Month: April 2020

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - RESEARCH: Miner Perspectives on Bitcoin Halving 2020, Part 1 of a New Podcast Series

In about 40 days, the world’s first and largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, bitcoin, will undergo a pre-programmed block reward reduction known as the halving. 

Roughly every 4 years, bitcoin’s block subsidy rewards are cut by 50 percent in order to prevent currency inflation. Recurring halving events also ensure that total supply over time is capped at 21 million coins. It will take an estimated 64 halving events before the last bitcoin is mined. So far, there have only been two. 

To commemorate bitcoin’s third halving, CoinDesk Research is launching today a new weekly podcast series about the bitcoin mining industry. Each episode features discussions with leading experts in bitcoin mining hardware, operations and pool management on a variety of topics related to block subsidy reward reductions and their impact on the crypto markets. 

Hosted by CoinDesk Research Analyst Christine Kim, the first episode of the Bitcoin Halving 2020 podcast series is about the impact of bitcoin’s third halving on the concentration of miners in China. 

Discussing and debating this topic is Ethan Vera, head of finance at one of North America’s largest cryptocurrency mining pools Luxor Technologies. Also joining Kim and Vera on the show is Wolfie Zhao, a veteran member of the CoinDesk editorial team who specializes in news coverage on the Chinese bitcoin mining industry. 

For more information about the bitcoin halving, CoinDesk Research has recently published a 30-page explainer report on these events which features additional commentary from Vera and other mining industry experts. The report is free to download on the CoinDesk website.

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The Gist - Miami and Mayor Suarez’s Plasma

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On the Gist, Trump and Pence can’t be honest with the public.

In the interview, Miami Mayor Frances Suarez has fully recovered after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus, and now is donating his plasma for use in an experimental treatment. He talks with Mike about his experience, what Miami’s reaction to the pandemic has been, and what he’s doing to push other parts of the government to take it seriously.

In the spiel, healing and physical proximity.

Email us at thegist@slate.com

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Consider This from NPR - Masks Now Recommended; Not All States Are ‘Staying Home’

The CDC now recommends Americans cover their nose and mouth when they leave their home, but to save medical masks for healthcare workers. And as deaths from the coronavirus climb, some states have yet to declare a stay-at-home order.

Plus the groups racing to produce a vaccine for COVID-19.

And some physicians say racial and economic disparities are emerging in the testing and treatment of the virus.

Links:

Rough Translation's episode, 'WeChats From The Future' is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and NPR One.

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This episode was recorded and published as part of this podcast's former 'Coronavirus Daily' format.

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In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt - Mini-Episode: Andy Calls Senator Amy Klobuchar

Andy brings you into his bubble, as promised, by sharing his call (with permission) with Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. They discuss her husband John’s COVID-19 recovery, what an election might be like during a national health crisis, and how the Congress needs to support Americans during the economic crisis.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Motley Fool Money - $350 Billion and 10 Million

The Federal Government launches a $350 billion small business lending program. Over 10 million Americans file for unemployment. Oil stocks rise. Constellation Brands serves up big earnings. And Luckin Coffee plummets on fraud allegations. Motley Fool analysts Ron Gross and Jason Moser discuss those stories and talk about what to look for when reading a balance sheet. And the guys share a couple of stocks on their radar: Costco and Domino’s. Plus, food and beverage industry analyst David Henkes talks about the government stimulus and the future of the restaurant business.

The Motley Fool is donating $1 million to Health Research Incorporated, which is managing New York State’s COVID-19 response fund. To contribute, go to donate.fool.com.

 

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Lex Fridman Podcast - #86 – David Silver: AlphaGo, AlphaZero, and Deep Reinforcement Learning

David Silver leads the reinforcement learning research group at DeepMind and was lead researcher on AlphaGo, AlphaZero and co-lead on AlphaStar, and MuZero and lot of important work in reinforcement learning.

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EPISODE LINKS:
Reinforcement learning (book): https://amzn.to/2Jwp5zG

This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

OUTLINE:
00:00 – Introduction
04:09 – First program
11:11 – AlphaGo
21:42 – Rule of the game of Go
25:37 – Reinforcement learning: personal journey
30:15 – What is reinforcement learning?
43:51 – AlphaGo (continued)
53:40 – Supervised learning and self play in AlphaGo
1:06:12 – Lee Sedol retirement from Go play
1:08:57 – Garry Kasparov
1:14:10 – Alpha Zero and self play
1:31:29 – Creativity in AlphaZero
1:35:21 – AlphaZero applications
1:37:59 – Reward functions
1:40:51 – Meaning of life

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Answers Questions from Reset & Listeners

Mayor Lori Lightfoot joins us for an extended conversations about the covid-19 pandemic, the city’s plans and preparedness, first responders, the city’s public schools, what the situation means for the city budget and the overall economy, and more

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CrowdScience - Will a placebo boost my sports performance?

In medicine, it’s long been recognised that a placebo, a sham medicine or treatment, can have a powerful positive effect on a patient’s health. Part of that effect relies on a person’s belief that an inactive substance or treatment (for example, a sugar pill) is in fact an active drug. Placebos come in many forms, and the scientific study of placebo is an active area of research. With this in mind, CrowdScience listener Nigel got in touch to ask if can placebos be used to improve sports performance. As an amateur sports enthusiast, he’s been reading up on his sports psychology to try and improve his game, but he wonders if any coaches or psychologists use placebos to improve performance? Always ready to take up a challenge, presenter Anand Jagatia explores the world of endurance sport to find out how a placebo might used to improve athletes’ performances, as well as his own, and look at how advances in brain science are helping us understand the unusual neurobiology of placebo. And what of the amateur golfer, or rugby or table tennis player - can a placebo help? On an individual level, so called ‘verbal placebo’ is a technique that can help players with anxiety, confidence and concentration, and ultimately make them win more. And what about team sports? When, say, a new manager takes over at an ailing football club, and sparks a massive reversal in poor results, is that a placebo effect in action? The CrowdScience team investigates.

Produced by Dom Byrne, presented by Anand Jagatia.