In this edition, the top news starts with:

One thing that has come up a number of times is distributed ledger technologies vs blockchain technologies.  Basically, a distributed ledger is a distributed database and a blockchain is a trustless transaction system that includes some ledger-like functionality.  They are not the same…

https://media.consensys.net/blockchain-vs-distributed-ledger-technologies-1e0289a87b16

With Branson and Musk both into Hyperloop, it appears the Branson company is getting a lot of traction and now has a new cargo firm created to use Hyperloop technology to deliver cargo.

https://www.cnet.com/news/virgin-hyperloop-one-wants-to-cut-four-day-cargo-truck-journeys-to-16-hours/

http://fortune.com/2018/04/30/richard-branson-hyperloop-virgin/

In an effort to find a new cheap source of hydrogen for hydrogen-powered vehicles, a new method of extracting hydrogen from ammonia has been found and could possibly become a fuel source; making it possible to look at hydrogen-powered cars as an economically viable option to gas.

https://futurism.com/ammonia-hydrogen-fuel/

International interest in blockchain standards is heating up; in particular, in Russia, where they hope to ‘own’ the blockchain.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/29/technology/blockchain-iso-russian-spies.html

It turns it that it can be easy to hack hotel digital locks; making security in most hotels questionable, at best.

https://thenextweb.com/security/2018/04/25/hackers-find-devious-way-break-hotel-rooms/

AI researchers are protesting some nonsense journal about AI, whining about AI being closed source when it should be open source and available to all; apparently, they’re clueless as to the joys of capitalism and the company machine overlords…

https://www.forbes.com/sites/samshead/2018/04/30/tech-giant-ai-researchers-boycott-nature-machine-intelligence-journal

Oscar Mayer has created a crypto currency backed by the bacon… the kind you eat… clearly a serious attempt at using this new technology.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180430005721/en/Oscar-Mayer-Launches-Bacoin-First-Ever-Cryptocurrency-Backed

Intel on Bing AI ads, IBM Watson dominant on Google AI ads.

Lastly, the Singularity Index or S.I. is down slightly at 969.53, amid a lot of to-do about nothing…

As always, thanks for listening to the news of the day on “The Technocracy”.

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