Latest news with #IndyTech
Business Mayor
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
What is bitcoin mining? Controversial activity under scrutiny amid cryptocurrency record high
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Bitcoin mining has reached a record high – but the 'dirty secret' of the cryptocurrency continues to rumble underneath. In some cases, the rumble is very real: the BBC reported this week on the 'constant hum' that some in the US are subjected to as power plants generate the energy required to create new bitcoin. Mining is at the very heart of cryptocurrency: each bitcoin, which is currently worth around $110,000, began its life as a result of this complicated computer process. And the entire system relies on it to keep working. At its beginning, cryptocurrency mining was relatively easy: the network was small enough that it could be done on a laptop. Now, it requires vast facilities full of mining hardware, made of specialised computers built to do calculations as quickly and reliably as possible. Cryptocurrency mining is a relatively straightforward process, if a very complex industry. In short, the technology underpinning the cryptocurrency allows users to ask computers to undertake complicated and pointless computing tasks to find specific numbers – known as nonces – that allow for the creation of new bitcoin. Those numbers are simple to check but hard to find in the first place, analogous to digging for weeks to find a nugget of gold. Bitcoin mining is really the computerised version of that, and serves as a way to check As bitcoin becomes more valuable, mining pays better. That means that it has flourished into a huge, global business, of companies that buy vast amount of computing power to check what is done. While mining is profitable for those that do it, that is really only the secondary reason it happens. The mining itself secures the bitcoin network, since it means that no specific computers can break it, and that keeps the system of payments safe. The growth of bitcoin mining into a global industry has led to intense criticism. All of that mining is incredibly energy intensive – it uses more electricity than many countries – which in turn has led to questions about the sustainability of that work, especially because the energy is not actually being used for anything. Those in the cryptocurrency mining business have looked to offset that with cleaner processes. For years, some in the industry have been seeking cleaner ways of powering those systems – but there is nothing within the technology itself that rewards those who are mining bitcoin in more green ways. Other solutions have involved moving away from mining altogether. Many newer cryptocurrencies have moved instead to a proof-of-stake model – such as Ethereum, the second largest, which did so in 2022 – which is more energy efficient. Eventually, bitcoin mining will come to a stop. Over time, the reward for each mined block is reduced, until 21 million bitcoin have been created, which is estimated to happen around 2140.
Business Mayor
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Bitcoin nears record high as analysts tell market to ‘buckle up'
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter The price of bitcoin is approaching a new all-time high after rising more than 10 per cent in recent days, leading some analysts to predict another record-breaking rally in 2025. The world's leading cryptocurrency rose above $105,000 on Monday, just $4,000 away from the record high it reached in January 2025. Crypto experts have attributed the latest price increase to massive inflows from institutional investors, greater support from governments and regulators, as well as improved sentiment among retail investors. The collision of positive catalysts have led some industry figures to forecast a 'parabolic' price rise for bitcoin in the months ahead. 'I truly understood bitcoin in 2011-2012 and in all these years, the bull case for it has never been stronger,' former PayPal president David Marcus wrote in a post to X. 'Banks can now custody and offer BTC to their customers, sovereign states and corporations are competing to buy, utility phase of TCP/IP [Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol] for money is taking off. Buckle up.' Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick recently predicted bitcoin could reach as high as $120,000 by the end of June, reinforcing his year-end forecast of $200,000. 'While timing sharp rises in bitcoin is difficult, we think the current period of potential strategic asset reallocation away from US assets may trigger the next such upswing,' he wrote in April. Read More Roger Ver's Plea to Trump: End US Lawfare and Uphold Justice 'If so, we would expect a new all-time high to be reached in Q2 with further gains over the summer.' Other cryptocurrencies have also experienced significant gains in May, with ethereum and dogecoin adding around 40 per cent to their value over the last week. The market has also been boosted by broader economic stability, with a major trade deal reached between the US and UK, as well as indications that the trade war between the US and China is cooling. This has brought renewed attention to typically high-risk assets like cryptocurrencies, which investors tend to sell during periods of uncertainty in favour of save haven assets like gold. Some crypto analysts believe that the current market momentum could see bitcoin reach new highs as early as this week, with the next resistance level pegged at $107,000. 'The impressive corrective pullback from late January to early April, in our opinion, created substantial margin for a new wave of growth,' Alex Kuptsikevich, the chief market analyst at the online trading platform FxPro, told The Independent . 'Therefore, we will not be surprised if, along with the positive dynamics of stocks, bitcoin will move to the renewal of historical highs already this week.' For bitcoin to realise these predictions,however, some have pointed to the $100,000 price point as a key support level. Should the cryptocurrency fall back below this figure, it could potentially lead to a broader sell-off that sees bitcoin pull back towards its 50-day moving average below $90,000.
Business Mayor
25-04-2025
- Science
- Business Mayor
Following the path: Cool space image shows route of Mars rover as it treks across the Red Planet
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just captured its first image of the Curiosity rover driving along the red planet's surface. The 2,000-pound Mars rover is shown as a dark speck in the bottom center of the picture frame. It leads a long, thin trail of its tracks that stretches 1,050 feet. The space agency said in a statement that Curiosity's tracks are likely to last there for months before the strong Martian wind erases them. The line shows the progress Curiosity has made since it arrived on Mars in August of 2012. NASA's Curiosity rover appears as a dark speck in this contrast-enhanced view taken in February. This image marks the first time the rover was captured driving by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona) The photo was taken using the orbiter's High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which snaps an image with the majority of the scene in black and white, and a strip of color down the middle to ensure the best spatial resolution. 'By comparing the time HiRISE took the image to the rover's commands for the day, we can see it was nearly done with a 69-foot drive,' Doug Ellison, Curiosity's planning team chief, noted in a statement. Curiosity is seen moving toward the base of a steep slope, and has since ascended it. The orbiter reached Mars orbit in March 2006. It snapped this scene on February 28, or the 4,466th Martian day of the rover's mission. While the camera has captured Curiosity in color before, the rover happened to fall within the black and white part of the image this time around. NASA's Curiosity rover appears as a dark speck in this image captured from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter used its high-resolution camera (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona) Earlier in the month, the rover began the first of roughly 11 drives, as it slowly trekked from the Gediz Vallis channel to its next stop. The rover is heading to an area with potential boxwork formations, possibly made by ancient groundwater billions of years ago. The boxwork pattern is a weblike form of ridges that were captured by NASA's orbiter nearly 20 years ago. When exactly Curiosity will get there depends on several factors, including how its software navigates the surface and how challenging the terrain is to climb. It's expected, however, to reach the new science location within a month. 'Engineers at NASA's Southern California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory work with scientists to plan each day's trek,' NASA said.
Business Mayor
25-04-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Trump's tanking meme coin gets massive boost when dinner with the president is offered as a reward
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter President Donald Trump's meme cryptocurrency surged in price on Wednesday after its website announced a few lucky investors could win a private dinner with the president in Washington, D.C. The $Trump coin surged approximately 60 percent after announcing the 'most exclusive invitation in the world' dinner to the top 220 holders. The sudden price jumped to $14 – still well below its peak o $70 after launching in January. 'President Donald J. Trump is known as the ' Crypto President,'' the site stated. 'At this intimate private dinner, hear first-hand President Trump talk about the future of crypto.' Trump has vowed to make the United States the 'crypto capital of the planet' and, in doing so, has launched his own crypto ventures, including NFT digital trading cards and memecoins. His attempts to brand his own coin and NFTs have raised concerns about conflicts of interest. Donald Trump gives a keynote speech at the Bitcoin 2024 conference at Music City Center on 27 July, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee (Getty) The dinner is scheduled at Trump National Golf Club in D.C., on May 25. Winners will also have a 'Special VIP Tour' arranged for them. However, those who win the opportunity to have a 'private dinner' must pay 'all expenses' themselves, and there is no guarantee that Trump will attend. The terms and conditions say the dinner 'may be cancelled for any reason,' and in the event it is not rescheduled, winners will get a 'limited edition Trump NFT in lieu.'' Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump has overseen the biggest crash in the history of cryptocurrency. Bitcoin slid from $109,000 in late January to below $75,000 this month, with more than $1.3 trillion wiped from the broader crypto market in less than three months. The downturn comes amid global economic uncertainty fuelled by an escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, which has seen investors shed assets more prone to risk. Some figures within the crypto industry have also lamented Trump's failure to fulfill his pro-crypto campaign promises. At the Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville last July, the Republican candidate said he would ensure that 'all the remaining bitcoin [is] made in the USA'. In January, Trump signed an executive order establishing a government reserve for bitcoin (REUTERS) He also pledged to set up a bitcoin treasury, however, the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve established in March was seen as underwhelming, as it did not involve the purchase of any new bitcoin. The crypto market has seen a slight uptick in recent days, though the rally has been attributed to institutional investment rather than any political moves in Washington. 'We're seeing increased long-term confidence and signals from institutional players,' Anil Oncu, chief executive of crypto payments platform Bitpace, told The Independent . 'Reports that banking giants Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered are considering expanding their US crypto operations point to a more strategic investment in the sector and may be driving a sustained new optimism for bitcoin and the broader crypto market. 'Despite the surge, there will still be some caution. The Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision and ongoing discussions between Washington and Beijing will have a key influence on Bitcoin's price in the coming weeks.'
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The Last of Us season 2 starts this week – here's how to watch in the UK
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Few video game adaptations have managed to break the curse, but The Last of Us did just that when its first season premiered in 2023. Rather than falling into the usual pitfalls of shallow storytelling and clumsy pacing, HBO's adaptation captured the hearts of critics, general viewers and fans alike. The first season garnered 24 Emmy nominations and won eight awards, including Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Nick Offerman. Now, the post-apocalyptic series is almost back for its highly anticipated second season, with Kaitlyn Dever joining the cast as Abby. Premiering later this week, the seven-episode season will see Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reprise their roles as Joel and Ellie, and will adapt at least a portion of The Last of Us Part II. Here's everything we know about The Last of Us season 2, including where and when you'll be able to watch it in the UK. When does 'The Last of Us' season 2 come out? It's official: The Last of Us season two will premiere on Sunday 13 April 2025 in the US. In the UK, it will debut on Monday 14 April. It's now been confirmed that the first episode will be broadcast simultaneously at 2am on Sky Atlantic and Now, in line with its HBO release. If you're not keen on staying up late, don't worry – it'll be available to stream on catch-up shortly after, and a prime-time repeat will take place at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. What is 'The Last of Us' season 2 about? The Last of Us season 2 will follow the events of the second game in the franchise, but it won't cover all of it. In fact, the TV adaptation of The Last of Us: Part II will stretch out over multiple seasons – which makes sense given the game's scope. 'We don't think that we're going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we're taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in season 1 too,' Craig Mazin told Deadline last year. 'We feel like it's almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require season 4'. The official synopsis for The Last of Us season 2 states: 'After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie's collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind'. The teaser trailer doesn't reveal too much, but it looks like, as with season 1, it's sticking fairly close to the source material. Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the game's creator, say they've found a natural ending point to break the game up into multiple seasons. While we won't go into detail (no game spoilers here), some fans speculate that season 2 will end at the theatre, with Ellie coming face to face with Abby. In the full-length trailer for The Last of Us season 2, we get a proper look at some major new characters in action. Kaitlyn Dever's Abby is seen fighting off infected and standing among the Washington Liberation Front. Isabela Merced's Dina – Ellie's love interest – is introduced; Young Mazino's Jesse appears in some scenes and Jeffrey Wright's Isaac is shown leading the WLF. Catherine O'Hara also makes a brief appearance, but her role remains a mystery, though she's likely a new character made for the show. How to catch up on 'The Last of Us' season 1 in the UK The Last of Us is available to stream on Sky and Now TV here in the UK. If you're not already a Sky customer, you can get yourself a Sky Stream box (£15 per month, which comes with a Sky TV entertainment package and a free subscription to Netflix's standard plan with ads, as well as a free subscription to Discovery+ (the home of Eurosport). If you don't want to buy the Sky Stream box, but still want to watch The Last of Us, you can stream it on the Sky-owned Now streaming service (formerly Now TV). You'll need an entertainment membership to watch the show (£9.99 per month, You can also buy the entire season 1 boxset on Apple TV+ (£21.99, and Amazon Prime Video (£21.99, How many episodes of 'The Last of Us' season 2 are there? The Last of Us season 2 has seven episodes in total. That's slightly shorter than the length of season 1. The first episode of The Last of Us, titled Future Days will be broadcast on Monday 14 April 2025 in the UK. That title is significant for anyone who's played the game, but we won't give any spoilers. The episode synopsis reads: 'After five years of peace, Joel and Ellie's collective past catches up with them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.' Here's the full release schedule for The Last of Us in the UK: The Last of Us episode 1: Future Days – Monday 14 April 2025, 2am/9pm BST Monday 14 April 2025, 2am/9pm BST The Last of Us episode 2: Eye for an Eye – Monday 21 April 2025, 2am/9pm BST Monday 21 April 2025, 2am/9pm BST The Last of Us episode 3: Something's Got a Hold on Me – Monday 28 April 2025, 2am/9pm BST Monday 28 April 2025, 2am/9pm BST The Last of Us episode 4: Secrets – Monday 5 May 2025, 2am/9pm BST Monday 5 May 2025, 2am/9pm BST The Last of Us episode 5: Wolves – Monday 12 May 2025, 2am/9pm BST Monday 12 May 2025, 2am/9pm BST The Last of Us episode 6: Scars – Monday 19 May 2025, 2am/9pm BST Monday 19 May 2025, 2am/9pm BST The Last of Us episode 7: Every Last One of Them – Monday 26 May 2025, 2am/9pm BST Looking for more recommendations? Here's how you can watch season three of The White Lotus in the UK
