House chairwoman wants Facebook to pause work on its cryptocurrency

You knew Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency would come under scrutiny as soon as it became official, and the US government isn't wasting any time. House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters has issued a statement calling on Facebook to...

The UK Has a New Stephen Hawking Coin

Check out this new coin from the United Kingdom’s Royal Mint. The mint just started a collection of coins honoring innovation in British Science, and Stephen Hawking’s black hole coin will be hard to outdo. It’s a real beauty.

The 50p coin illustrates the concept of a black hole and the design is amazing, featuring an optical illusion with rings that makes the coin look like it spills into itself. The designer of the coin is Edwina Ellis who says, “Stephen Hawking made difficult subjects accessible, engaging, and relatable, and this is what I wanted to portray in my design, which is inspired by a lecture he gave in Chile in 2008.”

“Hawking, at his playful best, invites the audience to contemplate peering into a black hole before diving in,” said Ellis. “I wanted to fit a big black hole on the tiny coin and wish he was still here chortling at the thought.”

This is the first coin design in the series, which will later honor Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. You can order the Stephen Hawking coin in mint condition for 10GBP (~$14 USD) from The Royal Mint. Limited editions in silver and gold have already sold out.

[via Slashgear]

Samsung Galaxy S10 leak hints at cryptocurrency wallet

Samsung' Galaxy S10 appears to have leaked again, but this time the big deal is what's on screen. Gregory Blake and Ben Geskin claim to have leaked images of a Samsung Blockchain KeyStore that would serve as a cryptocurrency wallet, whether you're b...

American Money Reimagined

When traveling as an American, one of the things I’m always fascinated by (and envious of!) the complex moneys of other countries. In comparison, they’re often more artistic and daring in shape and aesthetic than the plain old US dollar. This project by Andrey Avgust explores what the future American banknote might look like.

Immediately, one notices that they have more depth and detail than current versions. More durable than paper currency, the design is made entirely of thin flexible layers of polymer. Some of its security features include unique PGP encrypted QR code and individual numbers printed by metameric inks that can be viewed under UV light. If you thought they were cool in regular light, just look at them in the dark.

Designer: Andrey Avgust

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Government websites fall prey to cryptocurrency mining hijack

It's not just private companies' websites falling victim to cryptocurrency mining hijacks. Security consultant Scott Helme and the Register have discovered that intruders compromised over 4,200 sites with Coinhive's notorious Monero miner, many of t...