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What is going to happen in 2015

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Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#91

Post by seanmcdirmid »

tacticus wrote: post #89
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But don't that have to split those with their JVs, or is that their actual non divided take? (Forgive me, WSJ is blocked by the GFW) The US has a decent case against China if they want to go to the WTO, but I guess they've decided for now at least, it's not worth it.

Wouldn't the US need to at least follow WTO findings if they wanted to use the WTO for that or risk China just ignoring it.

Sure, but I don't think the case is weak. Much of China's internet blocking is blatantly economic, and whats more: China refuses to officially acknowledge that it blocks these websites at all, it just does.

However, like everyone says, US companies make money in China, while the US wants to maintain a strong relationship, while WTO action would probably just devolve into another pointless tit for tat, so why bother going there?

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#92

Post by Spearchucker »

williamcotton wrote: post #75
Spearchucker wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we can agree that distributed is better for the consumer than centralized (privacy and availability), but given that the Blockchain is not the only way to achieve a distributed architecture, I'm interested in why I would use the Blockchain when I can achieve similar results with an arguably simpler solution.

It's the only decentralized system that can guarantee availability. Data stored in Freenet, BitTorrent and the rest is ephemeral.

The Blockchain is a ledger, BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file share service. Difficult comparison.

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#93

Post by nissimk »

natrius wrote: post #74
Spearchucker wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

" ...could be implemented and managed... " That they could. Anything could. The question I don't have a convincing answer to is why would they use the Blockchain?

Blockchains allow people to enter into agreements that don't require enforcement. They're enforced by the programs that generate and validate the blockchain. Eliminating the need to enforce agreements will make them easier to enter into. Blockchains make it easier for people to work together.

The problem with this statement is that for it to be true, everything referenced in the agreement has to exist in the blockchain. The system can't seize collateral that is real property. That still needs to be enforced by the courts and the sheriff. Whoever finds the way to match borrowers and lenders using bitcoin but with traditional collateral enforcement is going to make a lot of money.

A cheaper version of western Union is great and so is reduced fees for merchants. There is so much more that can be done with blockchain technology but I don't think it well happen as soon as 2015 because of the chasm between the people who understand the technology and the people who understand the business and law.

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#94

Post by gfodor »

rjurney wrote: post #14

Having tried an Oculus Rift generation 3, where the tracking is PERFECT and the resolution is adequate, I think VR will do better in 2015 than he suggests.

Not to mention that Oculus has already shipped a consumer device, the Gear VR. So, we have an existence proof that they can ship something real. It's not being heavily marketed yet, and requires the Note 4 so it's expensive, but it's a great VR experience in a consumer-friendly form factor. There are a lot of challenges ahead (and a bit of a chicken and egg problem vis a vis customer base/content) but I think there's a good chance VR is going to be the gift to give for the holidays in 2015.

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#95

Post by gfodor »

Morphling wrote: post #38
rjurney wrote: post #14

Having tried an Oculus Rift generation 3, where the tracking is PERFECT and the resolution is adequate, I think VR will do better in 2015 than he suggests.

At first Oculus seemed like a cool idea, but you can really only play "simulator" games with it, games where you sit in a vehicle otherwise it ruins the VR feel and you might as well just play on a monitor. Only other thing I've seen was some sort of sculpting thing, but I'd imagine the novelty would wear out there pretty fast. More I think about whole VR thing the less I think it will actually be a thing. I'm sure w…

VR is a new medium so content creators are figuring out what works. Simulator games were low hanging fruit since even with less-than-perfect hardware/software they prevent sim sickness. The product for the company I work for is a VR experience with a first-person perspective and we are having no trouble preventing sim sickness by designing things properly.

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#96

Post by CyberPants »

jordigh wrote: post #82
bbcbasic wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firstly Bitcoin is a fantastic experiment. It has created a new way to send money across the world with very small fees. This may not be such a big deal for Americans, but in some countries being able to send money to/from abroad when they can't access a bank account or Paypal account is a big big thing. It does have it's weaknesses though. The first is that you need a good knowledge of security to successfully manag…

Bitcoins have never crashed to 50% of what they were worth yesterday. They are volatile, but they have never been that volatile. And volatile currencies aren't worthless either, the ruble is still an important currency, and so are many others that have gone through drastic devaluations. I've lived through one such devaluation with one such currency, and life went on, the economy recovered. Also, no currency has any i…

>The biggest difference with bitcoins is that nobody can create them out of thin air due to whim like they can with USD.

Bitcoins/Altcoin "mining" creates coins out of thin air (+ silicon and electricity).

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#97

Post by zanny »

jorgecastillo wrote: post #24

I more or less agree with everything except this points: >2/ Xiaomi will spend some of the $1.1bn they just raised coming to the US. This will bring a strong player in the non-google android sector into the US market and legitimize a “third mobile OS” in the western world. The good news for developers is developing for non-google android is not much different than developing for google android. The "third mobile OS"…

> To me nothing beats legal tender currencies.

Go run a tip system on reddit using fiat currency.

Go try sending money to someone in Ethiopia in fiat currency.

Ensure nobody can steal your money without you making a mistake first (either giving someone else access, or leaving your wallet password in the open).

Transfer a large sum of money (in excess of, say, 100k) in seconds between an arbitrary sender and receiver.

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#98

Post by wyager »

CyberPants wrote: post #96
jordigh wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bitcoins have never crashed to 50% of what they were worth yesterday. They are volatile, but they have never been that volatile. And volatile currencies aren't worthless either, the ruble is still an important currency, and so are many others that have gone through drastic devaluations. I've lived through one such devaluation with one such currency, and life went on, the economy recovered. Also, no currency has any i…

>The biggest difference with bitcoins is that nobody can create them out of thin air due to whim like they can with USD. Bitcoins/Altcoin "mining" creates coins out of thin air (+ silicon and electricity).

>Bitcoins/Altcoin "mining" creates coins out of thin air

Yes, but not at a whim; that's the important distinction. The precise creation schedule for all bitcoins ever is known in advance (and Bitcoin creation is slowing, and eventually will stop). This is distinct from any fiat currency, where the minting authority can arbitrarily decide to inflate all your cash holdings out of existence. This has happened many times throughout history. See the German Papiermark.

Re: What is going to happen in 2015

#99

Post by sakunthala »

Morphling wrote: post #38
rjurney wrote: post #14

Having tried an Oculus Rift generation 3, where the tracking is PERFECT and the resolution is adequate, I think VR will do better in 2015 than he suggests.

At first Oculus seemed like a cool idea, but you can really only play "simulator" games with it, games where you sit in a vehicle otherwise it ruins the VR feel and you might as well just play on a monitor. Only other thing I've seen was some sort of sculpting thing, but I'd imagine the novelty would wear out there pretty fast. More I think about whole VR thing the less I think it will actually be a thing. I'm sure w…

I actually recently wrote a blog post on VR game design www.renderingwithstyle.com/post/106510862343/now-youre-thinking-in-vr
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