evil Dust Bunny

    Level: 8

    HP: 32 

    Type: Mob

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense: 

    Evil Fungai

    Level: 8

    HP: 32 

    Type: Mob

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense:

    Angry Djinn

    Level: 8

    HP: 32 

    Type: Mob

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense: 

    Vampire Spy

    Level: 8

    HP: 72

    Type: Mini Boss

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense: 

    Woolly Boar

    Level: 8

    HP: 72 

    Type: Mini Boss

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense: 

    Oozopod

    Level: 8

    HP: 72 

    Type: Mini Boss

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense:

    Maw Demon

    Level: 8

    HP: 720 

    Type: Big Boss

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense:

    Gravetender
    Gravetender

    Level: 8

    HP: 732

    Type: big Boss

    HP Attack: 

    ARMOR Defense:

  • These apps could become the next TikTok

     How TikTok Became The Music Industry's New Fame Machine - Rolling ...

    • Triller is very similar to TikTok, though it focuses more on AI-guided
    editing tools and is integrated more closely with the music industry:
    a result of its star-studded group of investors, which includes Snoop
    Dogg and Eminem.

    Triller video app offers TikTok alternative | Fox Business

     • Clash Video: Clash is a halfway house app, with videos no longer than
    21 seconds, but includes a raft of similarities to TikTok: The for You
    page equivalent is called ‘Now Serving’. However, it steps away from
    the idea that users would want to use music in the background of
    their videos, instead relying solely on original audio that the poster
    includes while recording the video. 

    Clash Video short-video app signs up 200k users in its first week

    • Byte: Byte has seen a resurgence and is currently sitting second on
    many App Store charts. It’s been embraced by Alt TikTok (a
    collection of users who tend to post oddball videos that are layered
    full of in-jokes), who have adopted the app because of its long
    lineage back to Vine and the origins of short form video, and the
    quirky spirit of comedy that original Vine creators and Alt TikTok
    share.

    Byte, a 6-Second Looping Video App, Launches on iOS and Android ...

     • Instagram Reels: Facebook-owned Instagram has a new product
    “Reels” launching across some of TikTok’s biggest markets. Reels
    working within Instagram, and allowing users to create 15-second,
    looped videos. There is a tab in explore that leads to a feed of Reels
    content, much like TikTok’s “For You” page.

    Instagram Stories launches TikTok clone Reels in Brazil | TechCrunch

    https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tiktok-alternatives-triller-byte-reels

  • Standard Chartered to launch institutional crypto custody solution

    Standard Chartered to miss growth targets amid coronavirus fears | Standard Chartered | The Guardian  

    Standard Chartered is the latest bank to get into the crypto custody
    business, unveiled that its innovation, ventures and fintech investments
    unit, SC Ventures, has been working on a solution for the institutional
    market that would support cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin but also
    security tokens. The first pilot of the service could launch before the end
    of the year. The firm has been developing “one of the most secure crypto
    custody solutions on the market,” adding that as many as 20 institutions
    had expressed interest in the solution. Though the venture will be based
    in the UK, it will be open to clients from around the world. With this new
    offering, the firm was looking to provide institutional investors with a
    custodial solution that caters to this segment’s specific needs notably in
    terms of security, citing features such as segregated accounts. This could
    potentially kick-start the institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies. SC
    Ventures has been “developing a venture to meet the demands of
    institutions for an end-to-end institutional grade custodian of digital
    assets, which meets regulatory standards.

  • GrabPay rides on MY e-wallet initiative to drive cashless

    GrabPay – Official ePENJANA e-wallet | Grab MY

    Payment solution GrabPay has
    jumped on board the Malaysian government’s ePENJANA initiative,
    under which the government will channel RM750 million into the hands
    of an estimated 15 million e-wallet users to help local businesses recover
    by encouraging them to shop for their wants and essentials. The
    ePENJANA initiative comes under the short-term economic recovery
    plan, with the Malaysian government providing RM50 ePENJANA credits
    to users. Corresponding to the RM50 contribution from the government,
    Grab will be topping up an additional RM50 worth of vouchers which can
    be used for any Grab services or at any of Malaysia’s favourite restaurants
    or shops nationwide. In addition to this, claimants can also earn
    GrabRewards points which can be used as savings for any online or offline
    transaction.

  • Installing Boom POW! on linux

    Image for post
    Here is a quick guide on how to install BOOM POW on a linux machine (recommended ubuntu 18 and above). 

    I’ll explain whats BOOM POW after the guide.
    remember always to perform an update
    sudo get-apt update
    next make sure your python 3.6.7 or higher
    python3 –version
     
    next we install the required packages to run the scripts 
    sudo apt-get install git ocl-icd-libopencl1 python3-pip
     
    let the package install…. and once done, lets clone the git 
    git clone https://github.com/BananoCoin/boompow.git
     
    we can now go to the boompow/client folder
    cd boompow/client
    once inside the main folder we can call the pip3 update
    pip3 install –user -r requirements.txt
     
    finally we can now set up the server let create a new screen session called server for easy reference
    screen -S server
     
     
    you will notice the whole console will be cleared up to double check if you have done this correctly, you can check it using the command below
    screen -ls
    once confirm you are in a screen session called server, we can run the server 
    (do check ./bin/linux/nano-work-server –help for information on how to select your GPU or CPU)
    sudo ./bin/linux/nano-work-server –gpu 0:0 -l 127.0.0.1:7000
    the command above will select your default GPU, but the screen below for my nix doesn’t have GPU, so I will use the CPU threads. (to check your CPU thread you can use the lscpu command)
    once you see “Ready to receive requests.” you have successfully deployed the work server. Congratulations. 
    on to the next step, detached from the current screen session by pressing CTRL + A and D
    you will return to your previous mumbo jumbo screen.
    now create a new screen session 
    screen -S client
     
    you can reconfirm again by know if your terminal has been cleared or using the screen -ls to verify the screen you are attached to.
    now its time to run the client
    (Check the client configuration options with python3 bpow_client.py –help)
    python3 bpow_client.py –payout YOUR_BANANO_ADDRESS –work {ondemand,precache,any}
    for the example below I’ve used my command with my wallet id

    sudo python3 bpow_client.py –payout ban_3k678z5xmyc3sitayf4614ai9wx6uxswxdf3i5r8dzrpo57fdsx5x6fw613b –work any –async_mode –limit-logging

    if ran successful, you will have the terminal looking as above. Remember to CTL + A and D to detach before logging off the terminal.
    So what is BOOM POW?
    BoomPoW (bPow) is a peel of the Distributed Proof of Work System (DPoW). The aim is to provide reliable, fast proof of work to not only BANANO apps and services, but also to NANO apps and services.
    Image for post
    Think of BoomPoW as a “broker” of PoW. For example if Kalium needs to make a transaction it will request a PoW from BoomPoW — BoomPoW will then request it from the connected contributors and return the solution back to Kalium once it is complete. The contributor gets paid a small amount of BANANO for his service and the process repeats.
    How do I Earn Banano?
    Similar to mining, the PoW solution is random. Because PoW is random everybody who is connected to the BoomPoW network regardless of processing power has a chance to win some calculations, therefore earning BANANO. However, higher end processors (primarily GPUs) can guess faster which means they will statistically win more calculations, therefore earning more BANANO. Remember, a guess is referring to a hash calculation, so guessing faster is simply referring to how fast a computer can calculate hashes — traditional mining currencies generally refer to this as the hash rate.
    There will be periodic bonuses paid to long-term, reliable contributors regardless of their hash rate. These will be announced as they occur.
    The default Instructions for setting up a BoomPoW client and contributing on Windows / Mac are available HERE. If you need further assistance, you can get support on Discord in #frankensteins-lab.
    Image for post
    What the FORK is BANANO?
    Banano is a 4th generation fungible & edible cryptocurrency with a cool yellow logo and particles.js background. Our team is top-notch and the project advisors are by a moonshot best in the business.
     

  • Revolut rolls out rewards offering in SG

    Fintech startup Revolut applies for European banking license

    Revolut has unveiled lifestyle offerings called Revolut Rewards to all
    Singapore customers. With Revolut Rewards, customers can now access
    special discounts and cashback on a number of brands that they know
    and love, simply by using their Revolut Visa card. Revolut Rewards
    kickstarts with cashbacks for top brands, including Amazon, Nike, Lazada
    and Zalora that are instantly available to all Revolut customers in
    Singapore. Customers can expect curated personalized offerings through
    Revolut’s behavioral intelligence platform. There is no additional
    subscription to pay to use Revolut Rewards; customers simply must be a
    Revolut customer based in Singapore. Revolut welcomes local brands to
    come onboard Revolut Rewards programme, which features Singapore’s
    most popular categories such as: health and beauty, apparel &
    sportswear, electronic gadgets, food & beverages and many more.

  • Covid-19 intensifies personal finance risk to SMEs

    COVID-19 Financial Services Response Network | World Economic Forum

    Survey shows seven in 10 small-business owners have used some form
    of support for their business since March. The most common option was
    PPP loans, with 30% saying they received one, followed by 24% saying
    they turned to personal credit cards and business savings accounts. In
    total, 35% of owners used either personal credit cards or savings
    accounts, with 10% using both, to support their business. This personal
    funding has further blurred the line between personal and business
    finances. Small businesses that bring in less than $1 million annually
    typically need the owner to personally back the debt, meaning they’re
    responsible if the company can’t pay. This leaves entrepreneurs on the
    hook for the risk, even if it’s in the name of their business. While this has
    always been the case, the pandemic has intensified the personal financial
    risk to small entrepreneurs

  • Samsung might drop Bixby to push Google Assistant

    Google Assistant, your own personal Google

    Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. could eliminate Bixby, the virtual voice
    assistant, and the Galaxy Apps Store from its mobile devices under a deal
    with Alphabet Inc’s Google. It is the latest effort by Google to convince
    Samsung to lose one of its services and instead promote Google’s search,
    Assistant and Play Store apps. If the move is successful, Google would
    grab the world’s bestselling mobile device maker by units sold, and
    Samsung would drop its own services while the search giant is
    highlighted. Android software powers phones from Samsung and many
    other companies as an incentive to provide manufacturers with
    advertising revenue from Google apps featured on their devices.