Kodak and blockchain...important to image ownership.

[ic-racer]

A completely secure layer of transaction ... person to person, without a middleman or intermediary ...

This is why criminals like cryptocurrency, but I'd not want my family or business finance transactions unprotected and anonymous.

 

[Sean]

This is why criminals like cryptocurrency, but I'd not want my family or business finance transactions unprotected and anonymous.

There's no more nefarious activity in crypto than traditional means of transactions. One study found it barely measurable. It's one of those situations where, do we ban something revolutionary because a few baddies use it?

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been plagued with the possibility of being used to fund criminal and terrorist organizations, even though every other form of money has also been used for these purposes.
In 2016, a Europol report found that there was no evidence of terrorists using bitcoin and while it’s evident ransomware extortionists and hackers prefer cryptocurrencies, it’s rare to see other crimes involve bitcoin.
Now, a report from the European Comission to the European Parliament and Council found that the risk of digital currencies being used to finance terrorism is “moderately significant (level 2).” This, in a scale ranging from “lowly significant (level 1)” to “very significant (level 4).”
The report admits that terrorist groups could use virtual currencies to their advantage, and notes that cases in which these were used have been reported. On Twitter, supporters even attempt to spread instructions on how to use them, but nevertheless these are still not being widely adopted by bad actors.

It's actually very difficult to use crypto for illegal means. In the end, to cash large amounts has to be done on a major exchange hooked to your bank account, so there is a lot of KYC/AML stuff going on.

 

[RattyMouse]

There's no more nefarious activity in crypto than traditional means of transactions. One study found it barely measurable. It's one of those situations where, do we ban something revolutionary because a few baddies use it?

Countries across the world are slowly moving to eliminate high denomination currency notes all in an effort to make large cash transactions very difficult for black marketeers. So yes, we do ban things because baddies use them. There's a reason why mafia gangs like drug lords love cryptocurrencies and that is because it is much easier to launder money with them than in hard cash.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

The best way to launder money is to find a crooked banker. Of course there aren't many of those around. Lol. And there have never been any banks ever that laundered billions of dollars of drug money. Everyone knows banks are on the up and up. Of course!

It cracks me up when people say that money can be laundered easily through blockchains like Bitcoin. You do realize that every transaction is enshrined in the blockchain forever right? You can follow everything. It isn't like giving a briefcase full of cash to someone. That you can do anonymously for the most part. I pretty much only use cash locally because it is anonymous. Use a credit card and everything can be tracked just like a blockchain.

Like Sean stated above, blockchain technology is going to revolutionize the world. The only question is which ones are going to do it. Kodak isn't one of them, that I can tell you.

 

[RattyMouse]

The best way to launder money is to find a crooked banker. Of course there aren't many of those around. Lol. And there have never been any banks ever that laundered billions of dollars of drug money. Everyone knows banks are on the up and up. Of course!

It cracks me up when people say that money can be laundered easily through blockchains like Bitcoin. You do realize that every transaction is enshrined in the blockchain forever right? You can follow everything. It isn't like giving a briefcase full of cash to someone. That you can do anonymously for the most part. I pretty much only use cash locally because it is anonymous. Use a credit card and everything can be tracked just like a blockchain.

Like Sean stated above, blockchain technology is going to revolutionize the world. The only question is which ones are going to do it. Kodak isn't one of them, that I can tell you.

Blockchain can be made 100% obsolete in a single day once governments decide that they dislike this freedom. Bitcoin prices plunge huge double digit amounts when ever countries as small as Korea give hints that they will outlaw the technology.

 

[Sean]

Blockchain can be made 100% obsolete in a single day once governments decide that they dislike this freedom. Bitcoin prices plunge huge double digit amounts when ever countries as small as Korea give hints that they will outlaw the technology.

Many countries and banks ARE embracing it though, you'd be surprised. The blockchain space is absolutely booming. For every blockchain developer there are 14 positions that can't get filled due to demand. There is no sign of a total ban whatsoever, but the media, banks and those in power are scared to death of it. One second they claim it's bunk, a fad, a fraud then the next second they claim it is a threat to their business if it's adopted. The ignorance surrounding blockchain tech is of the highest order and most every pundit on 'TV' that is anti-blockchain can't even explain what it actually is. Most think it's "Bitcoin" which is one of 1,000's of use cases. How about using blockchain to speed up and secure traditional banking transaction systems (why ban this?), how about blockchain to facilitate decentralised cloud computing (why ban this?), how about blockchain to secure all medical records (why ban that?), how about blockchain to protect identities from theft (why ban that?), how about blockchain to revolutionize supply tracking and product tracking with rfid/blockchain system, or DLT to make use of IoT (why ban this?). I could go on for pages. It's also bizarre that some lash out at blockchain technologies in regards to finance. How in the world could it be bad to allow people to control their own money instead of banking cartels? They want to force everyone to remain in their system, so they can keep clipping the ticket and making those trillions, and it keeps billions of people from participating in finance. Also, for those who try to equate blockchain to fraud, take a good look at the banks. JP Morgan has 100's of lawsuits in progress, often willfully breaking the law and Jamie Dimon once literally said "pfttt go ahead and fine us, whatever". These crooks wrecked the global economy and are still bilking everyone. We actually have a viable chance to rid the system of this and return all wealth back to the individual. Anyway..

 

[RattyMouse]

Many countries and banks ARE embracing it though, you'd be surprised. The blockchain space is absolutely booming. For every blockchain developer there are 14 positions that can't get filled due to demand. There is no sign of a total ban whatsoever, but the media, banks and those in power are scared to death of it. One second they claim it's bunk, a fad, a fraud then the next second they claim it is a threat to their business if it's adopted. The ignorance surrounding blockchain tech is of the highest order and most every pundit on 'TV' that is anti-blockchain can't even explain what it actually is. Most think it's "Bitcoin" which is one of 1,000's of use cases. How about using blockchain to speed up and secure traditional banking transaction systems (why ban this?), how about blockchain to facilitate decentralised cloud computing (why ban this?), how about blockchain to secure all medical records (why ban that?), how about blockchain to protect identities from theft (why ban that?), how about blockchain to revolutionize supply tracking and product tracking with rfid/blockchain system, or DLT to make use of IoT (why ban this?). I could go on for pages. It's also bizarre that some lash out at blockchain technologies in regards to finance. How in the world could it be bad to allow people to control their own money instead of banking cartels? They want to force everyone to remain in their system, so they can keep clipping the ticket and making those trillions, and it keeps billions of people from participating in finance. Also, for those who try to equate blockchain to fraud, take a good look at the banks. JP Morgan has 100's of lawsuits in progress, often willfully breaking the law and Jamie Dimon once literally said "pfttt go ahead and fine us, whatever". These crooks wrecked the global economy and are still bilking everyone. We actually have a viable chance to rid the system of this and return all wealth back to the individual. Anyway..

Governments would HATE to have people control their own money. The entire system is set up so that governments can steal from the general population at will. That's what fiat money is all about. If the government needs money, they just have to devalue their currency. The government is flush with new cash, while the population's savings are devalued. Countries do this all the time. Fiat currency is all about taking from people, mostly through stealth.

I can see many reasons why nefarious governments, including supposedly good ones, would strongly loathe the freedom granted by blockchain. Most government distrust the people with their freedom.

 

[Sean]

Governments would HATE to have people control their own money. The entire system is set up so that governments can steal from the general population at will. That's what fiat money is all about. If the government needs money, they just have to devalue their currency. The government is flush with new cash, while the population's savings are devalued. Countries do this all the time. Fiat currency is all about taking from people, mostly through stealth.

I can see many reasons why nefarious governments, including supposedly good ones, would strongly loathe the freedom granted by blockchain. Most government distrust the people with their freedom.

Case in point, in the news today:

"Some of the strongest criticism came from California Representative Brad Sherman, who questioned the social benefit:

“Cryptocurrencies are a crock […] They help criminals and terrorists […] they help startups perpetrate fraud […] undermine the dollar, encourage gambling for no social benefit [..] and are popular with guys who want to sit on their couch and tell their wives they are going to be millionaires.”
According to OpenSecrets, Brad Sherman raised $61,700 from the securities and investment industries in 2017-2018, while credit unions opted to offer him another $22,000. Money from the real estate, accounting, and insurance industries rounded out his top five donation sources by industry. In 2016, Sherman was funded by $133,525 from the investment and securities industry.

Mr. Sherman is up for re-election in 2018."

The threat to finance is real and the war is starting, of course these thugs want to kill it. However, history shows revolutionary and disruptive technology, once out of the bottle is impossible to stop.

 

[RattyMouse]

Case in point, in the news today:

"Some of the strongest criticism came from California Representative Brad Sherman, who questioned the social benefit:

“Cryptocurrencies are a crock […] They help criminals and terrorists […] they help startups perpetrate fraud […] undermine the dollar, encourage gambling for no social benefit [..] and are popular with guys who want to sit on their couch and tell their wives they are going to be millionaires.”
According to OpenSecrets, Brad Sherman raised $61,700 from the securities and investment industries in 2017-2018, while credit unions opted to offer him another $22,000. Money from the real estate, accounting, and insurance industries rounded out his top five donation sources by industry. In 2016, Sherman was funded by $133,525 from the investment and securities industry.

Mr. Sherman is up for re-election in 2018."

The threat to finance is real and the war is starting, of course these thugs want to kill it. However, history shows revolutionary and disruptive technology, once out of the bottle is impossible to stop.

Do you really believe that established blockchains are 100% unstoppable? I am no expert in this technology but have a hard time believing that a determined government cannot crush blockchain if the will is there.

 

[Sean]

Do you really believe that established blockchains are 100% unstoppable? I am no expert in this technology but have a hard time believing that a determined government cannot crush blockchain if the will is there.

It's decentralized so it can't be stopped any more than filesharing can be stopped (we've seen how well that panned out). The only way to stop it would be to shut down the entire internet. Some blockchain companies are putting cubesats in space to further strengthen their networks against censoring. They 'banned' it in China on multiple fronts and still millions of Chinese are using it. Many banks are getting onboard which means those who do not will suffer and ultimately be forced to join. Many blockchain companies are worth billions and are starting to lobby and gain ground in the political spectrum. The USA is taking a hands off approach, unwilling to stifle the innovation but believes in regulation (which is fine, I am for some degree of regulation KYC/AML etc). South Korea is getting back into the mix, Japan is huge into blockchain, UK is very friendly to it. I think we'll see a scenario play out where the tech is not going anywhere, get on board or become irrelevant. The most controversial aspect is finance and to me it's not the biggest use case for blockchain. It is sooooooo much more than that.

 

[RattyMouse]

It's decentralized so it can't be stopped any more than filesharing can be stopped (we've seen how well that panned out). The only way to stop it would be to shut down the entire internet. Some blockchain companies are putting cubesats in space to further strengthen their networks against censoring. They 'banned' it in China on multiple fronts and still millions of Chinese are using it. Many banks are getting onboard which means those who do not will suffer and ultimately be forced to join. Many blockchain companies are worth billions and are starting to lobby and gain ground in the political spectrum. The USA is taking a hands off approach, unwilling to stifle the innovation but believes in regulation (which is fine, I am for some degree of regulation KYC/AML etc). South Korea is getting back into the mix, Japan is huge into blockchain, UK is very friendly to it. I think we'll see a scenario play out where the tech is not going anywhere, get on board or become irrelevant. The most controversial aspect is finance and to me it's not the biggest use case for blockchain. It is sooooooo much more than that.

Well, I need to read up on blockchain and learn more about it. Your enthusiasm for it is palpable. Got a link to any good primer for an uneducated person such as myself?

 

[Sean]

Well, I need to read up on blockchain and learn more about it. Your enthusiasm for it is palpable. Got a link to any good primer for an uneducated person such as myself?

I'm a geek at heart and after 20+ yrs in IT, I consider blockchain technology the biggest breakthrough in tech I've ever known. There might be some good free courses here: https://medium.com/@a2lyabhat/top-5...to-break-into-the-industry-today-2a96d1592322

 

[RattyMouse]

I'm a geek at heart and after 20+ yrs in IT, I consider blockchain technology the biggest breakthrough in tech I've ever known. There might be some good free courses here: https://medium.com/@a2lyabhat/top-5...to-break-into-the-industry-today-2a96d1592322

Thanks. I'm in China now and the link above appears to be blocked by the internet censors here. I'll have a look at it later when out of the country.

 

[removed account4]

You can follow everything. It isn't like giving a briefcase full of cash to someone.

not so sure about that .. people using block chain have ways of protecting their identity and their transactions from the chain ..
i listened to this show IDK 4 years ago when it was on the radio, seems about right for this thread: http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2014/05/06/bitcoin-dark-money-dark-wallet
i think blockchain is going to be pretty powerful. i just hope if / when the systems are attacked they are shored up well enough to repel the attackers
and i hope if there are extreme solar events that there is some sort of paper trail .. at least the gold in the coffee can burried in the back yard,
or dollar bills stuffed in the mattress at end of the day is gold and $100 bills..

 

[Sean]

not so sure about that .. people using block chain have ways of protecting their identity and their transactions from the chain ..
i listened to this show IDK 4 years ago when it was on the radio, seems about right for this thread: http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2014/05/06/bitcoin-dark-money-dark-wallet
i think blockchain is going to be pretty powerful. i just hope if / when the systems are attacked they are shored up well enough to repel the attackers
and i hope if there are extreme solar events that there is some sort of paper trail .. at least the gold in the coffee can burried in the back yard,
or dollar bills stuffed in the mattress at end of the day is gold and $100 bills..

There are some 'privacy coins', but the reality is what are you going to do after you get them? It's not easy to cash out large amounts of privacy coins. You have to sign up to an exchange, connect that to your real banks account, go through ID verification KYC and AML.. AND the bank will report anything over 5-10k, which you must then explain the source of the funds. But again, 'digital currency' is the least impressive use cases for this tech.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

...revolutionary and disruptive technology, once out of the bottle is impossible to stop.

I think whenever someone complains about PHOTRIO replacing the all-analog APUG I'll link them to this post.

 

[jtk]

Hedge funds seek high-rollers ("qualified investors") to serve or, as often, victimize. They're deep into blockchain and the one cited earlier doesn't want to admit it.

We all already participate in blockchain via Google, Amazon, Bank of America, Walmart etc etc etc.... We don't even notice, don't have to approve. Doesn't mean we're buying bitcoins or that we're buying parts of blockchain...fundamental misunderstanding. Same sort of concept as buying a six pack from a local store and paying them a token amount to pay for their electricity and underpaid clerk.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/e...emerging-in-cross-industry-sectors-2018-03-14

There's no need to convert block coin into cash. Real businesses don't turn their invoices into cash and most of us don't turn our debit/credit cards into cash..right?

+++ Blockchain is already an important part of our daily lives thru our transactions with Walmart, Google, Amazon and virtually all big corporations.

Don't confuse blockchain itself (a generic concept) with WENN, which is only one of an increasing number of equivalent companies.

Don't confuse blockchain with bitcoin...not even similar.

GOOGLE BLOCKCHAIN

 

[AgX]

+++ Blockchain is already an important part of our daily lives thru our transactions with Walmart, Google, Amazon and virtually all big corporations.

I do not know of any transactions I did with them.

 

[jtk]

I do not know of any transactions I did with them.

Hardly anybody "does tranactions with blockchain" but almost everybody's transactions, even off line, involve blockchain. It's in the background and we don't knowingly pay for it anymore than we pay for Walmart's greeters.

 

[AgX]

Not here.

 

[FoidPoosening]

None of this...seems like industry news?

 

[faberryman]

It as been two months since the KodakCoin ICO was to have taken place and still nothing is happening. Some details about the Kodak-WENN Digital licensing agreement have become public:

https://www.crypto-economy.net/en/t...-ico-contract-with-wenn-digital-are-revealed/

 

[AgX]

If I understand that correctly:

-) Kodak by no means is involved in that money machine and coin making
-) Kodak only licened their brand
-) Kodak is to be paid for that only by future royalties and by coins to me made

Is that right?

 

[RattyMouse]

The bottom has dropped out of the cryptocurrency market. This ICO looks more and more likely to never happen.

 

[faberryman]

The bottom has dropped out of the cryptocurrency market. This ICO looks more and more likely to never happen.

Nothing WENN Digital has proposed requires cryptocurrency. It is a marketing gimmick. The ICO is unlikely to happen now. They missed their window. That and the SEC has increased its interest in regulating cryptocurrency, making it likely that coins will be treated a securities requiring registration or an exemption, and possible establishment of a federally regulated exchange. Who is want to go to the trouble to pay or be paid in crypto coins?