Hasta La Gadget!

Facebook is working on a digital currency of its own and a new report claims that the company will launch it at some point next year. Internally referred to as “GlobalCoin,” the company is expected to provide more details about its cryptocurrency later this summer. It may even begin testing the GlobalCoin towards the end of this year.

According to BBC News, Facebook will provide more information about GlobalCoin later this year. It will be available in almost a dozen countries at launch where it will allow people to make secure and affordable payments without needing a bank account.

However, the coin will have to overcome many technical and regulatory hurdles before it hits the market. It’s said that Facebook has been in talks with various stakeholders on this matter, including the U.S. Treasury and money transfer firms like Western Union over regulatory and operational issues.

While Facebook hasn’t really revealed anything about its own coin so far, earlier reports have suggested that it could be designed as a stablecoin. What that means is that the coin’s value will be pegged to the U.S. dollar in a bid to limit volatility that you often see with other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

Facebook’s Cryptocurrency ‘GlobalCoin’ Expected To Launch Next Year , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

The two blasts in Kathmandu may have been the work of a splinter group of former Maoist rebels, according to police.

As robots continue to take our jobs, at least rock bands know that they are safe from… wait. What the? Nevermind. Yep, what you’re about to watch is an all-robot band named Compressorhead performing Nirvana’s classic Smells Like Teen Spirit. Smells like a robot uprising to me.

It actually sounds pretty good, but kinda robotic. There’s no soul. No emotion. There’s also no lead singer. They added that guy later. Not sure if they named him Kurt Ko-Bot. One commenter on YouTube points out that the lead singer committed Ctrl-Alt-Delete. I have no idea, but that sounds about right.

I really like how the programmers went the extra mile and programmed them to headbang. Adds authenticity. You might recognize the drummer as Star Wars’ own General Grievous, making the most out of his retirement. He has traded in his lightsabers for some drumsticks and hopefully has stopped with the constant coughing. He’s much better in this role.

This video is from 2014, so these robots have been taking music jobs for at least that long. Anyway, it won’t be long before robots are paying to see other robots perform, while we stay home and do their chores. And this is the music we will have to listen to.

[via Laughing Squid]

The country’s second largest mobile carrier, AT&T, has announced that it will now accept cryptocurrency payments. That’s good news for those who use digital currencies to manage their affairs but not so much for anyone else who don’t really have any incentive to trade their real money for cryptocurrencies. AT&T says that it’s the first carrier in the country to start accepting cryptocurrency payments.

AT&T has confirmed that it will now accept bill payments through BillPay, a well known cryptocurrency processor. It’s the first major carrier in the country to offer this payment option to its customers. Some of the hype surrounding cryptocurrencies has died down ever since prices crashed from their record highs some two years ago.

“We have customers who use cryptocurrency, and we are happy we can offer them a way to pay their bills with the method they prefer,” said AT&T VP Kevin McDorman. Making payments using digital currencies will be easy for users.

They will simply need to select BitPay as the payment option when they log into their accounts online or through the myAT&T app. They will then be able to use the BitPay payment processor in order to clear their dues with AT&T by paying with cryptocurrencies.

AT&T Begins Accepting Cryptocurrency Payments , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Do you have $1.2 million to burn and like living life on the edge? Then perhaps you might be interested in purchasing “The Persistence of Chaos.” It’s a piece of art created by internet artist Guo O Dong. It’s not a painting or a sculpture. It’s a laptop that’s filled with six of the world’s most dangerous computer viruses. Six of the most dangerous malware pieces live in this laptop and yet users will be completely safe from then, provided that they don’t connect The Persistence of Chaos to Wi-Fi or plug in a flash drive.

The computer has to remain air gapped to ensure that the malware doesn’t spread to other PCs. The artist tells The Verge that the intention behind this piece of art was to give a physical representation to the threats that are posed by the digital world.

“Weaponized viruses that affect power grids or public infrastructure can cause direct harm,” Guo said, pointing out that most people have a fantasy that things which happen in computers can’t affect us in a physical form. The 10.2 inch Samsung laptop plays host to these six viruses which were chosen for the level of economic damage that they have caused.

The list includes the ILOVEYOU virus from the early 2000s which manifested as a love letter attached to emails. Also, included is the WannaCry ransomware which locks down the machine and doesn’t allow access until a ransom was paid. Intelligence agencies believe that North Korea was behind this ransomware attack. DeepInstinct, a cybersecurity firm, commissioned this piece and is auctioning it off. The current bid is just over $1.2 million.

Laptop With World’s Most Dangerous Viruses On Sale For $1.2 Million , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.