“It hasn’t gotten that much attention, as the world’s Bitcoin fascination has faded since this spring. BUT: Worth pointing out that the actual price of Bitcoins has been on a major tear again lately, as it presses up near $150. This is despite increasing oversight and subpoenas from regulators, and all kinds of pronouncements about Bitcoin’s death.” Continue reading →
“Ever since Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile-network operator, launched the mobile-payment system M-Pesa in 2007, some two-thirds of Kenya’s adult population have subscribed, and an astonishing 31% of the country’s GDP is now spent through mobile phones. Kenya has been at the forefront of popular technological innovation for the past 5 years, and now there are indications that the country could usher in a new era of mobile banking. On 1 July, a company called Kipochi launched a new ‘digital wallet’ service that allows Kenyans to not only send and receive money domestically but, using the online peer-to-peer currency Bitcoins, transfer it internationally.” Continue reading →
“From high-tech Israeli irrigation systems to text message updates of global prices for the commodity, coffee farming in Vietnam’s Central Highlands has come a long way since the French first introduced the bean over a century ago. By texting ‘CA’ to the number 8288 from any Vietnamese mobile phone, farmers almost instantly receive a message with the London prices of Robusta coffee beans and the New York price of Arabica beans. In 20 years, Vietnam went from contributing less than 0.1 per cent of world production in 1980 to some 13 per cent in 2000 – staggering growth that has been partially blamed for the collapse of global coffee prices in the 1990s. There is no tax on coffee exports.” Continue reading →
“Peru’s anti-drug strategy hinges on persuading farmers to grow coffee instead of coca, the raw material of cocaine, but low prices and plant disease are getting in the way. President Ollanta Humala’s government is allocating $35 million to help coffee growers pay off debts and cope with ‘la roya,’ a stubborn fungus known as coffee rust. Peru exports coffee to 46 countries, but the bulk — 60 percent — goes to Europe. Germany is Peru’s largest single customer. Peru ranks alongside Bolivia and Colombia as the world’s main producers of coca, grown exclusively in the Andes of South America, mostly on the eastern slope.” Continue reading →
“When it hired Kleiman last March, the LCB said it had budgeted an initial $100,000 for the much sought-after consulting work. The state ended up paying much more–$814,000, as of last week, with one payment still pending, Smith tells SW. It might seem a little strange that the pot czar has left while the state is still immersed in crafting regulations, the latest version of which are to be made public tomorrow. But Smith emphasizes that Kleiman’s fulsome title was a media construct. The academic’s reports concentrated on market analysis and technical subjects, like the projected impact of legalization Initiative 502’s taxing scheme on the price of pot.” Continue reading →
“In 2011, DARPA started the Warrior Web program in order to develop a soft, lightweight undersuit that would augment physical capabilities. This suit would relieve mental strains that obstruct a soldier’s ability to execute missions. Ninety percent of the U.S. Army could be wearing these high-tech suits one-three years from now. DARPA is not alone in their ambition to produce a human augmentation suit. NASA is working on their own suit with several partners, which could give us a good idea of what human augmentation suits will be like further out in the future. Their suit could give astronauts superhuman strength on major space missions to an asteroid or Mars.” Continue reading →
“The careful wording of the government’s statements left room for supporters of military action against Syria to keep pressing for a new vote once US lawmakers have decided. Former international development minister Andrew Mitchell, a member of Cameron’s Conservative party, said nothing should be ruled out. ‘It may be, after lengthy and careful consideration, (that) Congress affirms its support for the president’s plans and, in the light of that, our parliament may want to consider this matter further,’ he told BBC radio. Cameron suffered the most humiliating defeat of his three years in power when Conservative rebels joined Labour in voting against military action by 285 to 272.” Continue reading →
“Two new polls out Tuesday have found strong opposition to US military intervention in Syria among a war-weary American public despite increasing support in Washington for punitive strikes. A survey carried out by the Pew Research Center over the weekend found that 48 percent of Americans oppose ‘conducting military airstrikes’ against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons compared to 29 percent who support such action. A Washington Post-ABC news poll found a similar margin, with nearly six in 10 Americans opposed to missile strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The polls found opposition across the political spectrum.” Continue reading →