#between that and Mr. robot USA really has me going through it while I was in college

[gingerwerk]

You ever just driving to work minding your business and then BAM you remember the 2016 USA limited series Eyewitness and start foaming at the mouth

[click2watch]

I Got the Mark of the Beast – And It Will Hold My Bitcoin

“What happens when you need an MRI?”

Someone answers for me: “You die an excruciating death… Actually, they remove them painfully quickly or the machine does.”

I’m sure these paranoid, exaggerated remarks didn’t help as I sat down at the folding table in front of a large man with a 14-gauge needle. I was sweating through my shirt.

“Are you gonna pass out?” he asks.

“I don’t think so.”

It’s literally right on my face – in the form of a septum piercing – that I’m pretty familiar with needles.

“Three, two and one,” the man with the needle said as he pushed it into the squishy part of my left hand, between my thumb and index finger.

It was all of one second of pain, and then it was over. I hardly even bled.

And just like that, I was now officially a cyborg.

So, what the hell am I doing here? Well several years ago, in 2014, I stumbled on this guy, Martijn Wismeijer, aka Mr. Bitcoin, who had gotten a microchip implant that he then programmed to hold his cryptocurrency.

I doubt I really knew much about the transhumanism movement back then, but I have always been fascinated with robots and the idea of melding robots into humans or vice versa. This seemed right up my alley, as even back then, I was basically covering crypto full-time, so I started reaching out but communication eventually dropped off and it was all but forgotten.

Until this January, when Bryan Bishop, the Bitcoin Core developer that’s known for his tremendously fast typing and in turn his transcriptions of conferences, mentioned BDYHAX to me. “There’s a lot of transhumanists in the bitcoin community,” he said.

But the conference’s agenda had already piqued my interest – “Implantable Tech Area.”

I’m there.

Freedom of…

Bishop’s right – at least anecdotally, that there’s an overlap between the body hackers and the bitcoiners. Transhumanism does, in fact, link them. Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney seems to have been one, since he cryogenically froze his body, hoping that sometime in the future he might be able to be resuscitated.

It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that folks that believe technology can create a better future as it relates to money, payments, shit just about everything, would think that technology can also make humans themselves better.

Take Bishop’s recently revealed designer baby venture.

Funded with his bitcoin savings, Bishop’s project, recently written about in MIT Technology Review, looks to allow parents to genetically engineer their babies to have features like muscles without ever picking up a dumbbell or enhanced memory.

If that sentence sounds weird – almost like adding apps to your smartphone – it’s because it kinda is. There’s mounting criticism and concern over the practice, especially after a Chinese biophysicist named He Jiankui claimed he’d made the first genetically edited babies.

If you give your imagination even a tiny bit of wiggle room, you can see why.

Do parents have the right to choose how their children look and act? This can’t be a cheap procedure; will everyone be able to edit their children to be smarter or will it only be the rich that benefit? Will we lose some humanity if everyone edit’s themselves for the flavor of the week?

Yet for all those dystopian futures (that I very much see and worry about), ultimately some of this could no doubt be beneficial and save hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of lives.

For instance, one of Bishop’s first examples – something we talked about in the Fall last year – was making humans resistant to HIV.

Future humans will think we’re barbaric if we resist this kind of medical achievement.

While I’m not so interested, and even slightly disturbed, by genetic beauty enhancements such as muscles or blue eyes, I worry these concerns could push this type of biohacking into the shadows.

And that’s a shame.

Bodies and money

We’ve seen a similar thing happen in the cryptocurrency space.

There are hacks, scams, fucking idiots and all sorts of bad things lurking in the blockchain scene, and typically that’s made many turn up their noses to the whole industry. They lump it all together and mark it “useless,” “nefarious,” “shit.”

And I get it. I look around the crypto industry, after being here for six years, and see rot. I see individuals who only want to make quick money at the expense of others; I see companies touting their disrupting finance but actually enstating the same, arbitrary, discriminatory rules as legacy banks.

Where the fuck did the ethos go?

I’ll tell you. It might be hard to see through all the “sky is falling” – or during a hype cycle all the glitz of free money – but it’s in Venezuela, helping people literally starving because of their corrupt government, hold onto some value. It’s in the lightning torch, hopping all around the world, showing people the power of a stateless digital currency.

And because those instances exist, I’ll take some of the bullshit.

Because that’s what I’m here for – an alternative to the systems that were created without my input and sometimes do not work for – to be more clear, work against – me and other individuals.

“We’re all already attuned to this, we want freedom, we don’t want to be told what we can and can’t do with our bodies, what we can or can’t put into our bodies, and people don’t want to be told what they can and can’t do with their money,” Chad Creighton, a vice president at blockchain development consultancy BlockSaw, who was at BDYHAX, said.

While our bodies and our money could seem like apples and oranges, they’re really not. Because what we can do with our bodies is directly determined by what we can do with our money.

Case in point, for some in the biohacking space, healthcare is too costly and big pharma, insurance providers, even doctors are working against the people, the individuals who need care. For cryptocurrency aficionados, the great monolithic entity to disrupt is the Federal Reserve, state monetary policy, the banks.

There’s an overlapping “distrust of formal institutions,” Bishop told me. “They have gotten so large and bureaucratic, it’s sometimes more practical to go your own way and see what you can get done. Even more specifically, some people see certain regulations directly interfering with people’s right to live.”

He gives the example of a DIY biohacker figuring out a way to make insulin cheaper and then offering that to diabetics, which would be technically illegal.

As with all these anarchist attempts, Don Andres Ochoa, a biotechnologist and data scientist speaking at the event, gave the best rallying cry:

“Fuck it, let’s fix the problem ourselves.”

Scared of needles?

These two fields of research “are not directly useful to each other, but there’s a common source of inspiration,” Bishop said.

And they do mix together at a certain point. For instance, because of the controversy surrounding designer babies today, Bishop is cognizant that cryptography-backed privacy tech will likely play some role – if nothing else, at least as it relates to anonymous payments for the service.

Still, all this stuff seems outrageous to the majority of people.

“Right now, the idea or concept of body hacking is literally bleeding edge (ha),” said Amal Graafstra, the founder and CEO of VivoKey, the maker of the implant I got.

With implants, as with cryptocurrency, “the overlap is directly related to people’s sense of adventure,” he continued.

Case in point, Jerrah Cameron, a Denver-based programmer, who stumbled upon the body hacking scene only about a month ago and already has three implants – two small chips and this larger NFC chip, for which he had a gnarly one-inch slice on the side of his right hand.

For the novelty these devices provide so far – I currently have my chip programmed to take an NFC-enabled phone to my “receive bitcoin” QR code, making it fast and easy for someone to send me a tip – most people won’t want to get poked, he said.

That’s why he’s working on an application that would allow the chips to be used as payment mechanisms, housing first the tokens needed for apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Venmo, and then in the future even cryptocurrencies.

And VivoKey is also working on something similar.

In a week or so, Graafstra and his team plan on releasing an API that can allow developers to program one of their chips (yes, the one I have! squee) to act as an authenticator key. With this, users should be able to request that their chip be tapped to verify any send or transfer of crypto within a wallet.

“The idea was to develop a completely autonomous secure element under the skin,” Graafstra told CoinDesk.

And the company also offers a chip (not the one I have) that can actually complete key generation and the signing of a transaction all within the chip. That’s currently in private beta and requires quite a lot of programming to make it all work, so it’s not ready for mainstream use yet.

So for now, my hand isn’t worth any more than it was when I was just a boring old human (although it has facilitated $2 worth of bitcoin).

Implant procedure images via Bailey Reutzel for CoinDesk

This news post is collected from CoinDesk

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DGB Grab Bag: Ovi Face, June Hockey History, and Stop Lying about Start Times

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: Connor McDavid makes his Cup final pick – Wait, is this an option? I really should have been doing this all year long.

The second star: Matt Niskanen’s big night – You know what, I believe him. There isn’t much else to do in Las Vegas.

The first star: Alexander Ovechkin’s face – I enjoy watching Ovechkin watch playoff games.

And that was just one of several reaction shots from this week. In fact, the only thing he apparently doesn’t react to is getting hit directly in the face with a puck:

Be It Resolved

The Golden Knights hosted the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final this week, and as you’d expect, they went all-out on the spectacle. Wednesday’s second game featured an opening ceremony that including a knight, some archers, laser drummers, and a concert by Imagine Dragons, and if you’re disappointed that you missed it then you’re in luck because I’m pretty sure it’s still going on.

We’ve covered the question of the Knights’ pregame festivities before, but let me reiterate my stance here: I’m fully on board. I’m all in. Let Montreal and Detroit and whoever else deliver solemn ceremonies that honor the game’s sacred traditions. We put a hockey team in freaking Las Vegas. Let them get weird.

But maybe, just maybe, they could remember to work in the actual game too.

This is a recurring issue with NHL games, where the start times have drifted off over the years to the point where you just expect everything to be 20 minutes late. It’s not a Vegas problem; they’re just making it worse. Or maybe better, since if you have to wait around you may as well be entertained. I’d rather watch a knight fight an airplane than listen to the broadcast team go over line matchups for the third time, and I’m betting you would too.

But I’d also rather watch some hockey, at least eventually. If that makes me the fun police, then OK. That’s kind of a weird stance for a hockey fan—”Oh, this guy actually wants to watch an NHL game, he must hate fun”—but fill your boots. I don’t doubt that this is all great if you’re one of the thousands of people in the building. But there are also millions of us at home who are patiently waiting for puck drop while this rock band works through their fourth iteration of Generic Arena Sports Anthem, so maybe get to it already.

To be clear, I’m not saying the Knights should rein in their pregame fun when the series returns to town next week. Hell, I want them to take it even further. It’s the Stanley Cup Final, so go all out. Have Wayne Newton do a set. Have David Copperfield fly around the arena. Have one of those weird puppet guys that nobody has ever heard of but have like nine giant billboards all along the strip do whatever it is they do. Find that 50-foot tall Michael Jackson robot that was supposed to be wandering the desert and let it loose. Send out Mantecore to eat Tom Wilson. You’re Vegas. There are no limits.

Just, you know, maybe figure out a reasonable start time for the game and then work backwards. Start the ceremony right now if you need to. This may end up being a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so enjoy all of it. Just don’t forget the hockey part.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

There’s a chance that this will be the last Grab Bag of the playoffs, and that by next Friday the Final will be over and we’ll have crowned a champion. If so, somebody will have scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal, joining a list of players that includes Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard, Bobby Orr and Mike Bossy (twice each), and Wayne Gretzky.

That list also includes a handful of obscure players, including this week’s pick: Wayne Merrick.

Merrick was a big center who tore up the OHL for the Ottawa 67s in the early 70s. That led to the Blues making him the ninth overall pick in the 1972 draft, which was kind of terrible apart from Bill Barber and Steve Shutt. Merrick wasn’t quite as good as those two guys, but at least he made the NHL, which is more than we can say about that year’s tenth overall pick, Al Blanchard.

Merrick debuted with the Blues that season, scored ten goals, and became a regular contributor until he was traded to the Golden Seals early in the 1975-76 season. He finished that season with a career-best 32 goals, although his numbers fell off after the Seals moved to Cleveland. So did pretty much everyone else’s, come to think of it.

Merrick lucked out in 1978 when he was traded to the Islanders in a deal for J.P. Parise (Zach’s father). That Islanders team was about to become a dynasty, winning four straight Cups from 1980 through 1983, and while Merrick was hardly a star, he played a key role while centering the “Banana Line” with Bob Nystrom and John Tonelli. He’d end up playing 95 playoff games with the team, scoring 18 goals. One of those was the Cup winner in 1981, as Merrick’s goal held up in a 5-1 win over the North Stars in the Game 5 clincher.

Merrick played for the Islanders until 1984, then retired. He finished his career with 191 goals in 774 games to go along with those four Cup rings.

Debating the Issues

This week’s debate: The NHL is 101 years old. But is it fun to learn about the league’s history?

In favor: Oh for sure. Over the course of its history, the NHL has provided us with all sorts of fascinating twists and turns, both on and off the ice. I can’t think of anything more interesting than learning all about the key moments that shaped the league we have today.

Opposed: All of that is undoubtedly true, my friend. But history can be so dull and boring. Nobody wants to comb through some dry textbook just to learn about something they enjoy.

In favor: Ah, but history doesn’t have to be dry. What if you could retrace a century of key events, but in a light-hearted and easy-to-enjoy format that placed the focus on the fun and the funny?

Opposed: That sounds great! But does such a thing exist?

In favor: Wouldn’t it be great if it did?

Opposed: Hey wait, is this feeling kind of … off? This isn’t the usual tone for this section. The whole thing seems kind of forced.

In favor: Imagine sitting down with a history of the NHL that was written for the average fan, one who wants to read all about the great moments and the bizarre ones, and everything in between.

Opposed: Like, nobody talks this way. We sound ridiculous right now.

In favor: I know I’d pay top dollar for just such a book!

Opposed: Wait, is this all just some stupid plug?

In favor: But who? Who could write such a book?

Opposed: This is pathetic.

In favor: Well, there’s good news!

Opposed: Let me guess…

In favor: The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL was announced this week, and is available now for pre-order in both Canada and the USA. Hockey fans will delight in this whimsical retelling of the league’s history, with an emphasis on the weird and wonderful. From The Rocket to Mr. Rogers, The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL tells the full story of the world’s most beautiful sport, as presented by the world’s most ridiculous league.

Opposed: Did you honestly just say “whimsical”? Literally no real person has ever used that word.

In favor: In this fun, irreverent, and fact-filled history, Sean McIndoe relates the flip side to the National Hockey League’s storied past.

Opposed: You literally just cut-and-pasted that off the book cover.

In favor: Look man, I spent a year writing this thing. I barely saw my family, I almost went blind squinting at old newspaper clippings, and they’ve sent me “one last round of edits” like six times in the last month. And after all of that, the whole thing still isn’t completely finished because the stupid Golden Knights came along and wrecked one of the last chapters. So help me out here.

Opposed: Sigh. Fine. You do what you have to do.

In favor: Thanks.

Opposed: But can we go back to complaining about instant replay review soon?

In favor: Next week after the Cup-winning goal gets waved off, I promise.

The final verdict: Well gosh, looks like we’ll all be getting our Christmas shopping done early this year!

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Today is the first day of June, and there was a time when that meant that the hockey season would have been long over with. Not any more, of course—the playoffs have stretched into June for years now. So today, let’s welcome the new month by going back to the first NHL game ever played in June.

It’s June 1, 1992 and we’re in Chicago for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Penguins are up 3-0 in the series and looking for the sweep and for their second straight Cup win. As a side note, they’re also looking for the 11th straight win in a single postseason, which would tie the record previously held by [checks notes] the 1992 Blackhawks. Huh. Maybe 1992 wasn’t the best year for parity. I’m sure nobody enjoyed it.

Our clip begins with a vaguely weird aside about how the legendary Chicago Stadium will soon be torn down and replaced with a modern arena. The Stadium really was an amazing place to watch hockey, but the weird part is that it wasn’t actually replaced for two more years, so the somber tone here feels a little premature.

Speaking of the end of the Chicago Stadium, it was the Maple Leafs who shut it down, and they did it with a 1-0 win. Eat that, Hawks fans. I’m sure nothing has happened in the ensuring quarter-century that you can throw back in my face.

The scoring starts less than two minutes in when Jaromir Jagr rips a shot that makes Eddie Belfour do an adorable pirouette. Wow, one goal, I wonder if Mike Keenan will pull him, we all joke to ourselves. Yeah, hold that thought.

The Blackhawks tie it up a few minutes later, as Dirk Graham cuts across the zone and beats Tom Barrasso. I know that whenever we do these old 80s or early 90s games, we always beat the whole “goaltending was terrible back then” observation into the ground, but go back and rewatch this goal. Graham basically moves from the inside edge of one faceoff circle to the other—like maybe ten feet total—and Barrasso is reduced to having to do a sideways bunny hop to stay with him, then falls down as soon as he makes the first save. And remember, Barrasso was a borderline Hall-of-Famer. This is just how goalies moved back then. In hindsight, it’s amazing every game didn’t end up being 13-12.

On a related note, the previous game of this final was a 1-0 Penguins win. I’m not sure anything about early 90s hockey made any sense other than Mario Lemieux was good and if you fought Wendel Clark your face would explode. Other than that, you were on your own.

The Penguins come right back a few seconds later with a Kevin Stevens goal. “Ah, look out Loretta.” Did I mention that our play-by-play guy here is Mike Lange? You probably figured that part out on your own.

The Stevens goal spells the end for Belfour, which gives us the opportunity to remember that their backup was goofy European weirdo Dominik Hasek, who at this point is 28 and not very good. Two years later he’ll win the first of six Vezinas. Seriously, my “early 90s hockey made no sense” theory might be on to something.

Lange is telling us a story about Hasek being drafted in 1983 “when it wasn’t real fashionable to draft people,” at which point the Blackhawks score to make it 2-2. I know the goal interrupts Lange just as he was going to make a point about drafting Europeans, but I prefer to imagine he had completed his thought and that it was just unfashionable to draft anyone at all in 1983. (For one team, that was actually true.)

The Penguins regain the lead as Lemieux and Hasek perform a short play entitled “What the Nagano shootout should have looked like.” But Graham comes right back with his hat trick goal, and we’re tied again. At this point we have one of those fun old-hockey-highlights moments where you realize it’s still the first period and remember how much fun this sport is when everyone’s defensive strategy was “Screw defense, I’d rather score.”

Rick Tocchet somehow overcomes the ferocious backchecking of a young Jeremy Roenick to make it 4-3 early in the second. But Roenick makes amends with a fluky goal late in the period, and we head to the third tied again.

It’s always fun during a high-scoring highlights package when the guy putting the clips together is like “Oh yeah, I should probably work in one save.” In this case it’s Lemieux getting a breakaway, only to be robbed by a sprawling Hasek. Maybe scratch that thought about if Mario had been in Nagano. Not because of this save, just because I realized Marc Crawford probably would have had Eric Desjardins shoot instead.

Larry Murphy gives the Pens their fifth lead of the game, and this time they manage to pad it when Ron Francis “beats goaltender Hasek like a rented mule.” The good: Mike Lange. The bad: Every play-by-play guy from the next 25 years who convinced himself his catchphrases were as funny as Mike Lange’s.

Roenick makes it 6-5 off a feed from Stu Grimson with nine minutes left. Why yes, The Grim Reaper was still getting a regular shift with nine minutes left and his team trailing in a Cup Final elimination game. And it paid off. The early 90s. Sense made? None.

But that’s all the Hawks would get, as we cut ahead to the dying seconds. Lange does that wonderful play-by-play thing where he starts in with his “we win” call but then realizes he’s a few second early and has to backtrack. But he makes up for it with his all-time classic “Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, bring me the brandy” call.

Wait, is it me or did he actually say “get me the brandy”? I’m pretty sure he did. This is like finding out that Sherlock Holmes never said “Elementary, my dear Watson” in any of the books. I swear, if it turns out Lange never asked us to sneak up and mutilate him with a hacksaw I’m going to question everything from my childhood.

And that’s it for our clip. The Penguins win the Cup, and the season ends just hours into June. And in case you were wondering why the season stretched on so long in 1992, it’s because there was a ten-day player strike just before the playoffs. A work stoppage, hockey being played in June, and a Blackhawks/Penguins matchup? Man, no wonder Gary Bettman couldn’t wait to get on board a few months later.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you’d like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com.

DGB Grab Bag: Ovi Face, June Hockey History, and Stop Lying about Start Times syndicated from https://australiahoverboards.wordpress.com

[flauntpage]

DGB Grab Bag: Ovi Face, June Hockey History, and Stop Lying about Start Times

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: Connor McDavid makes his Cup final pick – Wait, is this an option? I really should have been doing this all year long.

The second star: Matt Niskanen's big night – You know what, I believe him. There isn't much else to do in Las Vegas.

The first star: Alexander Ovechkin's face – I enjoy watching Ovechkin watch playoff games.

And that was just one of several reaction shots from this week. In fact, the only thing he apparently doesn't react to is getting hit directly in the face with a puck:

Be It Resolved

The Golden Knights hosted the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final this week, and as you'd expect, they went all-out on the spectacle. Wednesday's second game featured an opening ceremony that including a knight, some archers, laser drummers, and a concert by Imagine Dragons, and if you're disappointed that you missed it then you're in luck because I'm pretty sure it's still going on.

We've covered the question of the Knights' pregame festivities before, but let me reiterate my stance here: I'm fully on board. I'm all in. Let Montreal and Detroit and whoever else deliver solemn ceremonies that honor the game's sacred traditions. We put a hockey team in freaking Las Vegas. Let them get weird.

But maybe, just maybe, they could remember to work in the actual game too.

This is a recurring issue with NHL games, where the start times have drifted off over the years to the point where you just expect everything to be 20 minutes late. It's not a Vegas problem; they're just making it worse. Or maybe better, since if you have to wait around you may as well be entertained. I'd rather watch a knight fight an airplane than listen to the broadcast team go over line matchups for the third time, and I'm betting you would too.

But I'd also rather watch some hockey, at least eventually. If that makes me the fun police, then OK. That's kind of a weird stance for a hockey fan—"Oh, this guy actually wants to watch an NHL game, he must hate fun"—but fill your boots. I don't doubt that this is all great if you're one of the thousands of people in the building. But there are also millions of us at home who are patiently waiting for puck drop while this rock band works through their fourth iteration of Generic Arena Sports Anthem, so maybe get to it already.

To be clear, I'm not saying the Knights should rein in their pregame fun when the series returns to town next week. Hell, I want them to take it even further. It's the Stanley Cup Final, so go all out. Have Wayne Newton do a set. Have David Copperfield fly around the arena. Have one of those weird puppet guys that nobody has ever heard of but have like nine giant billboards all along the strip do whatever it is they do. Find that 50-foot tall Michael Jackson robot that was supposed to be wandering the desert and let it loose. Send out Mantecore to eat Tom Wilson. You're Vegas. There are no limits.

Just, you know, maybe figure out a reasonable start time for the game and then work backwards. Start the ceremony right now if you need to. This may end up being a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so enjoy all of it. Just don't forget the hockey part.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

There's a chance that this will be the last Grab Bag of the playoffs, and that by next Friday the Final will be over and we'll have crowned a champion. If so, somebody will have scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal, joining a list of players that includes Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard, Bobby Orr and Mike Bossy (twice each), and Wayne Gretzky.

That list also includes a handful of obscure players, including this week's pick: Wayne Merrick.

Merrick was a big center who tore up the OHL for the Ottawa 67s in the early 70s. That led to the Blues making him the ninth overall pick in the 1972 draft, which was kind of terrible apart from Bill Barber and Steve Shutt. Merrick wasn't quite as good as those two guys, but at least he made the NHL, which is more than we can say about that year's tenth overall pick, Al Blanchard.

Merrick debuted with the Blues that season, scored ten goals, and became a regular contributor until he was traded to the Golden Seals early in the 1975-76 season. He finished that season with a career-best 32 goals, although his numbers fell off after the Seals moved to Cleveland. So did pretty much everyone else's, come to think of it.

Merrick lucked out in 1978 when he was traded to the Islanders in a deal for J.P. Parise (Zach's father). That Islanders team was about to become a dynasty, winning four straight Cups from 1980 through 1983, and while Merrick was hardly a star, he played a key role while centering the "Banana Line" with Bob Nystrom and John Tonelli. He'd end up playing 95 playoff games with the team, scoring 18 goals. One of those was the Cup winner in 1981, as Merrick's goal held up in a 5-1 win over the North Stars in the Game 5 clincher.

Merrick played for the Islanders until 1984, then retired. He finished his career with 191 goals in 774 games to go along with those four Cup rings.

Debating the Issues

This week’s debate: The NHL is 101 years old. But is it fun to learn about the league's history?

In favor: Oh for sure. Over the course of its history, the NHL has provided us with all sorts of fascinating twists and turns, both on and off the ice. I can't think of anything more interesting than learning all about the key moments that shaped the league we have today.

Opposed: All of that is undoubtedly true, my friend. But history can be so dull and boring. Nobody wants to comb through some dry textbook just to learn about something they enjoy.

In favor: Ah, but history doesn't have to be dry. What if you could retrace a century of key events, but in a light-hearted and easy-to-enjoy format that placed the focus on the fun and the funny?

Opposed: That sounds great! But does such a thing exist?

In favor: Wouldn't it be great if it did?

Opposed: Hey wait, is this feeling kind of … off? This isn't the usual tone for this section. The whole thing seems kind of forced.

In favor: Imagine sitting down with a history of the NHL that was written for the average fan, one who wants to read all about the great moments and the bizarre ones, and everything in between.

Opposed: Like, nobody talks this way. We sound ridiculous right now.

In favor: I know I'd pay top dollar for just such a book!

Opposed: Wait, is this all just some stupid plug?

In favor: But who? Who could write such a book?

Opposed: This is pathetic.

In favor: Well, there's good news!

Opposed: Let me guess…

In favor: The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL was announced this week, and is available now for pre-order in both Canada and the USA. Hockey fans will delight in this whimsical retelling of the league's history, with an emphasis on the weird and wonderful. From The Rocket to Mr. Rogers, The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL tells the full story of the world's most beautiful sport, as presented by the world's most ridiculous league.

Opposed: Did you honestly just say "whimsical"? Literally no real person has ever used that word.

In favor: In this fun, irreverent, and fact-filled history, Sean McIndoe relates the flip side to the National Hockey League's storied past.

Opposed: You literally just cut-and-pasted that off the book cover.

In favor: Look man, I spent a year writing this thing. I barely saw my family, I almost went blind squinting at old newspaper clippings, and they've sent me "one last round of edits" like six times in the last month. And after all of that, the whole thing still isn't completely finished because the stupid Golden Knights came along and wrecked one of the last chapters. So help me out here.

Opposed: Sigh. Fine. You do what you have to do.

In favor: Thanks.

Opposed: But can we go back to complaining about instant replay review soon?

In favor: Next week after the Cup-winning goal gets waved off, I promise.

The final verdict: Well gosh, looks like we'll all be getting our Christmas shopping done early this year!

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Today is the first day of June, and there was a time when that meant that the hockey season would have been long over with. Not any more, of course—the playoffs have stretched into June for years now. So today, let's welcome the new month by going back to the first NHL game ever played in June.

It's June 1, 1992 and we're in Chicago for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Penguins are up 3-0 in the series and looking for the sweep and for their second straight Cup win. As a side note, they're also looking for the 11th straight win in a single postseason, which would tie the record previously held by [checks notes] the 1992 Blackhawks. Huh. Maybe 1992 wasn't the best year for parity. I'm sure nobody enjoyed it.

Our clip begins with a vaguely weird aside about how the legendary Chicago Stadium will soon be torn down and replaced with a modern arena. The Stadium really was an amazing place to watch hockey, but the weird part is that it wasn't actually replaced for two more years, so the somber tone here feels a little premature.

Speaking of the end of the Chicago Stadium, it was the Maple Leafs who shut it down, and they did it with a 1-0 win. Eat that, Hawks fans. I'm sure nothing has happened in the ensuring quarter-century that you can throw back in my face.

The scoring starts less than two minutes in when Jaromir Jagr rips a shot that makes Eddie Belfour do an adorable pirouette. Wow, one goal, I wonder if Mike Keenan will pull him, we all joke to ourselves. Yeah, hold that thought.

The Blackhawks tie it up a few minutes later, as Dirk Graham cuts across the zone and beats Tom Barrasso. I know that whenever we do these old 80s or early 90s games, we always beat the whole "goaltending was terrible back then" observation into the ground, but go back and rewatch this goal. Graham basically moves from the inside edge of one faceoff circle to the other—like maybe ten feet total—and Barrasso is reduced to having to do a sideways bunny hop to stay with him, then falls down as soon as he makes the first save. And remember, Barrasso was a borderline Hall-of-Famer. This is just how goalies moved back then. In hindsight, it's amazing every game didn't end up being 13-12.

On a related note, the previous game of this final was a 1-0 Penguins win. I'm not sure anything about early 90s hockey made any sense other than Mario Lemieux was good and if you fought Wendel Clark your face would explode. Other than that, you were on your own.

The Penguins come right back a few seconds later with a Kevin Stevens goal. "Ah, look out Loretta." Did I mention that our play-by-play guy here is Mike Lange? You probably figured that part out on your own.

The Stevens goal spells the end for Belfour, which gives us the opportunity to remember that their backup was goofy European weirdo Dominik Hasek, who at this point is 28 and not very good. Two years later he'll win the first of six Vezinas. Seriously, my "early 90s hockey made no sense" theory might be on to something.

Lange is telling us a story about Hasek being drafted in 1983 "when it wasn't real fashionable to draft people," at which point the Blackhawks score to make it 2-2. I know the goal interrupts Lange just as he was going to make a point about drafting Europeans, but I prefer to imagine he had completed his thought and that it was just unfashionable to draft anyone at all in 1983. (For one team, that was actually true.)

The Penguins regain the lead as Lemieux and Hasek perform a short play entitled "What the Nagano shootout should have looked like." But Graham comes right back with his hat trick goal, and we're tied again. At this point we have one of those fun old-hockey-highlights moments where you realize it's still the first period and remember how much fun this sport is when everyone's defensive strategy was "Screw defense, I'd rather score."

Rick Tocchet somehow overcomes the ferocious backchecking of a young Jeremy Roenick to make it 4-3 early in the second. But Roenick makes amends with a fluky goal late in the period, and we head to the third tied again.

It's always fun during a high-scoring highlights package when the guy putting the clips together is like "Oh yeah, I should probably work in one save." In this case it's Lemieux getting a breakaway, only to be robbed by a sprawling Hasek. Maybe scratch that thought about if Mario had been in Nagano. Not because of this save, just because I realized Marc Crawford probably would have had Eric Desjardins shoot instead.

Larry Murphy gives the Pens their fifth lead of the game, and this time they manage to pad it when Ron Francis "beats goaltender Hasek like a rented mule." The good: Mike Lange. The bad: Every play-by-play guy from the next 25 years who convinced himself his catchphrases were as funny as Mike Lange's.

Roenick makes it 6-5 off a feed from Stu Grimson with nine minutes left. Why yes, The Grim Reaper was still getting a regular shift with nine minutes left and his team trailing in a Cup Final elimination game. And it paid off. The early 90s. Sense made? None.

But that's all the Hawks would get, as we cut ahead to the dying seconds. Lange does that wonderful play-by-play thing where he starts in with his "we win" call but then realizes he's a few second early and has to backtrack. But he makes up for it with his all-time classic "Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, bring me the brandy" call.

Wait, is it me or did he actually say "get me the brandy"? I'm pretty sure he did. This is like finding out that Sherlock Holmes never said "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of the books. I swear, if it turns out Lange never asked us to sneak up and mutilate him with a hacksaw I'm going to question everything from my childhood.

And that's it for our clip. The Penguins win the Cup, and the season ends just hours into June. And in case you were wondering why the season stretched on so long in 1992, it's because there was a ten-day player strike just before the playoffs. A work stoppage, hockey being played in June, and a Blackhawks/Penguins matchup? Man, no wonder Gary Bettman couldn't wait to get on board a few months later.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at nhlgrabbag@gmail.com.

DGB Grab Bag: Ovi Face, June Hockey History, and Stop Lying about Start Times published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[njawaidofficial]

'Mr. Robot' Season 3: Everything to Know Before the Premiere

http://styleveryday.com/2017/10/10/mr-robot-season-3-everything-to-know-before-the-premiere/

'Mr. Robot' Season 3: Everything to Know Before the Premiere

“Mind awake, body asleep. Mind awake, body asleep.”

The soothing mantra of the hauntingly talented hacker Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) has likely been ringing in the ears of Mr. Robot fans ever since the Sam Esmail thriller shut down its operations (and very nearly shut down its main character) at the end of season two more than a year ago. Now, “Stage Two” of the Dark Army and Mr. Robot’s (Christian Slater) plan is on the cusp of execution, just in time for the launch of season three on Oct. 11.

Of course, those notions are as alien as the techno-jargon found throughout the series for anyone who hasn’t given Mr. Robot much thought in the year since it aired its most recent episode. But considering the incredibly dense nature of the storytelling (the USA Network drama rarely spells anything out for its viewers, and the season three premiere expects fans to remember the events of this complicated tale in great detail), it’s crucial to remember where everything stands as we prepare to return to a world living in the aftermath of the Five/Nine Hack — at least, a better memory than the one Elliot himself is forced to work with.

For a truly deep dive into the current standing of Mr. Robot, we invited you to listen to the first episode of our new podcast covering the series, a collaboration with Post Show Recaps hosts Josh Wigler (that’s me!) and Antonio Mazzaro. All season long, we’ll be providing podcast primers on every episode, starting here with an overview of the series and a table-setting for the season ahead:

In addition to what’s covered in the podcast, read on for some of the fundamentals of what you need to know heading into the new era of Mr. Robot.

1. It’s a Tangled Web

Where do we even begin as we attempt to untangle the events of the past two seasons? It’s best to start at the big season one headline: Elliot Alderson, a distressed but incredibly gifted individual, secretly boasts a Hyde to his Jekyll in the form of Mr. Robot, a second personality who takes on the likeness of Elliot’s late father. The two personalities are at war with one another, with Robot intent on overhauling the world through militant revolution, and Elliot intent on preventing himself from causing lasting harm. Through two seasons, the Robot side of Elliot has scored the lion’s share of the victories, all but fully bringing down the global conglomerate E Corp (alternately known in Elliot’s worldview as Evil Corp) through a massive attack known as the Five/Nine Hack, and now on the edge of instituting a second stage of that plan — appropriately called “Stage Two.” 

There’s a lot more to keep in mind, between Darlene (Carly Chaikin) getting burned and cornered by the dogged Dom DiPierro (Grace Gummer) of the FBI; Angela’s (Portia Doubleday) apparent indoctrination into the mysterious Dark Army; and the boiling feud between two of the most powerful individuals in the world, Phillip Price (Michael Cristofer) and Whiterose (BD Wong). At the heart, however, it’s most critical to understand that the rivalry between the two sides of Elliot has escalated tremendously, thanks to the big season two cliffhanger…

2. The Key Word

When season three begins, there’s one buzz word to keep in mind: “disintegration.” That’s how Esmail and others involved in the series describe the relationship between Elliot and Mr. Robot this year, or lack thereof. Season two ended with the Mr. Robot side of Elliot’s personality proving his commitment to his cause by inviting a gunshot wound, potentially taking him off the playing field, but at least keeping the operation in motion. Season two also concluded with confirmation that Elliot survived the injury (it’s hard, if not outright impossible to imagine this show existing without Elliot in the hub of it), but the damage is done: Elliot and Robot’s alliance, as much as one ever really existed, has been blown to bits, thanks to a single bullet. 

Beyond Elliot and Robot’s dynamic, expect other relationships to disintegrate in their own right, whether that’s Elliot and Darlene — due to her precarious situation with Dom and the FBI — or Angela and Phillip Price — due to her potential newfound loyalty with Whiterose — as just two of many potential examples.

3. America’s Most Wanted

Season three stands to bring one of the most important figures in the show’s mythology out of the shadows and back into the light: Tyrell Wellick (Martin Wallström), once on track to become the youngest Chief Technology Officer in E Corp history until a string of self-sabotaging acts turned him into the most wanted man alive. One of them, at least. Tyrell was an instrumental player in the Five/Nine Hack, teaming up with Elliot — or Robot, more accurately — and then disappearing into the ether, almost completely unseen during season two.

The season two finale finally brought Tyrell back into the fold, as it was revealed he wasn’t secretly dead, as Robot tried to convince Elliot. But where exactly was Tyrell over the course of the season, and what exactly has he been into in the time since his disappearance from the public eye? We’re bound to find out this year, as Mr. Robot can’t get away with keeping Tyrell in the dark for much longer. Keep an eye out on the inevitable reunion between Tyrell and his wife Joanna (Stephanie Corneliussen), one of the most intimidating character on the show.

4. The Rose Blooms

Another power player from Robot lore set for an expanded role this season: BD Wong’s Whiterose. Or is it Minister Jiang? Depends on the day and occasion. The veteran actor plays one of the single most fascinating and powerful characters in the series, as both the head of the Dark Army hacker group as well as China’s Minister of State Security. In her private moments, she seems to prefer the Whiterose moniker, so that’s where we’ll settle as well — but that’s about the extent of our confidence when it comes the time-obsessed figure, who comes equipped with some of the most destructive potential of anyone on the show.

“First of all, every trans character on television creates a dialogue about trans people, which is super valuable,” Wong previously told The Hollywood Reporter about playing Whiterose. “We need to get people with the program about what trans people even fucking are. Those of us who embrace trans people, like myself, forget that it doesn’t come easily for people. Here is a character that, for all intents and purposes — there is a poetry of Sam’s utilization of this character as trans — is rather symbolic. What I mean is that he really wants to discuss in a big way on the show the power dynamics associated with gender. There’s a great challenge in being a powerful woman in a powerful white man’s world.”

5. Cannavale Games

And now, a new player enters the arena: Bobby Cannavale, of Vinyl, Boardwalk Empire, Oz, and several other films and shows that aren’t associated with HBO. Given the secrecy surrounding the story of Mr. Robot, it’s not a shock that there’s very little information we currently know about Cannavale’s character — but as the only new series regular on the board (Wong’s promotion notwithstanding), and given the caliber of actor enlisted for the role, it’s safe to say Cannavale’s presence will loom large throughout season three.

With that said, here’s what we do know: Cannavale is playing a used car salesman named Irving. Really, that’s the full extent of what we know. We can make some leaps from there — that perhaps Irving is involved in the mysterious car drama surrounding Tyrell Wellick’s disappearance, for one thing; or that whatever he’s selling, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. However he factors into the narrative, Irving stands out as the most intriguing new element in the mix.

6. A Slimmer Robot

Season two of Mr. Robot clocked in at 12 episodes, many of them equipped with extended runtimes. Between Elliot’s initial incarceration through the first two-thirds of the season, as well as the expanded focus on the greater ensemble, the second year of the award-winning series felt fuller than its first season — for better or for worse, depending on your outlook.

But season three aims to bring the series back to basics, at least in terms of how it will unfold: a lean 10 episode order, the same amount of installments as seen in season one. Given the current complexity of the narrative, can Mr. Robot accomplish all of its season three business with only ten episodes? That’s one of the big questions heading into the season — but it also presents the possibility for a leaner and tighter thrill-ride than anything the show has put forth before, both an exciting and daunting prospect to consider.

7. The Loose Ends

How will Darlene escape the FBI’s wrath? What are Angela’s true motives? Should we be worried about Trenton and Mobley, the fsociety hackers last seen in Arizona fielding an unexpected visit from the deadly Dark Army agent Leon, played by Joey Badass? Are we really delving into questions of time travel and parallel universes, as Whiterose has seemingly intimated? And what exactly is inside the Washington Township power plant? Really, the list of lingering questions still in the mix for Mr. Robot is vast, but season three stands ready to tie up at least a few of those loose ends — and at the end of the day, it all comes back to the man (or men) in the title.

“I’ve looked back on the second season and I’ve seen a lot of similarities with The Empire Strikes Back, in terms of Luke/Elliot going away and isolating themselves, while their sister is out there and battling the evil empire,” Esmail previously told THR about how he views the road ahead for season three. “I think this is the return of Elliot. Season three, and the way I’ve been thinking about it, is sort of the return to Elliot — but not the naive Elliot we saw at the beginning of the season. It’s the Elliot we’ve seen go through this horrific experience from the first and second seasons, and with all of that in mind, that’s going to make this new Elliot come into fruition in the next season.

Bonus: One Last Listen

Still looking for ways to catch up ahead of season three? Once again, we have you covered on the podcast front, with a second preview show — this one guiding you through 18 key scenes from the series you ought to watch in order to freshen up on all things Robot.

Follow THR.com/MrRobot for interviews, news, podcasts and more all season long. Mr. Robot returns Oct. 11.

              Mr. Robot

#3 #Premiere #Robot #Season

[ds4design]

You Could be Having a Digital Mental Health Crisis Without Realizing It

We’re glued to our technology and a study commissioned by Nokia illustrates the depth of our obsession. According to their research, the average person checks their phone every six minutes (150 times a day). We’re doing more than simply checking in; a Pew Research Study shows that younger Americans send a whopping 110 texts per day. Considering we’re awake an average of 16 hours a day, that’s a lot of tech time before we even think about what we do on our computers, tablets and TVs.

Perhaps the most enlightening statistic comes from the University of Maryland, where researchers created a “World Unplugged” project spanning 10 countries. Through the course of their research, they found that college students experienced symptoms consistent with addiction when deprived of their smartphone for 24 hours. They used adjectives such as “itchy,” “sad,” “lonely,” “depressed,” “desperate” and even “dead” to describe the anxiety of being cut off.

Psychotherapist Nancy Colier suggests these findings mean we’re developing an addiction to technology and that this addiction is leading to mentally and emotionally malnourished human beings.

Related: I Tried Google Goals for a Week. The Result: I Meditated, Hydrated and Hibernated More Than I Ever Have Before.

Are you addicted to your smartphone?

Think about the last time you went to dinner, either for business or pleasure. Were you engaged in conversation with your partner, or were you both guilty of keeping your phones on the table, compulsively listening for that telltale buzz or watching to see how your latest tweet was trending? Maybe you stopped yourself from constantly checking your device while they kept at it, making the experience less enjoyable for you. Maybe it was the other way around. Regardless, the most appropriate question here is: are you a slave to the very device that was supposed to make your life easier and give you more freedom?

For both entrepreneurs and employees, smartphones and other forms of technology are a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we can take our business with us wherever we go. On the other hand, this is exactly the problem. We get few breaks from work stress. We’re continually obligated to answer emails, comment on social media and complete other work-related tasks.

Robots don’t make for good employees (yet). We shouldn’t behave like them. It’s time to take charge of our digital health and make human interaction and self-care priorities this year.

Related: The Shocking Lessons I Learned After I Quit My Social Media Addiction in 3 Days in the Desert

Start to develop your digital detox.

Weaning yourself off extensive smartphone use is easier wished for than done. For many of us, our phones are the last thing we see at night, and the first thing we reach for in the morning. Part of the detox is making simple swaps – for example, instead of reaching for your phone first thing, reach for a loved one, your dog or a cup of coffee. To avoid morning temptation, purchase an alarm clock so you can turn your phone off at night. At the very least, turn the sound down or put it on airplane mode, so it doesn’t wake you up with notifications.

Here’s an idea. Wait at least 30-60 minutes before you turn the phone back on after waking up. What might you do instead?

Take a few moments to linger over a newspaper or a book.

Make breakfast or tea. Sit down and enjoy these things.

Listen to an audio book.

Listen to that ancient device called the radio. They have news, weather, music and sports on that thing.

Take a shower or bath. You know, clean your body. The experience is rejuvenating.

In other words, take your time getting out of first gear each day. Wake up earlier (and go to bed earlier) if you have to. Trust me, I’ve spent a lot of years going right to my phone first thing in the morning and it wears you down. A typical work day is a marathon -- not a sprint. So, don’t flood your senses with digital material first thing when you know you’ll have to do it much of the rest of the day.

Related: Why You Really Need to Unplug While on Vacation (Infographic)

Assess your digital habits.

Stop blaming battery life when you run out of power and start taking a hard look at your digital habits. The line between our personal and professional lives has become increasingly blurred. It’s time to reinforce boundaries. We may no longer live in the era of 9 to 5, but there should be dedicated times for work, and dedicated hours of relaxation. During your dedicated leisure time, put your mobile device out of reach and on silent. Your business will wait for you.

I’m Mr. Fancy Pants work-from-home writer guy, so I have options. What I like to do is to work in more breaks, even nap time, into the day as it wears on. That’s right; I’m not afraid to admit I like to take a nap in the afternoon when I get a chance.

If you work for yourself, try a morning shift which might be longer than the others. Give yourself a secondary shift that lasts a few hours, usually after lunch, and then a third shift later in the day at 4 or 5 pm, which can last an hour or so. This allows you to work in things like walks, workouts at the gym, or meetings and phone calls.

This is all of course just one way to do it, and may not be a fit for you. Also, if you work for a company with a more traditional workday, none of this may be appropriate for you. However, try to integrate some of these ideas, with the permission of your boss, in the interest of your productivity and health.

Related: Why Leaders Should Welcome Employees Napping on the Job

What you could be doing instead.

The University of Maryland students deprived of their smartphones for 24 hours reported feeling anxious and depressed. Having grown up so connected to digital technology, they didn’t know what to do with themselves. The emerging generation will probably never know life without it.

Idle time can make anyone anxious, but how much of your smartphone activity is idle time? Could that mindless text message you sent to a friend have waited until you saw them in person? Do you actually gain anything from compulsively checking your Facebook page? Does your aimless web surfing actually accomplish anything other than itchy eyes and disturbed sleep?

This year, salvage some of your digital brain drain to take a class, learn a new skill or develop a hobby. Sit around the house or at the park near your office and do nothing for an entire half-hour. Let your consciousness roam free without distraction or duty. I know, what a revolutionary thought!

These things can get you out of your digital mindset, out of your own echo chamber and into a more fulfilling life. Make your mental health a priority by spending a little more time unplugged. You may be surprised how much you like it.

John Boitnott

John Boitnott is a longtime digital media consultant and journalist living in San Francisco. He's written for Venturebeat, USA Today and FastCompany.

Read more

[mindthump]

You Could be Having a Digital Mental Health Crisis Without Realizing It http://ift.tt/2mATN0Q

We’re glued to our technology and a study commissioned by Nokia illustrates the depth of our obsession. According to their research, the average person checks their phone every six minutes (150 times a day). We’re doing more than simply checking in; a Pew Research Study shows that younger Americans send a whopping 110 texts per day. Considering we’re awake an average of 16 hours a day, that’s a lot of tech time before we even think about what we do on our computers, tablets and TVs.

Perhaps the most enlightening statistic comes from the University of Maryland, where researchers created a “World Unplugged” project spanning 10 countries. Through the course of their research, they found that college students experienced symptoms consistent with addiction when deprived of their smartphone for 24 hours. They used adjectives such as “itchy,” “sad,” “lonely,” “depressed,” “desperate” and even “dead” to describe the anxiety of being cut off.

Psychotherapist Nancy Colier suggests these findings mean we’re developing an addiction to technology and that this addiction is leading to mentally and emotionally malnourished human beings.

Related: I Tried Google Goals for a Week. The Result: I Meditated, Hydrated and Hibernated More Than I Ever Have Before.

Are you addicted to your smartphone?

Think about the last time you went to dinner, either for business or pleasure. Were you engaged in conversation with your partner, or were you both guilty of keeping your phones on the table, compulsively listening for that telltale buzz or watching to see how your latest tweet was trending? Maybe you stopped yourself from constantly checking your device while they kept at it, making the experience less enjoyable for you. Maybe it was the other way around. Regardless, the most appropriate question here is: are you a slave to the very device that was supposed to make your life easier and give you more freedom?

For both entrepreneurs and employees, smartphones and other forms of technology are a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we can take our business with us wherever we go. On the other hand, this is exactly the problem. We get few breaks from work stress. We’re continually obligated to answer emails, comment on social media and complete other work-related tasks.

Robots don’t make for good employees (yet). We shouldn’t behave like them. It’s time to take charge of our digital health and make human interaction and self-care priorities this year.

Related: The Shocking Lessons I Learned After I Quit My Social Media Addiction in 3 Days in the Desert

Start to develop your digital detox.

Weaning yourself off extensive smartphone use is easier wished for than done. For many of us, our phones are the last thing we see at night, and the first thing we reach for in the morning. Part of the detox is making simple swaps – for example, instead of reaching for your phone first thing, reach for a loved one, your dog or a cup of coffee. To avoid morning temptation, purchase an alarm clock so you can turn your phone off at night. At the very least, turn the sound down or put it on airplane mode, so it doesn’t wake you up with notifications.

Here’s an idea. Wait at least 30-60 minutes before you turn the phone back on after waking up. What might you do instead?

Take a few moments to linger over a newspaper or a book.

Make breakfast or tea. Sit down and enjoy these things.

Listen to an audio book.

Listen to that ancient device called the radio. They have news, weather, music and sports on that thing.

Take a shower or bath. You know, clean your body. The experience is rejuvenating.

In other words, take your time getting out of first gear each day. Wake up earlier (and go to bed earlier) if you have to. Trust me, I’ve spent a lot of years going right to my phone first thing in the morning and it wears you down. A typical work day is a marathon -- not a sprint. So, don’t flood your senses with digital material first thing when you know you’ll have to do it much of the rest of the day.

Related: Why You Really Need to Unplug While on Vacation (Infographic)

Assess your digital habits.

Stop blaming battery life when you run out of power and start taking a hard look at your digital habits. The line between our personal and professional lives has become increasingly blurred. It’s time to reinforce boundaries. We may no longer live in the era of 9 to 5, but there should be dedicated times for work, and dedicated hours of relaxation. During your dedicated leisure time, put your mobile device out of reach and on silent. Your business will wait for you.

I’m Mr. Fancy Pants work-from-home writer guy, so I have options. What I like to do is to work in more breaks, even nap time, into the day as it wears on. That’s right; I’m not afraid to admit I like to take a nap in the afternoon when I get a chance.

If you work for yourself, try a morning shift which might be longer than the others. Give yourself a secondary shift that lasts a few hours, usually after lunch, and then a third shift later in the day at 4 or 5 pm, which can last an hour or so. This allows you to work in things like walks, workouts at the gym, or meetings and phone calls.

This is all of course just one way to do it, and may not be a fit for you. Also, if you work for a company with a more traditional workday, none of this may be appropriate for you. However, try to integrate some of these ideas, with the permission of your boss, in the interest of your productivity and health.

Related: Why Leaders Should Welcome Employees Napping on the Job

What you could be doing instead.

The University of Maryland students deprived of their smartphones for 24 hours reported feeling anxious and depressed. Having grown up so connected to digital technology, they didn’t know what to do with themselves. The emerging generation will probably never know life without it.

Idle time can make anyone anxious, but how much of your smartphone activity is idle time? Could that mindless text message you sent to a friend have waited until you saw them in person? Do you actually gain anything from compulsively checking your Facebook page? Does your aimless web surfing actually accomplish anything other than itchy eyes and disturbed sleep?

This year, salvage some of your digital brain drain to take a class, learn a new skill or develop a hobby. Sit around the house or at the park near your office and do nothing for an entire half-hour. Let your consciousness roam free without distraction or duty. I know, what a revolutionary thought!

These things can get you out of your digital mindset, out of your own echo chamber and into a more fulfilling life. Make your mental health a priority by spending a little more time unplugged. You may be surprised how much you like it.

John Boitnott

John Boitnott is a longtime digital media consultant and journalist living in San Francisco. He's written for Venturebeat, USA Today and FastCompany.

Read more

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2016 - Best TV Show

There were 455 scripted TV shows in 2016, up from 421 the year before, meaning that even if only a small percentage of shows are worth watching, that’s still a lot of great TV to keep up with. Still, I did watch less television in 2016 than I did in 2015. However, my number one pick from last year (Hannibal) was cancelled, my number nine pick (Community) ended, and several shows that made the 2015 list are renewed, but didn’t air new seasons in the 2016 year (Review, Rick and Morty, & Fargo), so expect quite a bit of a shake-up for this year’s list. Here are The Aarons for Best TV Show:

#10: Arrow (Season 4b-5a) - CW

As much as I greatly enjoy The Flash, I just couldn’t justify awarding it a spot on this list, since the season long arcs have begun to get repetitive. However, its sister show Arrow managed to sneak in as a dark horse candidate due to a revitalized Season 5. Thanks to several smart choices that returned the series to its roots, Arrow has managed to recapture its former glory, delighting with impressive action sequences, an new expanded cast of likable characters, and an actually well-developed mystery arc. It’s true that many of Season 5′s plot threads won’t get resolved until 2017, and the mystery may wind up disappointing, but for now, Arrow leads the pack of the immensely enjoyable CW DC Universe.

#9: Mr. Robot (Season 2) - USA

Mr. Robot is perhaps the show that best captures the current zeitgeist. The biggest strength of the show’s second season was showing just how complicated a true revolution really is, illustrating that it is far above the many sophomoric stories that attempt to tackle similar subject matter.  An outstanding leading performance from Rami Malek, the addition of talented new actors, such as Grace Gummer, Craig Robinson, and Joey Bada$$, the continuing refreshingly realistic representation of computer hacking, the thrilling and shocking plotting, and a willingness to take massive creative risks (the surprise appearance by ALF, for example. No joke.) all make Mr. Robot one of the best shows on TV.

#8: Black Mirror (Season 3) - Netflix

Black Mirror didn’t miss a beat in its move to Netflix from Britain’s Channel 4, continuing to deliver some of the most thrilling and thought provoking television of our time. Playing to its anthology format’s strengths, Season 3 features some great performances from high-profile actors (Bryce Dallas Howard, for example) and some excellent guest directors (10 Cloverfield Lane’s Dan Trachtenberg), while continuing to excel at delivering a new fantastic, yet frightening, vision of the future in each installment. All of the episodes are certain to linger in your thoughts long after watching them, in one way or another.

#7: The Good Place (Season 1) - NBC

Coming from Parks and Recreation’s co-creator Michael Schur and starring the delightful Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, it was clear that The Good Place was going to be one of the new shows to watch coming into the 2016 Pilot Season. However, the show still managed to blow past all expectations, delivering some of the most clever and creative television of the year. The Good Place was able to take full advantage of its zany concept through a willingness to always challenge its status quo, which is a rare trait in sitcoms, and the recently-wrapped freshman season ends on a note that only cements the fact that the show demands a renewal.

#6: Game of Thrones (Season 6) - HBO

Game of Thrones didn’t manage to make it on my list last year, but, perhaps thanks to its ability to finally start heading to its conclusion, Season 6 marked a sizable improvement over Season 5. The ensemble cast continues to do excellent work and the plot is propulsive, while the action has never been more thrilling. A combination of the show’s trademark shocking moments with a willingness to deliver satisfying answers to long-lingering questions, even if those answers had long been theorized, makes Season 6 one of the best seasons of the show yet. 

#5: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 1b-2a) - CW

Based on the name and premise, I was initially wary of the prospects of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. However, after deciding to give it a chance, I was delighted to discover its some of the most incredible television currently on air. The show’s bizarre, but fantastic, mixture of a talented, likable cast, witty writing, musical numbers that are part-Broadway, part-Lonely Island, and a willingness to explore heavy subject matter, like mental illness, all adds up to create unmissable television. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend may be the lowest rated show on network TV, but it is also its best. 

#4: Better Call Saul (Season 2) - AMC

Better Call Saul is the first returning show on this list, coming in at number 3 last year, but even though its one step down, Season 2 was no less incredible than the first. The show has truly solidified its place as a gripping television in its own right, even with an increasing focus on familiar elements of the Breaking Bad world. Season 2′s feud between brothers provided some of the most heart-breaking television of the year, and the show’s dark humor and thematic depth continue to make it essential TV.

#3: BoJack Horseman (Season 3) - Netflix

Like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, it took a lot of convincing to get me to watch BoJack Horseman, but after giving it a chance, it quickly became one of my favorite shows of all time. The show would deserve a place on this list for the witty dialogue, fantastic visual gags, and the top-notch voice cast alone, but what truly makes BoJack Horseman so special is the emotional gut punch that the show manages to deliver at least once per season, and Season 3 was definitely no exception. 

#2: You’re the Worst (Season 3) - FXX

Once again, You’re the Worst was a show that I was reluctant to watch, but quickly recognized it as masterful television. Season 3 smartly expanded the show’s focus, including dedicating several episodes exclusively to side characters, while never being any less hilarious. The show also continues to have a surprising amount of dramatic weight, making sure to continue to expand on Season 2′s exploration of depression, while also adding even more difficult subject matter like grief and PTSD, making You’re the Worst provide some of the biggest laughs and the biggest heartbreaks on television.

AND THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2016 IS...

#1: Atlanta (Season 1) - FX

It was hard to know what to expect from Atlanta’s premiere season, given the sparse and surreal marketing leading up to it, but it was clear it was going to be something to watch no matter what due to the involvement of Community’s Donald Glover, who co-created and stars. When Atlanta finally hit, however, it instantly skyrocketed to being the best show on TV, thanks to the show’s intelligent and quirky humor, its immensely talented cast, and its deft ability to address heavy socio-economic themes. Atlanta also exuded surprising confidence for a freshman show, with several experimental episodes scattered throughout. When Atlanta was on, every week felt like Christmas. One was never quite sure what one would get when they unwrapped it, but it was certain it would be something fantastic. 

[jasonseligson]

Hello, Friend: Mr. Robot, Decrypted

Mr. Robot is having a moment. Rami Malek, the show’s insanely talented leading man, just won an Emmy—and less than a week later, the show brought its mind-bending, action-packed second season to a close. Basically, it’s a good time to be a fan—or to jump on board with Elliot and the other hackers of f society, if you haven’t already. Last summer, Mr. Robot was one of the most buzzed about shows, and earlier this year, it took home two Golden Globes for its first season, including Best Drama Series. The show is on an upwards trajectory, and there’s still plenty of room to climb. It’s also fantastic: one of the best, most beautifully-directed dramas to come around in a while.

Season 1 of Mr. Robot is a dark, trippy, adrenaline rush, but it’s compelling, nuanced and incredibly entertaining. As a viewer, you can’t look away. The show plays with reality, and therefore occasionally ventures into dream-logic territory every now and then, but it remains surprisingly grounded—not merely by Rami Malek’s phenomenal performance as Elliot, but the supporting cast as well. The cast has some amazing female performers front and center, which shouldn’t be overlooked, and the story is all the better for it. The thing that really resonated with me in those early episodes was how remarkable the show was at conveying feelings of alienation and profound loneliness that aren’t stilted or simplified; things we don’t see much on TV. After a pitch-perfect pilot (and I can’t emphasize that enough), Mr. Robot raised an immensely high bar, one it held throughout the remaining episodes. But the biggest thing that got people talking was the twist that came at the end of episode 8.

The twist, which I won’t go into too much detail about here, would come to dominate the discussion of Mr. Robot (appropriate, for how game-changing it was for the characters). And then in Season 2, another twist came. A lot’s been written about the polarizing twist that happened this season. Quick spoiler alert for those haven’t seen it: after lying to the audience for several episodes, Elliot reveals he was arrested at the end of Season 1 (which many predicted well in advance) and wasn’t staying at home with his mom and attending church group on the side. Personally, I didn’t mind the twist, but thought it could have come a bit earlier. The reveal happened more than halfway through the season, at the end of episode 7, and that felt somewhat dragged out. Furthermore, the couple of episodes after the premiere—which mostly focused on Mr. Robot and Elliot fighting—started out promising, but ultimately stagnated. Subplots and supporting characters like Craig Robinson’s Ray seem like they vanished the minute Elliot got released.

Conversely, one thing the twist did accomplish was to spare us from spending seven episodes with Elliot stuck in prison—and I can only imagine how much fans would have complained if the story had taken that direction (prison by itself can only stay interesting for so long; why not explore Elliot’s psychosis a bit more?) Instead, Sam Esmail and his writers took advantage of developing its core cast. The female characters on the show have always been great, but they had some amazing stuff happen this season: Angela executing the FBI hack; Darlene killing Susan Jacobs in the fantastic F Society-centric episode. the shootout between Dom and the Dark Army in China; and the bloodbath that occurred at the diner. Elliot’s reduced presence did wonders for fleshing out the people around him.

Season 2 also showed viewers that while this is an ongoing story, Esmail is clearly telling it in chapters. Esmail has said that he originally conceived of Mr. Robot as a film, and it’s interesting to keep that in mind when analyzing the overall narrative of the show. The story is still in its early stages, so we shouldn’t expect to have all the big questions answers at this point. Esmail says he plans on the show having between four and five seasons, so we’re just about, if not even halfway through.

The first hour of the Season 2 finale took us to some pretty strange territory (Did that scene with the little girl and Angela evoked Twin Peaks for anyone else?) The second was an equally odd hour that was primarily focused on Elliot’s mental state with regards to Tyrell and Mr. Robot, but we also got a fantastic sequence with Dom and Darlene, and that amazing post-credits scene with Mobley and Trenton. In a post-Lost world, I get such joy when a show relishes in the smallest, quietest character interaction, and where even minor players in an ensemble can be a part of an explosive moment. “Python,” was a solid, if somewhat quiet installment of Mr. Robot. We didn’t get to spend anytime with Phillip Price or Whiterose in the final hour; we learned what Phase 2 of the hack is, but we didn’t learn everything (personally, I really want to know what Whiterose told Angela!)

Whereas Season 1 was more singularly focused on building toward the Mr. Robot reveal and the 5/9 hack, Season 2 has been less cohesive. At times, it’s been difficult to follow, but honestly, I’ve embraced this aspect of the show. As the story’s scope widens, it can occasionally feel convoluted, but it doesn’t really become incoherent—if you’re ever feeling lost, there’s always space to track follow Elliot, Darlene, or Angela’s emotional state. I felt the same way in Season 1. It’s not as though I understand close to the entirety of the hacking that happens in this show, but that shouldn’t affect my investment in the story, and it hasn’t.

Another impressive feat the show has made: being single-handedly responsible for the creative reinvention of a network. As one minor character cracked last night, “this isn’t Burn Notice. Characters are not welcome here.” It’s a cheeky meta-joke about USA, and it’s also a reminder that while Robot might borrow heavily from other films and shows that came before it, it’s also doing its own thing.

I hate to bring it all back to the Emmys, because as we all know, award shows have never been the sole factor for determining what quality television is, but if this year’s Emmys proved anything, it’s that they’re more in tune with what’s current now more than ever. Let’s forget about the fact that Mr. Robot didn’t win for Best Drama series. Game of Thrones had perhaps its best season ever this year, and it deserved the big win. If anything, I lament that Sam Esmail lost out on a writing win for the show’s pilot (seriously, go re-watch that pilot; it’s perfection). But Mr. Robot will be here for a couple more seasons as least, and there will be time for more accolades.

Now that Season 2 is complete, we can let it wash over us, and look at the whole picture with fresh eyes—as happens with some shows, maybe those earlier episodes will play better in binging. For now, we wait until this weird, wonderful show returns. As Elliot would say, goodbye for now, friend. See you in Season 3.

[click2watch]

I Got the Mark of the Beast – And It Will Hold My Bitcoin

“What happens when you need an MRI?”

Someone answers for me: “You die an excruciating death… Actually, they remove them painfully quickly or the machine does.”

I’m sure these paranoid, exaggerated remarks didn’t help as I sat down at the folding table in front of a large man with a 14-gauge needle. I was sweating through my shirt.

“Are you gonna pass out?” he asks.

“I don’t think so.”

It’s literally right on my face – in the form of a septum piercing – that I’m pretty familiar with needles.

“Three, two and one,” the man with the needle said as he pushed it into the squishy part of my left hand, between my thumb and index finger.

It was all of one second of pain, and then it was over. I hardly even bled.

And just like that, I was now officially a cyborg.

So, what the hell am I doing here? Well several years ago, in 2014, I stumbled on this guy, Martijn Wismeijer, aka Mr. Bitcoin, who had gotten a microchip implant that he then programmed to hold his cryptocurrency.

I doubt I really knew much about the transhumanism movement back then, but I have always been fascinated with robots and the idea of melding robots into humans or vice versa. This seemed right up my alley, as even back then, I was basically covering crypto full-time, so I started reaching out but communication eventually dropped off and it was all but forgotten.

Until this January, when Bryan Bishop, the Bitcoin Core developer that’s known for his tremendously fast typing and in turn his transcriptions of conferences, mentioned BDYHAX to me. “There’s a lot of transhumanists in the bitcoin community,” he said.

But the conference’s agenda had already piqued my interest – “Implantable Tech Area.”

I’m there.

Freedom of…

Bishop’s right – at least anecdotally, that there’s an overlap between the body hackers and the bitcoiners. Transhumanism does, in fact, link them. Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney seems to have been one, since he cryogenically froze his body, hoping that sometime in the future he might be able to be resuscitated.

It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that folks that believe technology can create a better future as it relates to money, payments, shit just about everything, would think that technology can also make humans themselves better.

Take Bishop’s recently revealed designer baby venture.

Funded with his bitcoin savings, Bishop’s project, recently written about in MIT Technology Review, looks to allow parents to genetically engineer their babies to have features like muscles without ever picking up a dumbbell or enhanced memory.

If that sentence sounds weird – almost like adding apps to your smartphone – it’s because it kinda is. There’s mounting criticism and concern over the practice, especially after a Chinese biophysicist named He Jiankui claimed he’d made the first genetically edited babies.

If you give your imagination even a tiny bit of wiggle room, you can see why.

Do parents have the right to choose how their children look and act? This can’t be a cheap procedure; will everyone be able to edit their children to be smarter or will it only be the rich that benefit? Will we lose some humanity if everyone edit’s themselves for the flavor of the week?

Yet for all those dystopian futures (that I very much see and worry about), ultimately some of this could no doubt be beneficial and save hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of lives.

For instance, one of Bishop’s first examples – something we talked about in the Fall last year – was making humans resistant to HIV.

Future humans will think we’re barbaric if we resist this kind of medical achievement.

While I’m not so interested, and even slightly disturbed, by genetic beauty enhancements such as muscles or blue eyes, I worry these concerns could push this type of biohacking into the shadows.

And that’s a shame.

Bodies and money

We’ve seen a similar thing happen in the cryptocurrency space.

There are hacks, scams, fucking idiots and all sorts of bad things lurking in the blockchain scene, and typically that’s made many turn up their noses to the whole industry. They lump it all together and mark it “useless,” “nefarious,” “shit.”

And I get it. I look around the crypto industry, after being here for six years, and see rot. I see individuals who only want to make quick money at the expense of others; I see companies touting their disrupting finance but actually enstating the same, arbitrary, discriminatory rules as legacy banks.

Where the fuck did the ethos go?

I’ll tell you. It might be hard to see through all the “sky is falling” – or during a hype cycle all the glitz of free money – but it’s in Venezuela, helping people literally starving because of their corrupt government, hold onto some value. It’s in the lightning torch, hopping all around the world, showing people the power of a stateless digital currency.

And because those instances exist, I’ll take some of the bullshit.

Because that’s what I’m here for – an alternative to the systems that were created without my input and sometimes do not work for – to be more clear, work against – me and other individuals.

“We’re all already attuned to this, we want freedom, we don’t want to be told what we can and can’t do with our bodies, what we can or can’t put into our bodies, and people don’t want to be told what they can and can’t do with their money,” Chad Creighton, a vice president at blockchain development consultancy BlockSaw, who was at BDYHAX, said.

While our bodies and our money could seem like apples and oranges, they’re really not. Because what we can do with our bodies is directly determined by what we can do with our money.

Case in point, for some in the biohacking space, healthcare is too costly and big pharma, insurance providers, even doctors are working against the people, the individuals who need care. For cryptocurrency aficionados, the great monolithic entity to disrupt is the Federal Reserve, state monetary policy, the banks.

There’s an overlapping “distrust of formal institutions,” Bishop told me. “They have gotten so large and bureaucratic, it’s sometimes more practical to go your own way and see what you can get done. Even more specifically, some people see certain regulations directly interfering with people’s right to live.”

He gives the example of a DIY biohacker figuring out a way to make insulin cheaper and then offering that to diabetics, which would be technically illegal.

As with all these anarchist attempts, Don Andres Ochoa, a biotechnologist and data scientist speaking at the event, gave the best rallying cry:

“Fuck it, let’s fix the problem ourselves.”

Scared of needles?

These two fields of research “are not directly useful to each other, but there’s a common source of inspiration,” Bishop said.

And they do mix together at a certain point. For instance, because of the controversy surrounding designer babies today, Bishop is cognizant that cryptography-backed privacy tech will likely play some role – if nothing else, at least as it relates to anonymous payments for the service.

Still, all this stuff seems outrageous to the majority of people.

“Right now, the idea or concept of body hacking is literally bleeding edge (ha),” said Amal Graafstra, the founder and CEO of VivoKey, the maker of the implant I got.

With implants, as with cryptocurrency, “the overlap is directly related to people’s sense of adventure,” he continued.

Case in point, Jerrah Cameron, a Denver-based programmer, who stumbled upon the body hacking scene only about a month ago and already has three implants – two small chips and this larger NFC chip, for which he had a gnarly one-inch slice on the side of his right hand.

For the novelty these devices provide so far – I currently have my chip programmed to take an NFC-enabled phone to my “receive bitcoin” QR code, making it fast and easy for someone to send me a tip – most people won’t want to get poked, he said.

That’s why he’s working on an application that would allow the chips to be used as payment mechanisms, housing first the tokens needed for apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Venmo, and then in the future even cryptocurrencies.

And VivoKey is also working on something similar.

In a week or so, Graafstra and his team plan on releasing an API that can allow developers to program one of their chips (yes, the one I have! squee) to act as an authenticator key. With this, users should be able to request that their chip be tapped to verify any send or transfer of crypto within a wallet.

“The idea was to develop a completely autonomous secure element under the skin,” Graafstra told CoinDesk.

And the company also offers a chip (not the one I have) that can actually complete key generation and the signing of a transaction all within the chip. That’s currently in private beta and requires quite a lot of programming to make it all work, so it’s not ready for mainstream use yet.

So for now, my hand isn’t worth any more than it was when I was just a boring old human (although it has facilitated $2 worth of bitcoin).

Implant procedure images via Bailey Reutzel for CoinDesk

This news post is collected from CoinDesk

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The post I Got the Mark of the Beast – And It Will Hold My Bitcoin appeared first on Click 2 Watch.

More Details Here → https://click2.watch/i-got-the-mark-of-the-beast-and-it-will-hold-my-bitcoin-2

[click2watch]

I Got the Mark of the Beast – And It Will Hold My Bitcoin

“What happens when you need an MRI?”

Someone answers for me: “You die an excruciating death… Actually, they remove them painfully quickly or the machine does.”

I’m sure these paranoid, exaggerated remarks didn’t help as I sat down at the folding table in front of a large man with a 14-gauge needle. I was sweating through my shirt.

“Are you gonna pass out?” he asks.

“I don’t think so.”

It’s literally right on my face – in the form of a septum piercing – that I’m pretty familiar with needles.

“Three, two and one,” the man with the needle said as he pushed it into the squishy part of my left hand, between my thumb and index finger.

It was all of one second of pain, and then it was over. I hardly even bled.

And just like that, I was now officially a cyborg.

So, what the hell am I doing here? Well several years ago, in 2014, I stumbled on this guy, Martijn Wismeijer, aka Mr. Bitcoin, who had gotten a microchip implant that he then programmed to hold his cryptocurrency.

I doubt I really knew much about the transhumanism movement back then, but I have always been fascinated with robots and the idea of melding robots into humans or vice versa. This seemed right up my alley, as even back then, I was basically covering crypto full-time, so I started reaching out but communication eventually dropped off and it was all but forgotten.

Until this January, when Bryan Bishop, the Bitcoin Core developer that’s known for his tremendously fast typing and in turn his transcriptions of conferences, mentioned BDYHAX to me. “There’s a lot of transhumanists in the bitcoin community,” he said.

But the conference’s agenda had already piqued my interest – “Implantable Tech Area.”

I’m there.

Freedom of…

Bishop’s right – at least anecdotally, that there’s an overlap between the body hackers and the bitcoiners. Transhumanism does, in fact, link them. Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney seems to have been one, since he cryogenically froze his body, hoping that sometime in the future he might be able to be resuscitated.

It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that folks that believe technology can create a better future as it relates to money, payments, shit just about everything, would think that technology can also make humans themselves better.

Take Bishop’s recently revealed designer baby venture.

Funded with his bitcoin savings, Bishop’s project, recently written about in MIT Technology Review, looks to allow parents to genetically engineer their babies to have features like muscles without ever picking up a dumbbell or enhanced memory.

If that sentence sounds weird – almost like adding apps to your smartphone – it’s because it kinda is. There’s mounting criticism and concern over the practice, especially after a Chinese biophysicist named He Jiankui claimed he’d made the first genetically edited babies.

If you give your imagination even a tiny bit of wiggle room, you can see why.

Do parents have the right to choose how their children look and act? This can’t be a cheap procedure; will everyone be able to edit their children to be smarter or will it only be the rich that benefit? Will we lose some humanity if everyone edit’s themselves for the flavor of the week?

Yet for all those dystopian futures (that I very much see and worry about), ultimately some of this could no doubt be beneficial and save hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of lives.

For instance, one of Bishop’s first examples – something we talked about in the Fall last year – was making humans resistant to HIV.

Future humans will think we’re barbaric if we resist this kind of medical achievement.

While I’m not so interested, and even slightly disturbed, by genetic beauty enhancements such as muscles or blue eyes, I worry these concerns could push this type of biohacking into the shadows.

And that’s a shame.

Bodies and money

We’ve seen a similar thing happen in the cryptocurrency space.

There are hacks, scams, fucking idiots and all sorts of bad things lurking in the blockchain scene, and typically that’s made many turn up their noses to the whole industry. They lump it all together and mark it “useless,” “nefarious,” “shit.”

And I get it. I look around the crypto industry, after being here for six years, and see rot. I see individuals who only want to make quick money at the expense of others; I see companies touting their disrupting finance but actually enstating the same, arbitrary, discriminatory rules as legacy banks.

Where the fuck did the ethos go?

I’ll tell you. It might be hard to see through all the “sky is falling” – or during a hype cycle all the glitz of free money – but it’s in Venezuela, helping people literally starving because of their corrupt government, hold onto some value. It’s in the lightning torch, hopping all around the world, showing people the power of a stateless digital currency.

And because those instances exist, I’ll take some of the bullshit.

Because that’s what I’m here for – an alternative to the systems that were created without my input and sometimes do not work for – to be more clear, work against – me and other individuals.

“We’re all already attuned to this, we want freedom, we don’t want to be told what we can and can’t do with our bodies, what we can or can’t put into our bodies, and people don’t want to be told what they can and can’t do with their money,” Chad Creighton, a vice president at blockchain development consultancy BlockSaw, who was at BDYHAX, said.

While our bodies and our money could seem like apples and oranges, they’re really not. Because what we can do with our bodies is directly determined by what we can do with our money.

Case in point, for some in the biohacking space, healthcare is too costly and big pharma, insurance providers, even doctors are working against the people, the individuals who need care. For cryptocurrency aficionados, the great monolithic entity to disrupt is the Federal Reserve, state monetary policy, the banks.

There’s an overlapping “distrust of formal institutions,” Bishop told me. “They have gotten so large and bureaucratic, it’s sometimes more practical to go your own way and see what you can get done. Even more specifically, some people see certain regulations directly interfering with people’s right to live.”

He gives the example of a DIY biohacker figuring out a way to make insulin cheaper and then offering that to diabetics, which would be technically illegal.

As with all these anarchist attempts, Don Andres Ochoa, a biotechnologist and data scientist speaking at the event, gave the best rallying cry:

“Fuck it, let’s fix the problem ourselves.”

Scared of needles?

These two fields of research “are not directly useful to each other, but there’s a common source of inspiration,” Bishop said.

And they do mix together at a certain point. For instance, because of the controversy surrounding designer babies today, Bishop is cognizant that cryptography-backed privacy tech will likely play some role – if nothing else, at least as it relates to anonymous payments for the service.

Still, all this stuff seems outrageous to the majority of people.

“Right now, the idea or concept of body hacking is literally bleeding edge (ha),” said Amal Graafstra, the founder and CEO of VivoKey, the maker of the implant I got.

With implants, as with cryptocurrency, “the overlap is directly related to people’s sense of adventure,” he continued.

Case in point, Jerrah Cameron, a Denver-based programmer, who stumbled upon the body hacking scene only about a month ago and already has three implants – two small chips and this larger NFC chip, for which he had a gnarly one-inch slice on the side of his right hand.

For the novelty these devices provide so far – I currently have my chip programmed to take an NFC-enabled phone to my “receive bitcoin” QR code, making it fast and easy for someone to send me a tip – most people won’t want to get poked, he said.

That’s why he’s working on an application that would allow the chips to be used as payment mechanisms, housing first the tokens needed for apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Venmo, and then in the future even cryptocurrencies.

And VivoKey is also working on something similar.

In a week or so, Graafstra and his team plan on releasing an API that can allow developers to program one of their chips (yes, the one I have! squee) to act as an authenticator key. With this, users should be able to request that their chip be tapped to verify any send or transfer of crypto within a wallet.

“The idea was to develop a completely autonomous secure element under the skin,” Graafstra told CoinDesk.

And the company also offers a chip (not the one I have) that can actually complete key generation and the signing of a transaction all within the chip. That’s currently in private beta and requires quite a lot of programming to make it all work, so it’s not ready for mainstream use yet.

So for now, my hand isn’t worth any more than it was when I was just a boring old human (although it has facilitated $2 worth of bitcoin).

Implant procedure images via Bailey Reutzel for CoinDesk

This news post is collected from CoinDesk

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Do you live in a country like USA or Canada where using automated trading systems is a problem? If you do then now we ...

9.5

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The post I Got the Mark of the Beast – And It Will Hold My Bitcoin appeared first on Click 2 Watch.

More Details Here → https://click2.watch/i-got-the-mark-of-the-beast-and-it-will-hold-my-bitcoin