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Librum: Promising New Open-Source e-book Reader That Lets You … – It’s FOSS News

Are you a bookworm? Or turning into one?

Well, we have just the thing for you!

Librum Reader is a new eBook reader offering meant to make reading enjoyable and straightforward for everyone.

While this is not your usual offline reader app, it can be one of the best eBook readers for Linux. With Librum, you can take advantage of the cloud by having a personal library that can be accessed from any device, anytime.

Allow me to show you around it.

Built primarily using QML and C++, Librum is an open-source e-book reader that allows you to sync your content to the cloud with a pretty straightforward interface.

It is free to get started with 2 GB of cloud storage and plans to offer some premium tiers (not yet finalized).

Librum Reader is in active development and has no stable release yet.

Librum is also packed with plenty of features, with some of the highlights including:

Suggested Read

8 Best eBook Readers for Linux

Have a look at some of the best ebook readers for Linux. These apps give a better reading experience and some will even help in managing your ebooks.

I set out to test Librum on my Ubuntu 22.04-powered system. But, before I could use the app, I had to create an account by providing an email address and password.

Even though Librum focuses on providing a cloud experience, I would've liked a dedicated offline-only mode as an alternative or a trial mode to check Librum out before signing up.

Anyway, I moved on and signed in to the application. I imported a few books by using the 'Add books' option, and it then arranged them in the home tab neatly, with options to sort, filter, or add tags to them.

The eBook reading experience was just about what you would expect from a modern reader application, with a minimal interface and options to scale the text, go into full-screen mode, and more.

The three-ribbon menu houses a few essential options. The top three options allow you to print, save, or share the currently opened eBook.

The options include the text-to-speech functionality, displaying pages continuously/vertically, inverting the colors, syncing the book, and accessing the settings menu.

I also tested out the search functionality; I could quickly find specific words, with options to highlight them all, set it to be case-sensitive, and search for whole words.

The table of contents feature also worked quite well, with the option to search for specific chapters using the search bar.

That was it for my eBook reading experience on Librum Reader.

But wait, there's more to look out for!

I noticed that there were plenty of features that were still being worked on.

One of those is a free in-app bookstore that is set to house over 70,000 eBooks; the other is a 'Statistics Page' that will contain personalized reading statistics.

The last one is an 'Add-ons Page' that will most likely feature add-ons that further enhance the functionality of Librum.

The stable release is set to arrive in the coming months.

The developers have not yet clarified what the upcoming paid plans will offer. My best guess would be that they will offer more cloud storage and access to novelty features.

I suggest you watch their news page for up-to-date information regarding Librum Reader.

Librum is available as a Flatpak for Linux right now, with Windows and macOS variants under development.

Head over to the official website or the Flathub store to grab it.

What's your favorite e-book reader app on Linux? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.

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Call the security Google’s Nest cameras just got a massive … – TechRadar

Google Nest Cams and Nest Doorbells just got a lot more expensive if you want access to all of their security features, with their subscription pricing going up by as much as 33%.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus subscriptions are both getting a price bump that could make you think twice about paying for the benefits they bring, including cloud video histories and intelligent alerts.

In the US, the basic Nest Aware subscription will now cost $8 a month or $80 annually, which is quite a leap from the previous $6 a month / $60 annual pricing (33% to be precise). If you want Nest Aware Plus, which gives you 60 days of video history rather than 30 days, that'll now cost you $15 a month or $150 annually (a 25% price increase).

While Google has only notified its US customers about the price changes so far, they're likely a sign of what's to come in other regions, too. We've asked Google to confirm if this will be the case in the UK and what the new pricing will be. (Update 4/9/23: Google has confirmed that the new UK pricing for Nest Aware will be $6 a month / 60 a year, while Nest Aware Plus will be 12 a month / 120 a year).

The increased pricing goes into effect immediately for new subscribers in the US, with current Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus customers getting the unwelcome price increase in their next bill from November 6.

Those two subscription services effectively replaced the Nest 1st generation plan back in May 2020, which started at only $5 per month and gave you five days of 24/7 rolling cloud video storage (a feature that's now only available with Nest Aware Plus).

On the plus side, the current Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus plans do cover all of your Google Nest devices (unlike its previous per-device plans). So if you have multiple cameras or doorbells then one (albeit pricey) subscription will cover all of them.

Update 4/9/23: Google has pointed us towards its Help Centre page for Nest price increase, which confirms that the "price of existing Nest Aware subscriptions will increase in the US, UK, and Australia in Fall 2023".

Subscription price increases aren't exactly new to most tech fans this year, we've seen everything from Netflix and Disney Plus to Spotify and PlayStation Plus all get a lot more expensive.

On the Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus rises, Google has only vaguely explained that "subscription prices can change to keep up with market shifts, which can include inflation and local tax updates."

But the reality is that cloud storage one of the main benefits of getting a subscription for your security camera has broadly been getting pricier, with Google Cloud becoming a lot more expensive last year. So it was only a matter of time before cloud storage for security cameras was also given a price hike.

Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus subscriptions were already among the highest of the best home security cameras, with the likes of Ring, Arlo, Blink and now Philips Hue all offering cheaper basic plans alongside their own 'Plus' options. So that could be a factor for buyers to consider in the long-running Ring vs Nest debate.

Still, Google's plans also cover an unlimited number of devices, so they could still be worthwhile if you have or plan to get a large number of Google-made cameras, doorbells, speakers and displays that all support its smart alerts.

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Nutanix’s looming profitability helped by Cisco deal, Broadcom … – Blocks and Files

Interview. Hyper-converged infrastructure supplier Nutanix has good prospects with a newly minted Cisco partnership, current Nvidia relationship, and looming profitability.

Update: Nutanix confirmed it doesnt support GPUDirect but is considering future support. 8 Sept 2023.

The firms software-defined infrastructure software virtualizes on-prem servers and their storage and network connections, as well as running in the public clouds. It creates a hybrid and multi-cloud data platform on which to run applications and is the main alternative to VMware with its vSAN and VMware Cloud Foundation offering.

Broadcoms pending acquisition of VMware has raised doubts about VMwares future development strategy and general situation.Nutanix is poised to capitalize on such customer concerns, has set up a new route to market with Cisco, and has a strong relationship with Nvidia thats relevant to customers looking to develop their AI/ML capabilities. These three factors are combining with Nutanixs improvement in its business operating efficiency and direction to bring profitability and maturity to Nutanix.

We asked Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramswami some questions about these topics, and edited the overall conversation for readability.

Blocks & Files: I wondered whether you thought Nutanix and Dell were both capitalizing or benefiting from doubts over Broadcoms acquisition of VMware?

Rajiv Ramswami: I would say for that its still early days for us. Weve certainly seen Dell change their positioning from how they used to lead with VxRail before. Not anymore. Now, its much more than PowerFlex. And weve seen that certainly happened over the last year.

Now, I think, we certainly are seeing a lot of interest from customers. Theres no doubt about that. And weve seen some deals starting to close as well and probably some large ones, you know, seven figure ACV deal with a Fortune 500 company this last quarter. But what remains to be seen here is how many of these engagements actually result in a significant transaction for us [versus] using us as leverage to just try to extract more from VMware when it comes to a price negotiation.

Also, many of these customers have signed up for multi release with VMware to protect themselves prior to the Broadcom deal closing. I think long term this is definitely going to be in our favor. We will see more opportunities as a result of this.

Blocks & Files: How do you see Nutanix competing with external storage vendors? My suspicion is that customers decide whether theyre going to use hyperconverged infrastructure, or not, and then acquire separate compute, separate networking, and separate storage. And you come in after theyve made that decision. Is that right?

Rajiv Ramswami: So I would agree on the first part of what you said, but not on the second part. The customers have those two choices. They can stick with traditional three tier systems separate compute, storage, and network or they can go with hyperconverged, but were a big factor in helping them influence that decision.

Its not like they make that decision up front and then they just say OK, I decided to go HCI and then well look at Nutanix. We are an integral part of saying, look at the benefits of one versus the other. In fact, as part of our selling motion is, Hey, we can do this better than three tier. And heres why we can produce a total cost of ownership, we can get a comparable, if not better performance. And many of these storage arrays, we can also provide a platform for hybrid cloud.

So we go into that motion as actually a core selling motion. We influence a customers choice of whether they go with a traditional array, or they try and come to HCI.

Blocks & Files: Do subscription deals like HPEs GreenLake change this?

Rajiv Ramswami: We have actually had deals through HPE and Greenlake, where we are part of that solution as well with hyperconverged. Now, GreenLake to me doesnt change the dynamic of HCI [versus] separate management, compute, storage, network. Its just putting a subscription overlay on top of that. It doesnt really fundamentally change the dynamic of whether you go three tier, or whether you go hyperconverged. In either scenario, you can put it in like an overlay on top of it to consume it in a subscription, pay as you go monthly or annually.

Blocks & Files:Would you be able to position Cisco and Nutanix versus Ciscos HyperFlex offering?

Rajiv Ramswami: Were the market leader when it comes to hyperconverged. And Cisco has tried with their own solutions for quite a while, many years, and the market share data clearly indicates that we are by far the market share leader compared to their market share.

The one thing about Cisco, and I spent many years of my life there, is that they understand what could have been in the market, and they want to be a market leader. They dont want to be a market follower.

So, I think that they made the right decision by saying, look, if we do this, and partner with Nutanix, we can make a lot more in the market, with our customers. And its the right thing for the customers because they are really likely to choose Nutanix. Theyre winning, so why not? Lets make that easier. Lets offer that as a solution. And thats what drove this relationship.

its good for the customer, because now they get to buy a complete solution from Cisco.

Cisco is perfectly complementary to us. They dont have their own storage arrays and stuff like that, right? You can take your best in class from us and best in class from them, put it together and really get a winning solution in the market. So it makes sense for the customer, it makes sense for Cisco, it makes sense for us.

Blocks & Files:Could you give your view on NVidia GPUs in Nutanixs GPT-in-a-Box offering?

Rajiv Ramswami: GPT-in-a-box runs on top of our standard qualified hardware platforms, which are servers with GPUs Nvidia GPUs. As part of this we are virtualizing the GPUs. We are making them accessible. We also support the full immediate GPU asset. And, after getting certified as a partner for Nvidia, its very much an integral part of the offering.

Blocks & Files:When do you see Nutanix becoming profitable in a GAAP sense? In the next 12 months?

Rajiv Ramswami: We are certainly profitable on a non-GAAP basis. And were generating good free cash flow, ten times more free cash flow this year. The next milestone for us clearly is GAAP profitability. And if you look at the primary difference for us between non-GAAP and GAAP, it is stock-based compensation. And we have been working over the last several years to bring down stock-based compensation as a function of revenue.

We ask you to hold that question till our next Investor Day. We have one coming in next month. And thats when we plan to give our investors longer term views in terms of what the output looks like, including GAAP profitability.

Nutanix is in a favorable market situation. The Cisco partnership should bring in a substantial amount of extra business. Broadcom-VMware worries should also increase Nutanix sales over the next few year or so. Its Nvidia partnership should help it ride the AI interest wave and pick up deals from that.

We predict Nutanix will be profitable in the next quarter or two.

Nutanix supports Nvidias vGPU (virtual GPU) software, which virtualizes a GPU. It creates virtual GPUs that can be shared across multiple virtual machines (VM), accessed by any device, anywhere. The vGPU softwareenables multiple VMs to have simultaneous, direct access to a single physical GPU, using the same Nvidia graphics drivers that are deployed on non-virtualized operating systems.

Nvidias GPUDirect enables network adapters and storage drives to directly read and write to/from GPU memory, without passing through a server hosts CPU and memory as is the case with traditional storage I/O. This speeds data transfer between a servers storage (DAS or external SAN/filer) and a GPUs memory.

GPUDirect component technologies GPUDirect Storage, GPUDirect Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA), GPUDirect Peer to Peer (P2P) and GPUDirect Video are accessed through a set of APIs. The GPUDirect Storage facility enables a direct data path between local or remote storage such as NVMe or NVMe over Fabric (NVMe-oF) and GPU memory. It avoids the making of extra and time-consuming copies by the host CPU in a so-called bounce buffer in the CPUs memory. This enables a direct memory access (DMA) engine near the NIC or storage to move data on a direct path into or out of GPU memory.

VMwares recently announced Private AI Foundation with Nvidia includes VMwares vSAN Express Storage Architecture, which will provide NVMe storage and supports GPUDirect storage over RDMA, allowing for direct and so faster I/O transfer from storage to GPUs without CPU involvement. Nvidia GPUDirect partners with systems in production are DDN, Dell EMC, HPE, Hitachi, IBM, Kioxia, Liqid, Micron, NetApp, Samsung, ScaleFlux, SuperMicro, VAST Data and Weka. Pure Storage is not listed and neither is Nutanix.

We think that a GPUDirect support capability will be announced by Nutanix in the future. A company spokesperson said: Nutanix is currently evaluating future support forNvidias GPUDirect storage access protocol.

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Nutanix's looming profitability helped by Cisco deal, Broadcom ... - Blocks and Files

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Ethereum Price Remains Steady as Vitalik Buterin Falls Victim to Hackers – U.Today

Alex Dovbnya

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, had his X account compromised by hackers

Read U.TODAY on

Google News

Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum,has reportedly fallen prey to hackers who gained unauthorized access to his X account X being the new name for Twitter following its acquisition by Elon Musk.

Bad actors posted some phishing links in an apparent attempt to scam Buterin's followers by luring them with a suspicious-looking "commemorative" non-fungible token (NFT) sham. Per social media reports, multiple NFTs were stolen following the incident.

Buterin himself has yet to address the incident.

Thehacking incident has triggered an immediate response from the online community, including speculation, memes and legitimate security concerns.

One user humorouslymused about the fortunes the hacker could have amassed had they falsely tweeted about a massive Ethereum sell-off.

Obviously, a lot of users were puzzled by the fact that someone as tech-savvy as Buterin could fall victim to such an attack. Rumor has it that the incident was caused by a SIM swap attack.

TheETH price remained remarkably steady in the wake of the major cyber-incident. At press time, it is trading at $1,626 following a minor 0.5% dip.

The coin's market cap hovers at about $195.5 billion, with a 24-hour trading volume of approximately $3.3 billion.

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This Week in Coins: Green CandlesBut Barelyfor Bitcoin and Ethereum as Global Adoption Grows – Decrypt

Illustration by Mitchell Preffer for Decrypt.

Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) started the weekend with slightly higher prices than seven days ago.

The worlds biggest cryptocurrency currently trades for $25,815, which is an increase of about 0.6% over the week, while its closest runner-up grew 0.8% to change hands at $1,630.

Many other leading cryptocurrencies have also posted similar small gains. There are no substantial changes to the price of any of the top thirty cryptocurrencies by market capitalization from last weekend, except Stellar (XLM).

XLM holders saw their stash grow 10% over the week, and the token now trades for $0.124846. The rally appears to have been caused by a tweet from the Stellar team, posted on Saturday, that says, Something cool is dropping in 10 days.

After the slow news cycles of the last fortnight, this week saw a return to the usual slew of adoption announcements, although any indication of political breakthroughs for crypto over in Washington was pretty thin on the ground.

On Monday, the London Stock Exchange Group announced that it is using blockchain technology to build an exchange offering tokenized versions of traditional financial assets. LSEG is currently in talks with multiple regulatory bodies about it, including the UK government and HM Treasury.

That day, European Central Bank executive board member Fabio Panetta took aim at stablecoins issued by private companies like PayPal, which launched its own dollar-pegged PayPal USD (PYUSD) last month.

Speaking at the European Parliaments Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs meeting on Monday, Panetta said his main criticism of PYUSD and similar coins is that private providers of payment services, including PayPal, have no incentive to limit the take-up of their stablecoins or the range of services they provide. Quite the opposite: their objective is to expand their customer base and gain market share.

On the other hand, Panetta thinks the proposed European central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital euro, would pay due attention to orderly adjustments in the financial sector while offering payment service providers a platform for innovations with pan-euro area reach, he said.

On Tuesday, top-five South Korean financial conglomerate Hana Financial Group announced a partnership between its KEB Hana Bank and crypto custodian BitGo for late 2024.

The new deal ties a major domestic financial player to the crypto industry, although KEB Hana Bank has already taken steps into blockchain when it opened a digital branch in metaverse platform The Sandbox.

Crypto-friendly payments giant Visa said on Tuesday that it has now expanded its settlement options to include USDC on the Solana blockchain. The company also announced that it was working with merchant acquirers Worldpay and Nuvei to allow them to settle using USDC instead of fiat.

On Wednesday, The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)recognized by the SEC as the designated accounting standard setter for public companiesvoted unanimously to change how companies disclose crypto holdings in order to give greater transparency to the trade. The new rules take effect in 2025.

Two global financial regulators, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the G20s risk watchdog, the Financial Stability Board (FSB), on Thursday released a white paper outlining their plans for coordinated action to ensure that there is a comprehensive policy and regulatory response for crypto-assets [as it] is necessary to address the risks of crypto-assets to macroeconomic and financial stability.

While the papers authors acknowledge that crypto doesnt currently pose a risk to the financial system, they argue that widespread adoption would undermine the effectiveness of monetary policy.

The paper recommends constituencies safeguard monetary sovereignty and strengthen monetary policy frameworks, guard against excessive capital flow volatility and adopt unambiguous tax treatment of crypto-assets to protect themselves from risks.

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This Week in Coins: Green CandlesBut Barelyfor Bitcoin and Ethereum as Global Adoption Grows - Decrypt

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One Top Ethereum Rival Could Explode by Over 2,500%, Says Investor Who Predicted the 2022 Crypto Bottom – The Daily Hodl

An investor who accurately called the crypto market bottom in 2022 is expressing bullish sentiment on a leading Ethereum (ETH) competitor.

Reacting to an unnamed individual who confessed online to investing a $75,000 bonus in Solana (SOL), Chris Burniske tells his 263,300 followers on the social media platform X that the investment could turn into $2 million.

According to the founder of Placeholder Capital and former head of crypto at ARK Invest, his prediction is based on the assumption that Solana will reach a price double its all-time high of about $260 recorded in November of 2021.

Assumes SOL goes at least 2x former all-time high, which I think likely, but can always be wrong.

Solana is trading at $19.61 at time of writing and would have to appreciate by approximately 2,551% to reach Burniskes envisaged price of $520.

Earlier this month, the crypto investor predicted that Solana is likely to outperform Ethereum during the next market rally. According to Burniske, Solana has various factors that give the 10th-largest crypto asset by market cap an edge.

Quiet product launches, upgraded functionality, lower fees, more throughput, no hype all signs of a new product cycle coming to life from the ashes.

The crypto investor also recently said that Solana, as well as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum, are unlikely to make new lows in 2023 and that their long-term uptrend will continue into the coming two years.

Generated Image: Midjourney

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Ethereum’s Buterin co-authors proposal to balance blockchain privacy, regulation – Blockworks

A new research paper co-authored by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin delves into the ways in which blockchains can remain both private and compliant with government regulations.

The paper comes during a notable period of friction between the use of permissionless networks and government agencies wishing to expand their oversight of such activities. Last month, two co-founders of the EVM-compatible transaction mixing service Tornado Cash were charged by the US government.

The papers authors Buterin, as well as Chainalysis chief scientist Jacob Illum, University of Basel professor Fabian Schr, doctoral candidate Matthias Nadler of the University of Basel, and Spankchain co-founder Ameen Soleimani contend that good and bad actors could be distinguished through the use of a smart contract-based privacy enhancing protocol dubbed Privacy Pools.

Privacy Pools uses zero-knowledge (ZK) technology and enables users to generate a new withdrawal address that cant be linked to previous transactions.

It also lets users choose their own privacy settings meaning they can exclude any suspicious users from their transactions. This can be achieved through Merkle roots.

The authors note that their intention is to find cooperative solutions between lawmakers, regulators and practitioners across various fields to ensure that privacy-enhanced infrastructure can thrive in an otherwise regulated environment.

We argue that the proposal is quite flexible and can be adapted to potentially satisfy a

large variety of regulatory requirements, the authors wrote. The paper should be seen as a humble contribution towards a potential future in which financial privacy and regulation can co-exist.

Inside Privacy Pools

Any crypto asset created and spent on a blockchain possesses a coin ID (or hash) associated with it. This information is stored using a Merkle tree, a data structure through which each hash is linked to another hash in a tree-like structure.

Numerous transaction hashes are stored in a block, and each block is also hashed, creating a Merkle root.

In tandem with zero-knowledge tech which enable blockchains to prove that data is accurate without revealing the information itself users can prove that their withdrawals are made through a previous deposit. At the same time, theyd only reveal information from a limited data set of their choosing.

This means that honest users can prove that the origins of their funds are not directly tied to criminal activity.

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Ethereum’s Ongoing Evolution and Prospects – Geeks World Wide

Ethereums odyssey in the domain of cryptocurrencies has indeed been remarkable. It has evolved from a mere conceptualization into a global force to be reckoned with, and its impact on the landscape of cryptocurrency trading is far from static. In this comprehensive discourse, we shall delve into the ongoing evolution of Ethereum and the extensive potential it holds for the future of cryptocurrency trading.

Ethereum 2.0: Pioneering Scalability

Scalability has long been a persistent concern for Ethereum. The networks ability to handle transactions and smart contracts has, on occasions, been pushed to its limits, resulting in congestion and exorbitant transaction fees. However, Ethereum 2.0, often referred to as ETH 2.0 or Serenity, is a development geared towards confronting these issues head-on. In addition to these developments, the current ETH to USD demonstrates a level of demand unlike the vast majority of cryptocurrencies.

Ethereum 2.0 represents a substantial upgrade, ushering in a transition from a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism to a proof-of-stake (PoS) system. This shift has been designed to significantly enhance scalability, security, and energy efficiency.

Within the PoS system, validators are designated to generate new blocks and validate transactions based on the number of coins they possess and are willing to stake as collateral. This alteration diminishes the energy consumption traditionally associated with mining and permits a more resource-efficient processing of transactions. Consequently, Ethereum is poised to operate with greater speed and environmental responsibility.

The transition to Ethereum 2.0 is being conducted in multiple phases, with the Beacon Chains launch marking the inception of this monumental transformation. With this introduction, Ethereum has established a precedent for perpetuated development and adaptation to meet the burgeoning demands of the cryptocurrency community.

Ethereums Role in NFTs and Digital Ownership

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have emerged as a disruptive force, captivating the realms of art and entertainment, and Ethereum stands at the forefront of this revolution. NFTs symbolize ownership of unique digital assets, encompassing digital art, music, virtual real estate, and even tweets. These tokens are traded and transacted on Ethereums blockchain, owing to the platforms adaptability and robust infrastructure.

Ethereums support for NFTs has unveiled a spectrum of possibilities for creators and collectors alike. Artists can now tokenize their creations, ensuring irrefutable ownership and royalties upon subsequent resales. Musicians can monetize their compositions through NFT sales, fostering a direct connection with their audience.

The Potential of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) represent another noteworthy development within the Ethereum ecosystem. DAOs are entities governed by code and managed by their token holders. They empower decentralized decision-making and resource allocation, rendering them a potent instrument for collective actions and investments.

Within the sphere of cryptocurrency trading, DAOs can facilitate community-driven investment strategies and decision-making processes. Token holders can collectively determine trading strategies, portfolio allocations, and even partake in yield farming or liquidity provision activities within DeFi platforms.

Furthermore, DAOs can be employed for the management of decentralized funds, ensuring transparent and secure asset management. This eliminates the necessity for conventional fund managers and intermediaries, reducing operational costs and enhancing the efficacy of investment strategies.

Interoperability and Cross-Chain Integration

Ethereums influence transcends the confines of its native blockchain. The concept of interoperability has gained traction within the cryptocurrency space, and Ethereum plays a pivotal role in this context. Interoperability denotes the capacity of disparate blockchains to communicate and interoperate seamlessly.

Numerous projects are actively engaged in establishing bridges between Ethereum and other blockchain networks, facilitating the seamless transfer of assets and data between them. This development has the potential to broaden the scope of cryptocurrency trading by enabling users to access assets and services from diverse blockchains without the encumbrance of multiple accounts or wallets.

Cross-chain integration additionally mitigates dependency on a single blockchain, diminishing the vulnerability to network congestion or disruptions that could potentially affect trading activities. As Ethereum remains dedicated to fostering interoperability, it paves the way for a more interconnected and versatile cryptocurrency trading ecosystem.

Ethereums Influence on Regulatory Developments

Ethereums prominence within the cryptocurrency space has not escaped the attention of regulators. The evolving regulatory landscape presents a complex interplay of challenges and opportunities for the Ethereum platform and its users.

On one hand, regulatory clarity can furnish a more stable and predictable environment for cryptocurrency traders and investors. Acknowledgment of Ethereum and its varied use cases within regulatory frameworks can bolster confidence in the platform, attracting institutional investors seeking a secure and compliant avenue for participation.

Ethereums influence extends to active engagement with regulators and policymakers, contributing to the shaping of prudent and forward-thinking regulations. The Ethereum community and its developers are dedicated to advocating for regulatory frameworks that foster innovation while safeguarding the interests of users.

The Path Ahead: Ethereums Ongoing Evolution

As the journey of Ethereum unfolds, it continues to evolve, adapt, and redefine the landscape of cryptocurrency trading. Ethereums intrinsic versatility, scalability enhancements, support for NFTs, and nascent technologies such as DAOs and cross-chain integration all coalesce to sustain its ongoing significance.

The potential for Ethereum within the realm of cryptocurrency trading remains expansive. DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and the promise of Ethereum 2.0 collectively signal that Ethereum will continue to occupy a pivotal role in the cryptocurrency sphere for years to come.

Ethereums Influence on the DeFi Landscape

One of the most conspicuous domains where Ethereum has exerted substantial influence is the sphere of Decentralized Finance (DeFi). DeFi constitutes a movement aimed at reimagining traditional financial services on blockchain technology, obviating the need for intermediaries such as banks and financial institutions. Ethereum stands as the principal platform driving the expansion of DeFi, and its impact within this domain is profound.

DeFi protocols, constructed upon Ethereums blockchain, furnish an extensive array of financial services encompassing lending, borrowing, trading, and yield farming. These protocols are within reach of anyone with an internet connection, effectively extending financial services to individuals who were hitherto marginalized by conventional banking systems.

Ethereums programmable smart contracts are pivotal in enabling the development of DeFi applications. Smart contracts automate financial processes, eliminating the necessity for intermediaries and abating the risk of fraudulent activities. This innovation not only enhances the efficiency of financial services but also augments their transparency.

One of the most renowned DeFi projects on Ethereum is MakerDAO, an initiative enabling users to generate the stablecoin DAI by collateralizing their holdings in Ether. DAI has emerged as a cornerstone of the DeFi ecosystem and is extensively utilized in diverse DeFi activities.

Ethereums DeFi ecosystem has burgeoned at an astonishing pace, featuring the frequent launch of new projects and tokens. This dynamism has engendered a competitive environment fostering innovation and the creation of novel financial products. Traders and investors presently enjoy access to a diverse array of DeFi tokens and strategies, affording them the opportunity to diversify their portfolios and explore new avenues of investment.

Global Accessibility

Ethereums decentralized nature renders it accessible to anyone equipped with an internet connection, transcending the constraints of geographical boundaries. This democratization of cryptocurrency trading empowers individuals from diverse backgrounds to partake in the global financial markets.

Conventional financial markets often impose barriers to entry, ranging from high minimum investment requirements to geographic constraints. In contrast, cryptocurrency trading on Ethereum necessitates merely an internet connection and a digital wallet. This accessibility proves particularly significant in regions marked by limited access to conventional financial services. In such locales, characterized by volatile currencies or restricted access to banking infrastructure, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies offer an alternative avenue for financial market access and wealth preservation.

Challenges and Concerns

While Ethereum has spearheaded substantial advancements in cryptocurrency trading, it confronts a suite of challenges and concerns:

Scalability Woes: Ethereum has grappled with scalability issues, especially during periods of heightened demand. The networks restricted capacity to expeditiously process transactions has resulted in congestion and elevated gas fees. Ethereum 2.0, as previously elucidated, represents an ongoing endeavor to ameliorate these scalability challenges, albeit full implementation remains an evolving process that will necessitate time.

Security Risks: While smart contracts hold tremendous promise, they are not invulnerable to vulnerabilities. The annals of DeFi are punctuated by incidents of breaches and exploits that have culminated in significant financial losses. Vulnerabilities within smart contracts are susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors, posing the risk of substantial financial detriment to users. The conscientious auditing and rigorous testing of smart contracts are indispensable for mitigating these risks.

Regulatory Uncertainty: The ascent of DeFi has attracted regulatory attention. The evolving regulatory milieu introduces uncertainty regarding the future of DeFi and its repercussions on cryptocurrency trading. Regulators across the globe are endeavoring to craft frameworks that effectively address the unique challenges posed by decentralized financial services. Striking the equilibrium between regulation and innovation constitutes a multifaceted and ongoing endeavor.

Market Volatility: The cryptocurrency market remains ensconced in high volatility, with Ethereums valuation being no exception. Traders are compelled to brace themselves for precipitous price fluctuations when navigating the Ethereum ecosystem. While volatility can engender trading opportunities, it also carries the potential for substantial losses.

Even with all of the above considered, one certainty persists Ethereum has erected a foundation of innovation that will perpetuate its sway over the cryptocurrency domain for years to come. As traders prepare to embark on this voyage, they are encouraged to secure their metaphorical seatbelts and remain attentive to forthcoming developments in the ever-evolving Ethereum saga. The potential and possibilities are boundless, and the journey has but just commenced.

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Ethereum's Ongoing Evolution and Prospects - Geeks World Wide

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Deeply ConcernedFed Issues Serious $120 Billion Crypto Warning As Price Death Cross Looms For Bitcoin And Ethereum – Forbes

Bitcoin, ethereum and other major cryptocurrencies are stuck in a doom loop despite payments giant Visa dropping a crypto bombshell this week (while Binance's CEO has issued a hack warning).

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The bitcoin price has dropped back to where it was before BlackRock'sBLK landmark spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) filing, with some warning of a bitcoin and ethereum "death cross," even as a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) insider revealed a shock prediction.

Now, a top Federal Reserve official, Michael Barr, has warned he's "deeply concerned" about the $120 billion stablecoin market that's exploded over the last few yearswhich is closely linked to the price of bitcoin, ethereum and other major cryptocurrencies.

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"If non-federally regulated stablecoins were to become a widespread means of payment and store of value, they could pose significant risks to financial stability, monetary policy and the U.S. payments system," Barr, Feds vice chair for supervision, said at during a fintech conference at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, adding he's "deeply concerned" about stablecoins such a tether and Circle's USDCUSDC that operate without strong federal oversight.

The stablecoin market has ballooned to around $120 billion over the last few years, with tether and USDC, each with close links to the bitcoin, ethereum and crypto market, growing to dominate the space.

U.S. lawmakers are scrambling to pass regulation governing stablecoins and keep up with regions in Europe and Asia, with Democrats and Republicans in the House financial services committee battling over how much autonomy state regulators should have.

"It is important to get the legislative and regulatory framework right before significant risks emerge," Barr said. "We appreciate the work Congress has been doing on this important issue and look forward to further engagement to ensure that there is a robust federal framework for all stablecoins."

In June, Federal Reserve chair called for strong Fed oversight in stablecoin regulation during testimony before the House financial services committee, saying: "We believe it would be appropriate to have quite a robust federal role."

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Meanwhile, the price of bitcoin, ethereum and major cryptocurrencies are struggling in a prolonged "bearish trend" that's already sapped all of the bitcoin price's summer gains.

"BitcoinBTC has been pegged at $26,000 for more than two weeks," Alex Kuptsikevich, senior market analyst at FxPro, wrote in an emailed note this week. "An attempt to move back above the 200-day average has technically encountered stronger selling, confirming that the bears are not relinquishing market control. This disposition suggests higher risks that the consolidation will end with downside momentum, potentially at $25,000 or even $24,000."

"On ethereum's daily timeframes, a 'death cross' has formed, with the 50-day moving average falling below the 200-day moving average," Kuptsikevich added. "Such a signal suggests a further decline, emphasizing the bearish trend here. On the bitcoin chart, [a death cross] could form next week. But we also note that ethereum already looks locally oversold."

I am a journalist with significant experience covering technology, finance, economics, and business around the world. As the founding editor of Verdict.co.uk I reported on how technology is changing business, political trends, and the latest culture and lifestyle. I have covered the rise of bitcoin and cryptocurrency since 2012 and have charted its emergence as a niche technology into the greatest threat to the established financial system the world has ever seen and the most important new technology since the internet itself. I have worked and written for CityAM, the Financial Times, and the New Statesman, amongst others. Follow me on Twitter @billybambrough or email me on billyATbillybambrough.com.Disclosure: I occasionally hold some small amount of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

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Deeply ConcernedFed Issues Serious $120 Billion Crypto Warning As Price Death Cross Looms For Bitcoin And Ethereum - Forbes

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Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Argues for Blockchain ‘Privacy Pools’ to Weed Out Criminals – CoinDesk

Can blockchain protocols distinguish honest folk from criminals?

This smart contract-based privacy-enhancing protocol is designed to separate transactions that involve criminal activity from those that come from honest users.

The paper, Blockchain Privacy and Regulatory Compliance: Towards a Practical Equilibrium, comes as concerns around privacy in blockchain have crescendoed, with governments cracking down on criminal groups who make use of privacy mixers to hide and launder funds.

One of the best-known privacy protocols is Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer that has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury due to its alleged use by the North Korean hacking group Lazarus as a tool for money laundering.

Buterin acknowledged that Tornado Cash was a good solution to privacy issues, but that it had limited options to dissociate from criminal activity on the network.

Privacy pools that make use of zero-knowledge technology could theoretically solve part of this issue since they would give users privacy around transaction data while also distinguishing it from any criminal activity. By pooling honest transactions together, users could prove that their transactions come from one of the honest deposits.

All users with good assets have strong incentives and the ability to prove their membership in a good-only association set, the paper says. Bad actors, on the other hand, will not be able to provide that proof.

As more regulators crack down on criminal activity on the blockchain, Buterin aims to show that these technological innovations can comply with regulations.

In many cases, privacy and regulatory compliance are perceived as incompatible, the authors wrote. This paper suggests that this does not necessarily have to be the case, if the privacy-enhancing protocol enables its users to prove certain properties regarding the origin of their funds.

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Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin Argues for Blockchain 'Privacy Pools' to Weed Out Criminals - CoinDesk

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