A Brief Introduction To Blockchain - For Normal People

Crypto-what?
If you've attempted to dive into this mysterious thing called blockchain, you'd be forgiven for recoiling in horror at the sheer opaqueness of the technical jargon that is often used to frame it. So before we get into what a crytpocurrency is and how blockchain technology might change the world, let's discuss what blockchain actually is.

In the simplest terms, a blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions, not unlike the ledgers we have been using for hundreds of years to record sales and purchases. The function of this digital ledger is, in fact, pretty much identical to a traditional ledger in that it records debts and credits between people. That is the core concept behind blockchain; the difference is who holds the ledger and who verifies the transactions.

With traditional transactions, a payment from one person to another involves some kind of intermediary to facilitate the transaction. Let's say Rob wants to transfer £ 20 to Melanie. He can either give her cash in the form of a £ 20 note, or he can use some kind of banking app to transfer the money directly to her bank account. In both cases, a bank is the intermediary verifying the transaction: Rob's funds are verified when it takes the money out of a cash machine, or they are verified by the app when it makes the digital transfer. The bank decides if the transaction should go ahead. The bank also holds the record of all transactions made by Rob, and is solely responsible for updating it whenever Rob pays someone or receives money into his account. In other words, the bank holds and controls the ledger, and everything flows through the bank.

That's a lot of responsibility, so it's important that Rob feels he can trust his bank otherwise he would not risk his money with them. He needs to feel confident that the bank will not defraud him, will not lose his money, and will not disappear overnight. This need for trust has underpinned pretty much every major behavior and facet of the monolithic finance industry, to the extent that even when it was discovered that banks were being irresponsible with our money during the financial crisis of 2008, the government (another intermediate) chose to bail them out rather than risk destroying the final fragments of trust by letting them collapse.

Blockchains operate differently in one key respect: they are absolutely decentralized. There is no central clearing house like a bank, and there is no central ledger held by one entity. Instead, the ledger is distributed across a vast network of computers, called nodes, each of which holds a copy of the entire ledger on their relative hard drives. These nodes are connected to one another via a piece of software called a peer-to-peer (P2P) client, which synchronises data across the network of nodes and makes sure that everyone has the same version of the ledger at any given point in time .

When a new transaction is entered into a blockchain, it is first encrypted using state-of-the-art cryptographic technology. Once encrypted, the transaction is converted to something called a block, which is basically the term used for an encrypted group of new transactions. That block is then sent (or broadcast) into the network of computer nodes, where it is verified by the nodes and, once verified, passed on through the network so that the block can be added to the end of the ledger on everyone's computer, under the list of all previous blocks. This is called the chain, since the tech is referred to as a blockchain.

Once approved and recorded into the ledger, the transaction can be completed. This is how cryptocurrency like Bitcoin work.

Accountability and the removal of trust
What are the advantages of this system over a banking or central clearing system? Why would Rob use Bitcoin instead of normal currency?

The answer is trust. As mentioned before, with the banking system it is critical that Rob trusts his bank to protect his money and handle it properly. To ensure this happens, strict regulatory systems exist to verify the actions of the banks and ensure they are fit for purpose. Governments then regulate the regulators, creating a sort of tiered system of checks which sole purpose is to help prevent mistakes and bad behavior. In other words, organizations like the Financial Services Authority exist precisely because banks can not be trusted on their own. And banks frequently make mistakes and misbehave, as we have seen too many times. When you have a single source of authority, power tend to get abused or misused. The trust relationship between people and banks is awkward and precarious: we do not really trust them but we do not feel there is much alternative.

Blockchain systems, on the other hand, do not need you to trust them at all. All transactions (or blocks) in a blockchain are verified by the nodes in the network before being added to the ledger, which means there is no single point of failure and no single approval channel. If a hacker wanted to successfully tamper with the ledger on a blockchain, they would have to simultaneously hack millions of computers, which is almost impossible. A hacker would also be pretty much unable to bring a blockchain network down, as, again, they would need to be able to shut down every single computer in a network of computers distributed around the world.

The encryption process itself is also a key factor. Blockchains like the Bitcoin one use separately difficulties procedures for their verification procedure. In the case of Bitcoin, blocks are verified by nodes performing a delicate processor- and time-intensive series of calculations, often in the form of puzzles or complex mathematical problems, which means that verification is either instant nor accessible. Nodes that do commit the resource to verification of blocks are rewarded with a transaction fee and a bounty of newly-minted Bitcoins. This has the function of both incentiving people to become nodes (because processing blocks like this requires pretty powerful computers and a lot of electricity), while also handling the process of generating - or minting - units of the currency. This is referred to as mining, because it involves a significant amount of effort (by a computer, in this case) to produce a new commodity. It also means that transactions are verified by the most independent way possible, more independent than a government-regulated organization like the FSA.

This decentralized, democratic and highly secure nature of blockchains means that they can function without the need for regulation (they are self-regulating), government or other opaque intermediary. They work because people do not trust each other, rather than in spite of.

Let the significance of that sink sink in for a while and the excitement around blockchain starts to make sense.

Smart contracts
Where things get really interesting is the applications of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. Given that one of the underlying principles of the blockchain system is the secure, independent verification of a transaction, it's easy to imagine other ways in which this type of process can be valuable. Unsurprisingly, many such applications are already in use or development. Some of the best ones are:

• Smart contracts (Ethereum): probably the most exciting blockchain development after Bitcoin, smart contracts are blocks that contain code that must be executed in order for the contract to be fulfilled. The code can be anything, as long as a computer can execute it, but in simple terms it means that you can use blockchain technology (with its independent verification, trustless architecture and security) to create a kind of escrow system for any kind of transaction . As an example, if you're a web designer you could create a contract that verifies if a new client's website is launched or not, and then automatically release the funds to you once it is. No more chasing or invoicing. Smart contracts are also being used to prove ownership of an asset such as property or art. The potential for reducing fraud with this approach is intense.


• Cloud storage (Storj): cloud computing has revolutionized the web and thought about the advent of Big Data which has, in turn, kick started the new AI revolution. But most cloud-based systems are run on servers stored in single-location server farms, owned by a single entity (Amazon, Rackspace, Google etc). This presents all the same problems as the banking system, in that you data is controlled by a single, opaque organization which represents a single point of failure. Distributing data on a blockchain removes the trust issue entirely and also promises to increase reliability as it is so much harder to take a blockchain network down.


• Digital identification (ShoCard): two of the largest issues of our time are identify theft and data protection. With vast centralized services such as Facebook holding so much data about us, and efforts by various developed-world governments to store digital information about their citizens in a central database, the potential for abuse of our personal data is terrifying. Blockchain technology offers a potential solution to this by wrapping your key data up into an encrypted block that can be verified by the blockchain network whenever you need to prove your identity. The applications of this range from the obvious replacement of passports and ID cards to other areas such as replacing passwords. It could be huge.


• Digitaloting: highly topical in the wake of the investigation into Russia's influence on the recent US election, digitaloting has long been suspected of being both unreliable and highly vulnerable to tampering. Blockchain technology offers a way of verifying that a voter's vote was successfully sent while retaining their anonymity. It promises not only to reduce fraud in elections but also to increase general voter turnout as people will be able to vote on their mobile phones.

Blockchain technology is still very much in its infancy and most of the applications are a long way from general use. Even Bitcoin, the most established blockchain platform, is subject to huge volatility indicative of its relative newcomer status. However, the potential for blockchain to solve some of the major problems we face today makes it an extraordinarily exciting and seductive technology to follow. I will certainly be keeping an eye out.

The Role of Co-Operatives and the Government in Distributive Trade

A co-operative society is defined as a voluntary business organization in which a group of individuals with common interest pool their resources together to promote the economic and welfare of their members in production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. The producers and consumers' cooperative societies engage in the distribution of products either directly from the manufacturer or wholesalers and sell to their members (consumers0 at reduced prices.

The government on the other hand-whether federal, state or local level has a mjor role to play in the distribution of goods or commodities. Government is able to participate in the distribution of commodities through the establishment of distributive agencies. The role of the government is the distribution of commodities are the basic responsibilities a government should carry out such as: Provision of transport system, provision of storage facilities, control of prices, price stabilization, prevention of artificial scarcity, importation of essential commodities and establishment of communication system.

The role of co-operative societies are as follows:






1. Stock variety of goods: The consumers co-operative societies buy variety of goods from the manufacturer or wholesaler hence they are exposed to a wide range of goods.






2. Sell in small quantity to members: The co-operative societies buy in reasonable quantity from wholesaler and sell in bits to the members.






3. grant credit facilities to members: The co-operative society can grant facilities to members so as to enable them enjoy goods without payment immediately.






4. Give advice: The co-operative society also gives advice tot heir members (consumers) as well as the manufacturers/wholesalers.






5. Bring products closer to members: They also ensure that products are brought to the door step of the consumers (members).






6. Fight hoarding: They fight against hoarding by wholesalers and retainers by ensuring that they stock lots of the products for use by members (consumers).






7. Stabilize prices: They also help in stabilizing the prices of goods by selling them at affordable prices to members.






8. Elimination of middlemen: They can eliminate the activities of middlemen by buying their goods directly from manufacturers and selling them directly to the consumers (members).






9. Marketing of members' products: They also assist their members in marketing their products (i.e producers' cooperative society) by ensuring fair prices for their products.

African countries and other developing nations face the challenges of benefiting from the government's role. Especially in countries where the government is corrupt. They enact policies and form agencies but do not function properly to achieve their goals. Take for instance, in Nigeria. The Nigerian National Supply Company Limited (N.N.S.C) was set up in 1972 to supplement private efforts in product distributions. It is now moribund and as good as not been created. Several marketing boards for various products were set up to enhance the marketing of products in the country and the River Basin Authorities were also set up to encourage large production and distribution of agricultural products. Are these agencies functioning now? If yes, Nigeria would have been lots better than its present state.

The Evolution of Marketing Automation

While aiming to promote products and services successfully in the market, businesses had realized the importance of adopting marketing strategies early on. Due to the intense competition, marketing strategies got infused with the technological innovations in order to evolve out as the modern marketing, which is now embedded in the customer's lives and affecting it at a rapid pace.

Fortunately, from radio to internet and smart-phones, nowdays technology has revolutionized the ways marketers can reach their potential customers. But, back then in the late 50's, with almost no effective marketing channel, companies were finding it challenging to approach a huge customer base.

This is how automation technology came into existence. It has traced its origins back from a Customer Relationship Management or CRM that came out of Rolodexes and a pack of business cards. It acted as a rescuer for the companies who were endeavoring to maintain their employees and client's records into a central knowledge group. But, in no course of time, it became the fundamental business element and started finding its applications in professional business services as well.

During the late 1980s, CRM platforms had gained more power in terms of customer support servicing, sales management, and forecasting. But, the high price tag kept it limited to few multinational corporations.

In 1999, Mark Benioff, the founder of Salesforce, invented the Monthly License (MLC) fee model, with aiming to offer cost-effective and agile business model, that further introduced SaaS or Software as a Service. And in contrast, this technology evolved out as an amalgam of email capability, web analytics, and the Marketing Resource Management (MRM). With the advent of the internet, marketers were seeking potential ways to reach their customers. The pioneer of this space Eloqua came in 1999 and developed a product, later renamed as automated marketing service in 2003.

Soon, the success of this trend led to the arrival of more players in the market such as Pardot, HubSpot, WhatsNexx etc, and industry started gaining momentum while shifting marketing automation services to cloud platforms.

By 2008, new platforms such as HubSpot, Act-On, rule the market, and the advent of social media marketing, content management, search engine optimization made marketers incorporating a variety of automation tools.

In the period 2013-2014, the automation industry witnessed a huge growth financially through acquisitions when a giant marketing software company ExactTarget acquired a marketing automation company Pardot for $ 95.5 million and in turn, salesforce.com spent $ 2.5 billion to acquire ExactTarget, This is recorded as its largest acquisition ever.

I found people wondering if CRM and marketing automation co-exists. In fact, few consider the later as a subset of the CRM industry which follows one of the marketing laws proposed by Al Ries and Jack Trout. To clarify, CRM is sales focused software while the other is user-centric software that completely focuses on marketing strategy. Where a CRM manages company's interactions with their customers, a automation software streamlines company's marketing tasks, and work-flows. However, these two, together, go hands in hand and reinforce company's insights and efficiencies. A good CRM-marketing automation integration unleashes an opportunity to handle data management and strategies marketing plans.

It can filter relevant data and required fields to standardize tagging and data, and ideal processes. Also, it can run auto-cleaning processes to clean the dumped data in a CRM system. Businesses utilizing automation software have witnessed an incredible growth of 451% in qualified leads and 14.5% in sales productivity as well as 12.2% marketing overhead reduction. We can conclude by saying that the future of marketing completely belongs to Marketing Automation.

The CPA Marketing

An Effective Way To Make Money Online

CPA Marketing (cost per action) has become one of the most effective ways to make money online. It offers a greater return on investment compared to other money-making methods online like affiliate marketing, selling products on eBay, or doing Forex trading. You will soon discover just how easy it is to generate a steady stream of income with CPA Marketing with the right determination and commitment for success.

The term "action" is generally defined as a purchase or a subscription of an offer by a customer. Whenever an action is fulfilled by a customer, you get paid by the CPA Network as a publisher or affiliate.

CPA Networks & Affiliate Managers

CPA Networks are the central source of CPA Marketing. They can link you to numerous advertisers through their websites, and also provide you with all of the materials that are needed to promote their offers to customers like links, email ads, banners, and etc.

They also keep track of your conversions and send you money via check, PayPal or by wire after a specific period of time. The time period usually ranges from 15, 30 or 45 days depending on the advertiser's term of service.

CPA networks do recruit affiliate managers who provide 24 hour support to their publishers and affiliates. You can chat with them to resolve any issues related to your CPA Marketing campaigns through instant messenger or by phone. They are paid a commission from the results of your work by the companies that run the CPA Marketing campaigns.

Types of CPA Marketing Offers

Most CPA networks generally provide similar offers, but with different payout rates. The payout rate for most offers usually range from $ 1 up to $ 140 depending on the required action of the offer.

The most popular types of CPA offers are: trial offers, email submit offers, free dating offers, education offers, credit card offers, and credit report offers.

Essential CPA Marketing Tactics

You can definitely generate a substantial income to live quite comfortable with CPA Marketing. Here are some essential marketing tactics to use for your CPA Marketing campaigns:

Choose CPA Networks Carefully

Before applying for any CPA network, you should do as much research on the network as possible. Read the reviews from other publishers and affiliates to evaluate how the network does business. You definitely do not want to waste your time and hard work on a network that does not pay their publishers or affiliates.

Establish & Know Your Budget

CPA Marketing does require some investment on your part in order to generate a lot of cash. This investment is generally used to buy traffic for your landing page that displays the various CPA offers.

Monitor Your CPA Offers

In reality, not all CPA offers offered to customers is going to generate cash. You should always monitor all of your campaigns closely by watching your conversion rates and comparing them against the investment you have made. If a campaign is profitable you should let it continue, if not, drop the offer. In most cases, CPA offers do expire after a period of time. Always remove these offers from your campaigns.

Target Your Market

Targeting your market is a way to generate the most profits from your CPA Marketing campaigns.

Determine which CPA offers are the best for certain groups of people and promote them. Also became aware of which CPA offers generates more clicks and conversions from the targeted markets.

Expand Your Marketing Possibilities

Do not limit yourself to only one CPA network or a single campaign. Always search for new marketing possibilities by joining more networks, while looking for additional offers to promote. Also take the time to research effective keywords with high search results, but with low competition.

With all of the benefits of CPA Marketing, it is no surprise why it has become one of the most effective ways to make money online.

Hair Falling Out With a Little White Bulb at the End

A small white bulb at the end of a fallen hair is not, in itself reason for concern. It only indicates that the follicle has passed through the various phases of the growth cycle before the strand was shed. Although this is a normal process (even in the absence of any type of hair loss disorder), the white bulb is not usually not yet noted, or otherwise shedding becomes excessive - prompting one to examine their fallen strands.

If a disorder is suspected, an examination of the bulb can provide professionals with clues as to the type and cause of the disorder. The shape, size and color will determine which stage of the growth cycle the hair was in prior to falling out; and if any abnormalities are present.

The first phase of the cycle, the period of active growth, is called anagen. During this time the hair is firmly anchored, deeply within the follicle. Removing an anagen hair from a healthy scalp would require a firm, forcible pluck. The tip would reveal a small rounded or slightly elongated, pigmented bulb that may be surrounded by a gelatinous sac-like enclosure.

After each individual hair has reached its full growth potential, the follicle moves into what is known as "catagen". Although catagen lasts only one to two weeks, many changes take place during this time that prepare for the formation of the white bulb. The lower follicle shrinks. The inner root sheath disappears. Pigmentation ceases. Cellular material (such as that of the outer root sheath) that is no longer needed to sustain growth, begins to migrate to base of the strand.

Once all catagen changes have occurred the follicle enterals which is known as "telogen." In early telogen any remaining cells that are no longer needed migrate to the base of hair. Because pigmentation has ceased, these cells will be non-pigmented. These non-pigmented cells cluster together form the "mysterious white bulb that acts as an anchor to hold the hair in the follicle while it" rests "for approximately three months before being released. The telogen phase is also referred to as the resting period .

Any hair that falls out with a white bulb attached indications that it has cycled through the telogen phase before falling out. Because of the shape, these strands are also referred to as club hairs. This feature will be present in normal daily shedding. Without shedding is excessive there is no reason for concern.

The most common condition that causes excessive shedding with a white bulb attached is telogen effluvium. Because any particlele at any stage of the growth cycle can be affected, fallen strands may be of various lengths.

With alopecia areata the hair is often shed during the telogen phase, but in some cases it can be shed during anagen or it can break off. The affected strands may have an "exclamation mark appearance." A small portion of the strand right at the scalp level becomes very thin giving the appearance of an exclamation point. Because the hair is very thin at this point it can also break off. Although the most common form of alopecia areata causes bald patches, there are other variations of this condition that cause other, more severe patterns of baldness.

The absence of a visible white bulb could indicate that the hair fell out during the anagen stage, such as in loose anagen syndrome or anagen effluvium. It could also indicate that it broke off rather than fall out.

The size, shape, color and condition of the bulb can provide valuable diagnostic information to the examining hair loss professional.

The Wallet Or Money Clip

Women had always been blessed with a wide variety of selection when it comes to carrying their money with them. They can choose to keep their cash and credit cards with the use of wallets, purses, or money bags and so forth. Men, on the other hand, used to have one choice alone and those are wallets.

Today, however, a new kid on the block has entered the picture; now, men can choose between two things to help them keep their money safe and accessible at all times: wallets and money clips.

The Advantages of Using Wallets for Men

Wider Variety of Selection - There are more designs to choose from with wallets as compared to money clips. Firstly, consider the size. Men's wallets can either be square shaped - which generally makes a perfect fit with a man's back pocket - or rectangular shaped, which male users prefer to place inside their coat pockets. Secondly, consider the materials used. Wallets can be made of genuine leather, plastic, or other types of fabric. Thirdly, consider the design itself. Wallets made by Polo, for instance, are famous for their green and black plaid design. Also, it's important to consider that there are various wallets that are specifically designed to appeal to children.

Non-Cash Item Storage - Wallets have undergone a huge amount of transition through the years, evolving in appearance and features to make it more useful to men's ever changing needs. Now, men's wallets can also store credit cards, photos, driver's license and other pertinent IDs, calling cards, and even small change, depending on the design of the wallet.

The Disadvantages of Using Wallets for Men

An Unappealing Bump - Wallets supposedly bursting on the seams will create an unappealing bump on your back pocket, thus distorting your appearance from behind. As such, if you wish to make your wallet a seamless part of your pants, you need to decrease the amount of cash and other things you've placed in it.

Tendency to Lose Form and Shape - If you make a habit of placing your wallet in your back pocket and sitting on it, time will gradually make your wallet lose its original form and shape.

Wear and Tear - Wallets are more prone to wear and tear than money clips because of the types of material used to make them.

The Advantages of Using Money Clips for Men

Better Accessibility - There's no need for you to flip it open and close just to get your money. When you have to use your money, all you simply have to do is pull out appropriate bills from the clip.

Durability - No matter how much you sit on them, money clips 'because they're made of steel' will never lose its shape or be sentenced to wear and tear.

The Disadvantages of Using Money Clips for Men

Poorer Selection - Unlike wallets, money clips give people a rare limited variety of styles, materials, and designs to choose from.

Either choice is acceptable and the winner in the battle between wallets and money clips will always and extremely depend on the person's preferences. Of course, if you have a hard time choosing between the two then you can always decide to purchase both. There are after all certain situations where one will be more advantageous to use than the other and owning them both will then keep your money safe for any eventuality.

The Effect of Speed ​​on Vision While Driving

Visual Acuity

One of the primary effects of speed is to decrease for objects in the foreground, which are rendered unclear because of the motion and vibration of the car. Investigation has shown that this range of sub standard foreground vision increases by approximately 20 feet for each increase of 10 miles per hour in speed. So at 20 miles per hour we can not see details clearly within 40 feet ahead of the car; at 60 miles per hour, not within 120 feet or more.

Let us imagine a driver with 20/20 visual acuity driving at 60 miles per hour. There is a highway sign ahead with three lines of writing on it. This driver does not know the area - his memory can not be of any help - so he must read the sign. We have seen earlier that this driver can read 5 inch letters from 280 feet. We now know that when his car reaches a point 120 feet from the sign, he can not clear see the details. He has only 160 feet, or 1.8 seconds, to read the sign.

A driver with 20/60 vision can not see that same sign before he reaches a point 93 feet from it - but his close up vision is affected the same as the first driver's. Will this driver be able to read a three line message? The problem of reduced close up vision explains why some drivers make emergency stops or slow down abruptly at road junctions, especially at super highway exits. You must always be aware of this danger and be ready for any sudden action by other drivers. If you know the area you are driving in, a short glance at the sign will be sufficient - but remember that strangers who do not know their way will need longer periods of time.

Road departments, having studied this problem, use symbols as much as possible, or make the written message as brief as they can. Super highways always have signs with large and easily read letters.

Field of Vision

Your field of vision is reduced by concentration and speed. When you concentrate on one single object, the field of vision is nil - which is generally what happens with new drivers, because they tend to stare at what they believe to be important. Field of vision is also narrowed by speed. When stopped, a driver's field of vision may be as high as 190 degrees, but for the same person, the angle will be narrowed to 40 degrees at 60 miles per hour. That is why, whenever possible, highway signs are positioned above the roadway.

Distance Judgment

Good distance judgment is dependent on good visual acuity. Since acuity is reduced by speed, distance judgment will also be adversely affected when you are driving fast.