Month: February 2012

In my first stint at NASA, I was at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as a mainframe systems programmer when it was still cool. That IBM 360-95 was used to solve complex computational problems for space flight. Back then, I comfortably navigated the world of IBM 360 Assembler language and still remember the much-coveted “green card” that had all the pearls of information about machine code. Back then, real systems programmers did hexadecimal arithmetic – today, “there’s an app for it!”

Linda Cureton, NASA’s CIO, on her start at NASA and The End of the Mainframe Era. 

Home is where i want to be Pick me up and turn me round I feel numb – burn with a weak heart (so i) guess i must be having fun The less we say about it the better Make it up as we go along Feet on the ground Head in the sky It’s ok i know nothing’s wrong . . nothing

Hi yo, i got plenty of time Hi yo, you got light in your eyes And you’re standing here beside me I love the passing of time Never for money Always for love Cover up + say goodnight … say goodnight

Home – is where i want to be But i guess i’m already there I come home – -she lifted up her wings Guess that this must be the place I can’t tell one from another Did i find you, or you find me? There was a time before we were born If someone asks, this where i’ll be … where i’ll be

Hi yo we drift in and out Hi yo sing into my mouth Out of all tose kinds of people You got a face with a view I’m just an animal looking for a home Share the same space for a minute or two And you love me till my heart stops Love me till i’m dead Eyes that light up, eyes look through you Cover up the blank spots Hit me on the head ah ooh

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

bitcoin:

Introducing The Occcu – 99% Unlike Bitcoin

A new complementary currency, the Occcu, falls under the category of a “basic-income currency” which is like a form of social security paid to all individuals.  About the only thingOcccu has in common with Bitcoin is that they both can be traded person-to-person online.

A promotional flyer for the Occcu describes it as “a fair global currency”.  To prevent hoarding the Occcu imposes “demurrage” (negative interest).  You’ll want to spend your Occcus right away as anything you don’t spend loses its value — 25% of any unspent balance after thirty days goes back to the community chest.

The currency can be spent from a mobile through the web interface.  Paper checks are available but simply act as a receipt for the payment recipient to hold until the sender manually enters the information at a later time once connectivity is available. 

The currency was introduced at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos.

The name Occcu comes from OCCupy-CUrrency, a currency that would be desirable to (some/many in) the Occupy movement.  Users registered with the Occcu.com website receive a chunk of the currency during sign-up and will receive the basic-incoome allotment monthly.  The Occcu website lets registered users view and place ads for trade, make payments and P2P transfers.

It is not apparent yet how counterfeiting will be prevented as currently a single individual can create multiple identities and receive the full basic-income for each.

There have been calls from some individuals for Bitcoin to be forked or to be superceded with an alternate blockchain to introduce features such as demurrage.  Many Bitcoiners are attracted to Bitcoin specifically because its current economic properties.   The the software could technically accommodate these changes, buy-in would need to come from these individuals as they hold the power to refuse to switch to software the devalues the currency they hold.

However just as Bitcoin was the catalyst for the conversation on various aspects of money the Occcu will likely cause further conversation as well.

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