Microsoft

#IOTA, the little-known digital #cryptocurrency, surges 90% after teaming up with firms like #Microsoft

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FYI.

– A little-known digital currency surges 90% after teaming up with firms like Microsoft:

  • Cryptocurrency IOTA is now the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization
  • IOTA Foundation, a German non-profit firm that oversees the virtual currency, said last week it has partnered with big tech firms on a data marketplace

A digital currency has added more than $12 billion to its market value after the firm behind it said it was teaming up with a number of big tech firms, including Microsoft and Samsung on a “data marketplace.”

Called IOTA, the cryptocurrency saw a spike on Wednesday, rallying more than 90 percent in the last 24 hours, according to data from industry website Coinmarketcap. Its price soared to an all-time high of $5.55 at 8:27 a.m. London time, almost doubling Tuesday’s price of $2.78. It is now the fourth-largest digital asset by market capitalization, dethroning Ripple’s XRP.

Read more#IOTA, the little-known digital #cryptocurrency, surges 90% after teaming up with firms like #Microsoft

Israel’s Biggest Bank Partners Microsoft to Offer Bank Guarantees on a Blockchain

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– Israel’s Biggest Bank Partners Microsoft to Offer Bank Guarantees on a Blockchain:

Microsoft is partnering with Israel’s Bank Hapoalim on a blockchain-based platform to support digital bank guarantees for customers, according to The Times of Israel.

Bank Hapoalim becomes the first Israeli bank to deploy blockchain technology in financial contracts, the lender noted in a statement. The project will simplify and hasten the process of signing up guarantors. Bank customers in need of a bank guarantee typically have to go to a branch, transfer the guarantee to the beneficiary, then return it to the bank in the event the guarantee is not used.

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H/t reader kevin a

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EY, Microsoft and Shipping Giant Maersk Develop Blockchain Marine Insurance Platform

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– EY, Microsoft and Shipping Giant Maersk Develop Blockchain Marine Insurance Platform:

‘Big four’ accounting house EY, technology giant Microsoft and the Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company have combined to launch the world’s first marine insurance blockchain platform.

Build using Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, the blockchain solution is the first of its kind in the marine insurance industry and connects clients, brokers, insurers and third parties on a common ledger. This shared database also collects information about logistics risks and shipments to integrate the data with insurance contracts.

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H/t reader kevin a.

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Microsoft recommends you ignore Microsoft-recommended update

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– Microsoft recommends you ignore Microsoft-recommended update:

Left hand quits trying to meet right hand, waves at customers saying ‘don’t break Skype’

Earlier this month, Microsoft gave the world .NET Framework 4.7 and urged users to install it for the usual reasons: more fun bits to play with and a security improvements.

But two days later the company urged Exchange users not to install it ASAP, because it hadn’t validated it yet. Last Friday – 10 days after the launch of the new code – it reminded users of Lync and Skype for Business not to install it either.

Read moreMicrosoft recommends you ignore Microsoft-recommended update

Microsoft says virtual reality will soon have same mind-bending effects as LSD

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microsoft-lsd
This is how billions of people may soon spend their time

– Microsoft says virtual reality will soon have same mind-bending effects as LSD

Tech giant’s top researcher says VR will cause hallucinations which ‘blend or alter perceived reality’

VIRTUAL reality technology will soon be so powerful that it will cause drug-like hallucinations, Microsoft has predicted.

One of the tech firm’s top researchers said VR would be able to warp reality and catapult users into a new world.

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Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube Create Program to Silence ‘Terrorist Propaganda’ Online

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– Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube Create Program to Silence ‘Terrorist Propaganda’ Online:

According to a new statement by Facebook, they have joined with YouTube, Microsoft, and Twitter to create a shared database of “terrorist content” which they can all jointly use to identify further attempts to post such banned content.

The database will create hashes of videos and images that they’ve already decided are related to terrorism, and then will allow them to single out any further content matching those hatches. Facebook says this will allow them to more quickly remove such content.

Read moreFacebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube Create Program to Silence ‘Terrorist Propaganda’ Online

Microsoft Announces $40BN Share Buyback 1 Month After Its Largest Bond Offering Ever

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– Microsoft Announces $40BN Share Buyback 1 Month After Its Largest Bond Offering Ever:

Just 1 month after completing its largest bond offering ever, Microsoft has announced the approval of an incremental $40BN share repurchase equal to roughly 9% of its outstanding shares.

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Microsoft Buys LinkedIn For $196/Share In $26.2 Billion Deal

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– Microsoft Buys LinkedIn For $196/Share In $26.2 Billion Deal:

Merger monday is back with a bang, when moments ago Microsoft announced that it would buy LinkedIn for $196/share, a massive 50% premium to the Friday closing price of $131. The total deal size is $26.2 billion and according to the press release, MSFT will finance the transaction primarily through the issuance of new debt. Indicatively, almost exactly one year ago, LNKD was trading at $300.

Microsoft, which will pay a $725 million termination fee if the deal does not go through, warns that the deal will only become accretive in 2019. This means many synergies are coming for the tech company.

Microsoft also reiterated its intention to complete its existing $40 billion share repurchase authorization by Dec. 31, 2016.

Read moreMicrosoft Buys LinkedIn For $196/Share In $26.2 Billion Deal