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Cryptocurrency for beginners

In the early days of its launch in 2009, several thousand bitcoins were used to buy pizza. Since then, the cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise to $65,000 in April 2021, following its heart-stopping drop in mid-2018 by around 70 percent to around $6,000, has boggled the minds of many people – crypto investors, traders or just curious who missed the boat.
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How it all started

Note that dissatisfaction with the current financial system led to the development of digital currency. The development of this cryptocurrency is based on blockchain technology by Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym apparently used by a developer or group of developers.
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Despite many opinions predicting the death of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin’s performance has inspired many other digital currencies, especially in recent years. The crowdfunding boom fueled by blockchain fever has also attracted those seeking to defraud the unsuspecting public, and this has caught the attention of regulators.
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Beyond Bitcoin

Bitcoin has inspired the launch of many other digital currencies. There are currently more than 1,000 versions of digital coins or tokens. Not all of them are the same, and their values ​​vary widely, as does their liquidity.
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Coins, Altcoins and Tokens

At this point, it will suffice to say that there are subtle differences between coins, altcoins, and tokens. Altcoins or altcoins usually describe something other than the pioneer bitcoin, although altcoins such as ethereum, litecoin, ripple, dogecoin, and dash are considered the “mainstream” category of coins, meaning they are traded on more cryptocurrency exchanges.
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Coins serve as a currency or store of value, while tokens offer the use of assets or utilities, an example being a supply chain management blockchain service to validate and track wine products from the winery to the consumer.

It should be noted that low-value tokens or coins offer upside opportunities, but don’t expect the same meteoric increases as Bitcoin. Simply put, lesser-known tokens may be easy to buy, but may be difficult to sell.
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Before getting into cryptocurrency, start by learning the value proposition and technology considerations, namely the trading strategies outlined in the white paper accompanying any Initial Coin Offering or ICO.
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For those familiar with stocks and shares, this is no different than an initial public offering or IPO. However, IPOs are issued by companies with tangible assets and business experience. Everything is done in a regulated environment. On the other hand, an ICO is based entirely on an idea proposed in a white paper by a business – not yet operational and with no assets – that is looking for start-up funds.
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Unregulated so buyers beware

“One cannot regulate the unknown” probably sums up the digital currency situation. Regulators and regulations are still trying to catch up with the ever-evolving cryptocurrencies. The golden rule in the crypto space is caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.
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Some countries maintain an open-mindedness by adopting a no-action policy on cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications, while keeping an eye out for detected scams. Yet there are regulators in other countries who are more concerned about the downsides than the upsides of digital money. Regulators are generally aware of the need to strike a balance, and some are looking at existing securities laws to try to deal with the many flavors of cryptocurrency globally.
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Digital Wallets: The First Step

A wallet is essential to get started with cryptocurrency. Think electronic banking, but minus the protection of the law in the case of virtual currency, so security is the first and last thought in the crypto space.
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Wallets are of digital type. There are two types of wallets.

  • Hot wallets that are connected to the Internet that expose users to the risk of hacking
  • Cold wallets that are not connected to the internet and are considered more secure.

Apart from the two main types of wallets, it should be noted that there are wallets for only one cryptocurrency and others for multi-cryptocurrency. There is also the option of having a multi-signature wallet, somewhat similar to having a joint bank account.
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The choice of wallet depends on the user’s preference whether the interest is purely Bitcoin or Ethereum, as each coin has its own wallet, or you can use a third-party wallet that includes security features.

Wallet notes

A cryptocurrency wallet has a public and private key with private records of transactions. The public key includes a reference to the account or address in cryptocurrency, not unlike the name needed to receive a check payment.
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The public key is available for everyone to view, but transactions are confirmed only after verification and validation based on the consensus mechanism applicable to each cryptocurrency.

The private key can be thought of as a PIN, which is commonly used in electronic financial transactions. It follows that the user should never reveal the private key to anyone and make backup copies of this data that should be stored offline.

It makes sense to have minimal cryptocurrency in a hot wallet, while the larger amount should be in a cold wallet. Losing your private key is as good as losing your cryptocurrency! The usual safeguards for online financial transactions apply, from having strong passwords to being on the lookout for malware and phishing.

Wallet formats

Different types of wallets are available according to individual preferences.

  • Hardware wallets made by third parties that must be purchased. These devices work somewhat like a USB drive, which is considered safe and only connects to the internet when needed.
  • Web-based wallets, such as those provided by crypto exchanges, are considered hot wallets that expose users to risk.
  • Software-based wallets for desktop or mobile are mostly available for free and may be provided by coin issuers or third parties.
  • Paper wallets can be printed carrying the relevant data of the cryptocurrency held with public and private keys in QR code format. They should be kept in a safe place until they are needed in the course of the crypto transaction and copies should be made in case of mishap such as water damage or fading of printed data over time.

Crypto exchanges and markets

Crypto exchanges are trading platforms for those interested in virtual currencies. Other options include direct trading websites between buyers and sellers, as well as brokers, where there is no “market” price, and it is based on a compromise between the parties to the transaction.

Hence, there are many crypto exchanges located in different countries but with different standards of security practices and infrastructure. They range from those that allow anonymous registration, requiring only an email to open an account and start trading. Still, there are others that require users to comply with international identity verification, known as Know-Your-Customer, and anti-money laundering (AML) measures.

Choosing a crypto exchange depends on the user’s preferences, but anonymous ones may have restrictions on the scope of allowed trading or may be subject to sudden new regulations in the exchange’s country of residence. Minimal administrative procedures with anonymous registration allow users to start trading quickly, while going through KYC and AML processes will take longer.

All crypto transactions must be properly processed and validated, which can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the coins or tokens being transacted and the volume of the trade. Scalability is known to be a problem with cryptocurrencies and developers are working on ways to find a solution.

Cryptocurrency exchanges fall into two categories.

  • Fiat Cryptocurrency Such exchanges provide the purchase of fiat cryptocurrency through direct transfers from bank or credit and debit cards, or through ATMs in some countries.
  • Cryptocurrency only. There are cryptocurrency-only crypto exchanges, meaning that customers must already own a cryptocurrency – such as Bitcoin or Ethereum – in order to be “exchanged” for other coins or tokens, based on the market rate

Fees are charged to facilitate the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies. Users should do their research to be satisfied with the infrastructure and security measures and determine the fees that are convenient as different rates charged by different exchanges.

Don’t expect a common market price for the same cryptocurrency with different exchanges. It may be worth your while to research the best price for coins and tokens that are of interest to you.

Financial transactions online carry risks, and users should consider warnings such as two-factor authentication or 2-FA, update themselves on the latest security measures, and be aware of phishing scams. A golden rule of thumb for phishing is to not click on provided links, no matter how authentic a message or email is.

Why mental toughness is so much more important than physical toughness

Mental health

Mental fitness is a scale of psychological relief or absence of mental illness. It is “the psychological situation of anyone functioning at an appropriate degree of emotional and social adjustment. From the perspective of constructive psychology, intellectual health can also include an individual’s ability to enjoy life and build stability between existence, things to do, and efforts to achieve psychological flexibility The World Health Organization (WHO) states, that intellectual fitness includes “personal well-being, evident self-efficacy, independence, abilities, intergenerational dependence, and self-realization of intellectual and emotional potential, among others.” Furthermore, the WHO declares that the well-being of a character is related to the awareness of one’s abilities, coping with the regular stresses of life, creative work and participation in their group. Social differences, personal evaluations and conflicting professional philosophies all influence how ‘mental health’ is defined.f

Mental health is the subtle movement of the rational role, implementing innovative actions, making interactions with other people and the ability to adapt to change and cope with difficulties. The term mental illness refers collectively to all diagnosable mental illnesses—health conditions considered using changes in thinking, attitude, or overall performance associated with impaired or reduced functioning. An individual struggling with their intellectual fitness may also experience this due to the fact of stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, loss of life of a loved one, suicidal thoughts, grief, addiction, a number of mood disorders or different intellectual illnesses of varying degrees, as well as learning about disabilities. Counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, or doctors can help manage mental illness with remedies such as therapy, counseling, or medication.

Mental health can be seen as a volatile range where an individual’s intellectual fitness can have many unique possible values. Mental Wellbeing is considered a wonderful trait even if the character does not have any known mental condition. This definition of mental health focuses on emotional well-being, the ability to maintain a full and thriving life, and the resilience to cope with certain life trials. Some discussions are expressed in terms of contentment or happiness. Many helpful self-help systems and books deal with strategies and ideas, advocating methods and strategies praised as high quality for further improving mental health. Optimistic psychology is gradually becoming more noticeable in intellectual health. Intellectual fitness usually includes standards based entirely on personal, educational, psychological, religious, and sociological views.

The most common mental illnesses in children include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and anxiety disorder, as well as depression in older children and teenagers. When a child has an anxiety disorder, he avoids social cooperation and associates very ordinary things with deep fear. This can be scary for the child because they basically don’t understand why they act and think the way they do. Many scientists say that parents should watch out for their children if they see something strange in them. If children are evaluated earlier, they become more accustomed to their illness and its treatment becomes part of their daily life. This is different in adults, who may not improve as quickly because it is more difficult for them to acclimatize.

Mental illness affects not only the person himself, but also the people around him. Living with a mental disorder is hard so it’s always important to have people around, friends and family play a very important role in making life a little easier. However, there are also negative factors that come with the social aspect of mental illness. Sometimes parents are blamed for their child’s illness. People say that parents raised their children in a certain way or learned their behavior from them. Family and friends are sometimes ashamed to like someone with a disorder, in which case the child feels isolated and thinks they have to hide their illness from other people. This behavior prevents the child from social interaction and treatment.

Mental illness is more public than cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Stigma is also a known aspect of mental illness. A stigma is a mark of shame associated with a particular condition, superiority, or individual. Stigma is used especially when it comes to people with mental disabilities. Avoiding a disorder at an early age can greatly reduce a child’s chances of developing a disorder later in life and should be the most effective and valid measure from a public health perspective. Prevention may require regular sessions with a doctor at least twice a year to feel all the symbols that reveal mental health alarms.

Mental health is a socially constructed and socially differentiated concept, which means that different humanities, congregations, philosophies, institutions, and businesses have very different ways of theorizing their environments and causes, defining what is mentally healthy, and defining what they are. the petitions, if any are appropriate. Thus, different professionals will have different ethnic, class, political and religious backgrounds that will influence the procedure applied during the conduct.

Unemployment has an adverse effect on people’s health, self-esteem and, in particular, their mental health. Cumulative unemployment has been shown to take a serious toll on mental well-being, largely grim ailments. This is a vital concern in studying mental disorder assets in any population review. In order to restore your emotional mental health, the origin of the object must be fixed. Prevention emphasizes the avoidance of risky aspects; the goals of the campaign are to increase the individual’s skills to achieve a positive sense of self-esteem, mastery, comfort and social presence. It is very vital to improve your emotional mental health by associating with positive associations. People feed on company and contact with other people. Another way to expand your emotional mental health is to contribute to accomplishments that can allow you to calm down and take time for yourself. Exercise is a great example of an activity that calms your entire body and nerves.

Emotional mental illness is a major cause of ill health worldwide. Investigating the extent and severity of severe emotional mental disorders worldwide is a major urgency for World Mental Health (WMH). These disorders are most critical for low- and middle-income nations because of their inability to provide their citizens with adequate services. Despite modern treatment and recovery for emotional mental illness, even economically privileged citizens have conflicting needs and financial constraints.

WD Gann Trading Methods – Genius Trader or Overrated Guru?

WD Gann is one of the most famous traders of all time and has a huge amount of devoted followers – however, the fact is that Gann never made the huge profits that many of his students claimed.

He did not have a 90% success rate as is often claimed – the logic behind his methods is untenable and his predictive methods do not predict – they leave it all to subjective opinion!

Let’s take a closer look at his investment theories and see.

Let’s examine some common myths about how great of a trader Gann really was:

Many sources quote Gann’s trading profits at $50 million, but this is not true.

An interview Alexander Elder had with his son tells the truth.

First, his son confirmed that when his father died in the 1950s, his estate was valued at just $100,000 — and that included his house.

Second, his son confirmed that Gan was not able to make enough money from trading and therefore supplemented his income by writing and selling courses.

WD Gann’s predictions

Many sources quote that he had a success rate of over 90% on all his trades – again not true. We can easily infer this from the value of his property.

If he could make money trading and had a 90% success rate, he would have made hundreds of millions in his trading career – which he obviously didn’t – so he had to sell books and courses.

The only evidence of 90% success comes from a small number of trades – and is not representative of all.

Gann’s methods are predictive

Gan concludes that all natural phenomena are cyclical – including financial markets. That’s true, but it’s an obvious statement – we all know we’re going to die, but when exactly?

A predictive theory is not a predictive theory if it cannot predict.

If Gann’s theory was truly predictive, then there would be no market – as we would all know the price in advance!

Gann’s theory is subjective – and he really had no way of predicting the future with accuracy. This is all subjective analysis and this is NOT a predictive theory.

Gann’s logic

The basis of Gann’s theory is the principle that cost and time must balance.

His methods are based on the quadrature of price with time – this happens when a unit of price equals a unit of time.

Gann, for example, would take a notable market peak, convert that dollar unit into a certain time period, and project it forward. When that time is reached, price and time are squared – and a market reversal is due.

What? – How can one unit of price equal one unit of time? If you think about it and answer this question for yourself, you will see how absurd the relationship is.

That’s not the only inconsistency used in his analysis – we also have the legendary Fibonacci numbers, which are supposed to work with stunning accuracy – but they don’t, and so do all kinds of astrology and geometry that appeal to the far-fetched investment crowd. .

As we have seen, Gann was a trader who had modest success and claimed to have discovered a predictive theory – one that predicts nothing with accuracy.

Finally, we have so many subjective indicators lumped together that theory can prove anything in hindsight, but if you want a tool to trade the markets, look elsewhere.

For those of you still unconvinced – I recently saw on the internet Gann trading methods selling for under $1000!

Sounds like a deal to get trades with 90% accuracy – I wonder how many serious money managers have it on their shelf.

Enough said.

A brief introduction to blockchain – for normal people

Crypto-what?

If you’ve tried to immerse yourself in this mysterious thing called blockchain, you’d be forgiven for recoiling in horror at the sheer opacity of the technical jargon that’s often used to frame it. So before we get into what cryptocurrency is and how blockchain technology can change the world, let’s discuss what blockchain actually is.

Simply put, blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions, not unlike the ledgers we’ve used for hundreds of years to record sales and purchases. The function of this digital ledger is actually almost identical to a traditional ledger as it records debits and credits between people. This is the basic concept behind blockchain; the difference is who keeps the ledger and who verifies the transactions.

In traditional transactions, payment from one person to another involves some kind of intermediary to facilitate the transaction. Let’s say Rob wants to transfer £20 to Melanie. He can either give her cash in the form of a £20 note, or he can use some banking app to transfer the money directly into her bank account. In both cases, the bank is the intermediary that verifies the transaction: Rob’s funds are verified when he withdraws the money from an ATM, or verified by the app when he makes the digital transfer. The bank decides whether to proceed with the transaction. The bank also keeps a record of all transactions made by Rob and is solely responsible for updating it when Rob pays someone or receives money in his account. In other words, the bank holds and controls the ledger and everything flows through the bank.

It’s a big responsibility, so it’s important that Rob feels he can trust his bank, otherwise he wouldn’t be risking his money with them. He must feel confident that the bank will not cheat him, will not lose his money, will not be robbed and will not disappear overnight. This need for trust underlies almost every basic behavior and aspect of the monolithic financial industry, so much so that even when banks were discovered to have been irresponsible with our money during the 2008 financial crisis, the government (another intermediary) chose to save them rather than risk destroying the last fragments of trust, leaving them to crumble.

Blockchains work differently in one key respect: they are completely decentralized. There is no central clearing house like a bank and no central ledger kept by one person. Instead, the ledger is distributed across a vast network of computers called nodes, each holding a copy of the entire ledger on their respective hard drives. These nodes are connected to each other through a piece of software called a peer-to-peer (P2P) client, which synchronizes data across the network of nodes and ensures that everyone has the same version of the ledger at any given moment in time.

When a new transaction is entered into the blockchain, it is first encrypted using state-of-the-art cryptographic technology. Once encrypted, the transaction is converted into something called a block, which is basically the term used for an encrypted group of new transactions. This block is then sent (or broadcast) to the network of computer nodes, where it is verified by the nodes and, once confirmed, transmitted over the network so that the block can be added to the end of anyone’s computer’s ledger, under the list of all previous blocks. This is called a chain, hence the technology is called blockchain.

Once approved and recorded in the ledger, the transaction can be completed. This is how cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin work.

Accountability and de-trust

What are the advantages of this system over a bank or central clearing system? Why would Rob use Bitcoin instead of normal currency?

The answer is trust. As mentioned earlier, with the banking system it is extremely important that Rob trusts his bank to protect his money and handle it properly. To ensure that this happens, there are massive regulatory systems in place that scrutinize the actions of banks and ensure that they are fit for purpose. Governments then regulate regulators, creating a sort of multi-tiered system of checks whose sole purpose is to help prevent mistakes and misconduct. In other words, organizations like the Financial Services Authority exist precisely because banks cannot be trusted on their own. And banks often make mistakes and behave badly, as we have seen too many times. When you have one source of power, power tends to be misused or abused. The trust relationship between people and banks is uncomfortable and uncertain: we don’t really trust them, but we don’t think there’s much of an alternative.

Blockchain systems, on the other hand, don’t need you to trust them at all. All transactions (or blocks) in a blockchain are verified by nodes in the network before being added to the ledger, meaning there is no single point of failure, no single approval channel. If a hacker wants to successfully tamper with the blockchain ledger, he would have to hack millions of computers simultaneously, which is nearly impossible. A hacker would also be nearly unable to take down a blockchain network, as they would again need to be able to shut down every single computer in a network of computers spread across the globe.

The encryption process itself is also a key factor. Blockchains like Bitcoin use deliberately difficult processes for their verification procedure. In the case of Bitcoin, blocks are verified by nodes deliberately performing a CPU- and time-intensive series of calculations, often in the form of puzzles or complex mathematical problems, meaning that verification is neither immediate nor accessible. Nodes that commit the resource to verify blocks are rewarded with a transaction fee and a reward of newly minted bitcoins. This has the function of both incentivizing people to become nodes (since processing blocks like this requires quite powerful computers and a lot of electricity) while managing the process of generating or minting units of the currency. This is called mining because it involves considerable effort (in this case by a computer) to produce a new commodity. It also means that transactions are verified in the most independent way possible, more independent than a government regulated organization like the FSA.

This decentralized, democratic and highly secure nature of blockchains means that they can function without the need for regulation (they are self-regulating), government or any other opaque intermediary. They work because people don’t trust each other, not in spite of.

Let the significance of this sink in for a while and the excitement around blockchain starts to make sense.

Smart contracts

Where things get really interesting is blockchain applications beyond cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Given that one of the core principles of the blockchain system is the secure, independent verification of a transaction, it’s easy to imagine other ways in which this type of process could be valuable. Not surprisingly, many such applications are already in use or in development. Some of the best are:

  • Smart Contracts (Ethereum): Probably the most exciting blockchain development since Bitcoin, smart contracts are blocks that contain code that must be executed in order for the contract to be executed. The code can be anything as long as a computer can execute it, but in simple terms this means that you can use blockchain technology (with its independent verification, trust architecture and security) to create a kind of escrow system for anything transactions. As an example, if you’re a web designer, you can create a contract that checks whether or not a new client’s website has been launched, and then automatically release the funds to you once it has. No more chasing or billing. Smart contracts are also used to prove ownership of an asset such as property or art. The potential to reduce fraud with this approach is huge.
  • Cloud Storage (Storj): Cloud computing revolutionized the web and led to the emergence of Big Data, which in turn ushered in the new AI revolution. But most cloud-based systems run on servers stored in single-location server farms owned by a single entity (Amazon, Rackspace, Google, etc.). This creates the same problems as the banking system, as your data is controlled by a single, opaque organization that represents a single point of failure. Distributing data on a blockchain removes the trust issue entirely and also promises to increase reliability as it is much harder to bring down a blockchain network.
  • Digital ID (ShoCard): two of the biggest issues of our time are identity theft and data protection. With huge centralized services like Facebook storing so much data about us, and efforts by various governments in developed countries to store digital information about their citizens in a central database, the potential for misuse of our personal data is terrifying. Blockchain technology offers a potential solution to this by packaging your key data in an encrypted block that can be verified by the blockchain network when you need to prove your identity. Applications of this range from the obvious replacement of passports and ID cards to other areas such as password replacement. It can be huge.
  • Digital Voting: Hot on the heels of the investigation into Russia’s influence on the recent US election, digital voting has long been suspected of being unreliable and highly vulnerable to tampering. Blockchain technology offers a way to verify that a voter’s vote has been sent successfully, while preserving their anonymity. It promises not only to reduce fraud during elections, but also to increase overall voter turnout as people will be able to vote on their mobile phones.

Blockchain technology is still in its infancy and most of the applications are far from mainstream use. Even Bitcoin, the most established blockchain platform, is subject to massive volatility, indicative of its relative newcomer status. However, blockchain’s potential to solve some of the major problems we face today makes it an extremely exciting and enticing technology to pursue. I’ll certainly keep an eye out.

Silicone Release Coatings: Back to Basics

If you don’t even know the basics of silicone release coatings, you’re on the right page. Typically, these coatings can be applied at various low weights to a range of substances using a variety of techniques. Read on to learn more.

Basically, the role of these coatings is to create a cross-linked non-stick surface that is useful when it comes to protecting pressure-sensitive adhesives. It also has a long list of sticky materials it can be used on. Some common examples of these materials include foods, composite prepregs, and bituminous compounds, just to name a few.

The good news is that they can be found in a wide range of delivery systems and use many curing chemicals such as rhodium catalyzed or platinum catalyzed curing to name a few. So you can choose from many materials to get the most out of these products.

Advantages of silicone release coatings

Silicone release coatings offer a wide range of benefits. They can be used for labels, graphic arts, and health and food products. So the benefits of the product are almost endless. It is an ideal solution for many applications. Apart from competitive prices and uninterrupted supply, they offer the benefits listed below:

Reliability: Offer fast curing below 35PPM platinum

High flexibility: You enjoy great flexibility when it comes to coating, curing or release

High linear speeds: Line speeds are high, so records can be broken without blurring. This is one of the biggest advantages of these coatings. The idea is to ensure that nothing wrong happens during the process and at the same time high line speeds are achieved.

Better coverage: you enjoy a long bath life, high release and anchoring ability, which is what today’s manufacturers demand. So better coverage is another big advantage of this system.

Conversion rates: You can enjoy the ease of spreading and high conversion speeds

Typically, silicone release agents can be used as additives in applications that involve mold release. They allow quick release of the products that come out of the molds. Some good examples of these products include food containers and tires.

Additionally, they excel in lubricity and lubricity in many applications such as conveyor belts and newspaper presses.

If you purchase silicone release agents from a good supplier, you can enjoy many benefits in paper/file coating applications, food contact manufacturing, and many other industries. The non-stick properties of the agent can allow the following advantages:

  • Longer machine and mold life

  • Reduced consumption of materials

  • Products with a clean finish

  • Faster performance

In short, if you want to enjoy the maximum potential of silicone release agents, we suggest you buy these products from a good supplier. We hope these tips will help you choose the best products to suit your needs.

Enterprise Blockchain Solutions: What Can They Do for Your Business?

Despite the popular belief that blockchain technology is only meant for making cryptocurrency transactions and earning bitcoins, blockchain continues to make inroads into many areas of life: social media, gaming, healthcare, real estate, and more. Technology aims to improve operational efficiency, reduce business costs and improve customer experience.

Blockchain can be explained as a digitized database and belongs to digital ledger technology (DLT), which implies no central data storage or administrative functionality. Why is it an advantage for an enterprise? Decentralization, along with transparency, enables each individual participant to review all recorded data, ensure its security, and track important information.

Here are areas where blockchain has already entered and proven that it is worth relying on this technology.

Supply chain management, for example, is a fundamental but vulnerable part of many companies’ workflow. The parties involved in the process often do not interact directly with each other and still use paper-based methods of gathering and storing information. Blockchain offers a complete elimination of paperwork: document circulation becomes automated, digital certification is also used. More importantly, any authorized member of the supply chain can trace the product from the manufacturer to the consumer and prevent the spread of counterfeits.

Several US retail giants that have faced foodborne illness outbreaks and subsequent food recalls have implemented blockchain technology into their food supply chains. It used to take a minimum of about 7 days to trace a product, but nowadays the origin of a food product can be identified in a matter of seconds.

Thus, blockchain solutions have made the withdrawal process faster, more efficient and cost-saving. Meanwhile, customers also experienced blockchain adoption in their hypermarkets. In Chinese Walmart stores, for example, they can scan the QR code and get all the information about the product: from the location of the farm to the certificates of inspection.

Healthcare is the field where blockchain-based solutions have established themselves as a highly secure and transparent way to maintain electronic health records (EHR). Both doctors and patients are given permission to access and use the records when needed. At the same time, blockchain solutions are powered by smart contracts that enable privacy protection of EHR data. Health device and clinical research data is encrypted, insurance can also be executed and stored. Another use case is prescription drugs and equipment supply chain control.

E-commerce increasingly requires blockchain technology. Again, the supply chain is a crucial aspect here: tracking goods and managing supplies are often challenging tasks, but blockchain helps businesses manage their inventory more efficiently. Consumers who entrust their money and data to e-commerce organizations are concerned about data security and transparency, but this problem can be solved with the development of blockchain. Even slight changes in a transaction are obvious on the blockchain, and tracking who made a mistake is no longer a problem. It is also possible to make crypto payments.

The next area is actually related to cryptocurrency transactions. DeFi, short for decentralized finance, does not just involve the simple transfer of assets, but also refers to more complex financial use cases. The implementation of blockchain contributes to the exclusion of middlemen and therefore reduces costs. All transactions are encrypted and immutable, multi-step authentication mechanisms make the system difficult for unauthorized members to access. Among the latest innovations is the possibility to turn to P2P lending services and digital banking.

Social media also has the potential to be impacted by blockchain. Along with its global popularity and ability to connect people around the world, social media is still vulnerable to account hacking, identity leaks, and copyright infringement. To address these issues, blockchain offers copyright protection, digital identity verification, and impartial licensing.

Real estate, e-governance, gaming industries and many more have joined the wave of blockchain adoption. Once your business chooses to innovate, delegate the implementation of the technology to one of the enterprise blockchain companies that will develop a future-proof enterprise DLT for you. With blockchain, your business will be a game changer in your field.

Are you thinking of investing? Think the Bitcoin way

What is Bitcoin?

If you’re here, then you’ve heard of Bitcoin. It has been one of the most frequent news headlines in the last year or more – as a get-rich-quick scheme, the end of finance, the birth of a truly international currency, as the end of the world, or as technology that has improved the world. But what is Bitcoin?

In short, it can be said that Bitcoin is the first decentralized money system used for online transactions, but it will probably be useful to dig a little deeper.

We all know in general what “money” is and what it is used for. The most important problem seen with the use of money before Bitcoin was that it was centralized and controlled by one entity – the centralized banking system. Bitcoin was invented in 2008/2009 by an unknown creator who goes by the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto” to bring decentralization of money on a global scale. The idea is that currency can be traded across international lines without hassles or fees, checks and balances will be distributed across the globe (not just on the ledgers of private corporations or governments), and money will become more democratic and equally accessible for everyone.

How did bitcoin start?

The concept of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general was started in 2009 by Satoshi, an unknown researcher. The reason for its invention was to solve the problem of centralization in the use of money that relied on banks and computers, a problem that many computer scientists were not happy with. Attempts to achieve decentralization have been made since the late 1990s without success, so when Satoshi published a paper in 2008 proposing a solution, it was widely applauded. Today, Bitcoin has become a familiar currency for Internet users and has given rise to thousands of “altcoins” (cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin).

How is bitcoin made?

Bitcoin is made through a process called mining. Just as paper money is made by printing and gold is mined from the ground, Bitcoins are created by “mining”. Mining involves solving complex mathematical problems regarding blocks using computers and adding them to a public ledger. When it started, a simple CPU (like the one in your home computer) was all you needed to mine, but the difficulty level has increased significantly and now you’ll need specialized hardware, including a high-end graphics processing unit (GPU), to mine Bitcoin.

How do I invest?

First, you need to open an account on a trading platform and create a wallet; you can find some examples by Googling “bitcoin trading platform” – they usually have names including “coin” or “market”. After joining one of these platforms, click on assets and then click on crypto to select your desired currencies. There are many indicators in every platform that are quite important and you should make sure you monitor them before investing.

Just buy and hold

Although mining is the safest and in some ways the easiest way to earn bitcoins, there is too much effort involved, and the cost of electricity and specialized computer hardware makes it out of reach for most of us. To avoid all this, make it easy on yourself, directly enter the amount you want from your bank and click ‘buy’, then sit back and watch your investment grow as the price changes. This is called an exchange and is done on many exchange platforms available today, with the ability to trade between many different fiat currencies (USD, AUD, GBP, etc.) and different crypto coins (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, etc.). n.).

Bitcoin trading

If you are familiar with stocks, bonds or Forex exchanges, then you will easily understand crypto trading. There are bitcoin brokers such as e-social trading, FXTM markets.com and many more to choose from. The platforms provide you with Bitcoin-Fiat or Fiat-Bitcoin currency pairs, for example BTC-USD means trading Bitcoin for US Dollars. Track price changes to find the perfect pair according to price changes; platforms provide price along with other indicators to give you relevant trading advice.

Bitcoin as a stock

There are also organizations created to allow you to buy shares in companies that invest in bitcoins – these companies do reverse trading, and you just invest in them and wait for your monthly income. These companies simply pool digital money from different investors and invest on their behalf.

Why should you invest in Bitcoin?

As you can see, investing in Bitcoin requires you to have some basic knowledge of the currency as explained above. As with all investments, there is risk involved! Whether to invest or not is entirely up to the individual. However, if I had to give advice, I would advise investing in Bitcoin for the reason that Bitcoin continues to grow – although there has been one significant boom and bust period, it is very likely that cryptocurrencies as a whole will continue to experience an increase in value in the next 10 years. Bitcoin is the biggest and best known of all the current cryptocurrencies, so it’s a good place to start and the safest bet right now. Although volatile in the short term, I suspect you will find that trading Bitcoin is more profitable than most other ventures.

5 ways blockchain will transform the life of the common man

With all the media on fire with news about cryptocurrency prices, you might be wondering how it affects the average person. Right at the heart of cryptocurrency and other digital currencies is Blockchain technology.

There are various industrial and administrative problems that technology can solve for the common man. Own a small business but often feel that transparency is lacking due to traditional communication methods? Have you ever received higher than usual medical bills? As a business owner, is it difficult to find legitimate candidates? These problems affect entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses, individuals and Blockchain technology aims to provide solutions to make the life of the common man much easier through simplified solutions.

Banking

Banking in almost all countries is still very focused on paper-intensive transactions for any money transfers, archiving or other back-end functions. Blockchain technology can replicate this digitally and create a decentralized ledger that allows not only bankers but also customers to access a single source of information. This system allows banks to eliminate the chances of fraud as documentation and proof of ownership of assets can be digitally verified by bankers on a blockchain ledger that can be accessed at any time in an immutable format.

Identity theft is also a major problem in the banking sector, with citizens’ information being stolen and used to open fraudulent accounts for illegal activities. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s online complaint database, there are over 13 million complaints filed about card fraud and identity theft, with 3 million of those complaints filed in 2016 alone. Through a blockchain system, customers can directly view all accounts, held on their behalf, and to notify their respective banks immediately in case they notice any suspicious activity in their bank details. Some of the famous examples include the IBM-backed Hyperledger Fabric project and UBS’s Utility Settlement Coin.

Healthcare

Blockchain technology can simplify healthcare in incredible ways and make medical data management much easier. Providing broad access to patient records can allow much more convenient drug development research and also reduce the effects of counterfeit drugs. Clinical trials and their results can be made available on a decentralized network, allowing healthcare professionals and researchers to conduct research and find solutions for better healthcare. Accenture is one of the largest companies that have started offering innovative healthcare solutions to the healthcare sector for secure, fraud-free transactions.

Medicare fraud can also be eliminated by blockchain billing management, as the billing system can be fully automated with no scope for fraudulent intermediaries. With over 56 million people covered by Medicare as of 2017, over $1.3 billion has been stolen from the government through fraudulent activities by rehabilitation facilities and home health services. Blockchain systems can effectively protect citizens seeking medical care from healthcare providers who overcharge services offered through fraudulent billing practices. Centralized data not only helps healthcare professionals offer treatment based on the history of the patient and his/her family, but also eliminates the chances of the patient misremembering past symptoms or disorders.

Public records

One of the most important functions of the civil administration of the government is to record all the information about its citizens. This includes information about individuals and businesses regarding their assets and activities. Most of the recorded information is recorded in paper databases, making data management extremely difficult even in developed countries.

Blockchain-based systems such as Ubitiquity can encode all public records in a digital ledger to protect citizen data from being altered for fraudulent activities. Identity theft is a problem that can be very difficult for the administration to deal with, and digitizing all public information to protect it from tampering can help prevent such instances of criminal activity.

Voting

One of the biggest limitations of the voting system in almost every country is that even today, voters must be physically present at the polling booths to vote, and it can make it difficult for people who have to travel on election days. More importantly, there are no ways for the average citizen to verify the poll results.

Blockchain development companies like Followmyvote are coming up with solutions that aim to make online voting a reality. This will allow citizens to publicly view accurate information about rankings and poll results and various other statistics. It also results in safer voting for citizens of countries in internal or external conflict, and criminal activities to force citizens to vote for specific candidates can be completely avoided.

Business rental

Businesses of all sizes struggle to find the right staff. Through blockchain technology, it is possible for companies to verify the credentials of all applicants through a digital database. Blockchain technology can be applied to create a decentralized database of professionals with verified qualifications in a secure ledger that businesses can refer to when hiring candidates. Learning Machine is a New York-based company that seeks to address this problem by focusing on recording verifiable information about workers.

Tax or employment fraud accounted for 34% of all identity theft as of 2016, and the blockchain system makes the hiring process for any business much more secure as the company will only have access to valid candidates, reducing the risk of hiring fraudulent employees. It also helps candidates by speeding up the hiring process and helping them find jobs they are eligible for and have a seamless application process.

The use of blockchain technology helps both people and businesses, and also protects personal information while making important data publicly visible. Although blockchain has its best application in cryptocurrency, its use can spread to other sectors to provide meaningful solutions to citizens around the world.

The basics of cryptocurrency and how it works

In the times we live in, technology has made incredible advances compared to any time in the past. This evolution has redefined human life in almost every aspect. In fact, this evolution is a continuous process and thus human life on earth is continuously improving day by day. One of the latest inclusions in this aspect is cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency is nothing but a digital currency that is designed to enforce security and anonymity in online monetary transactions. It uses cryptographic encryption to both generate currency and verify transactions. New coins are created through a process called mining, while transactions are recorded in a public ledger called a transaction block chain.

A little flashback

The evolution of cryptocurrency is mainly due to the virtual world of the web and involves the procedure of transforming readable information into a code that is almost unbreakable. This makes it easier to track purchases and transfers involving the currency. Cryptography, after its introduction in World War II to secure communication, has evolved into this digital age, mixing with mathematical theories and computer science. Thus, it is now used to provide not only communication and information, but also money transfers in the virtual network.

How to use cryptocurrency

It is very easy for common people to use this digital currency. Just follow the steps below:

  • You need a digital wallet (obviously to store the currency)
  • Use the wallet to create unique public addresses (this allows you to receive the currency)
  • Use the public addresses to transfer funds in or out of the wallet

Cryptocurrency wallets

A cryptocurrency wallet is nothing but a software program that can store both private and public keys. In addition to this, it can also interact with different blockchains so that users can send and receive digital currency and also keep track of their balance.

How digital wallets work

Unlike conventional wallets that we carry in our pockets, digital wallets do not store currency. In fact, the blockchain concept is so intelligently blended with cryptocurrency that currencies are never stored in a specific location. Nor do they exist anywhere in hard cash or physical form. Only records of your transactions are stored on the blockchain and nothing else.

A real life example

Suppose a friend sends you digital currency, say in the form of Bitcoin. What this friend does is it transfers ownership of the coins to your wallet address. Now, when you want to use this money, you have unlocked the fund.

To unlock the fund, you need to match the private key in your wallet with the public address the coins are assigned to. Only when these private and public addresses match will your account be credited and your wallet balance will swell. Simultaneously, the balance of the sender of the digital currency will decrease. In digital currency transactions, the actual exchange of physical coins never takes place at any point.

Understanding Cryptocurrency Address

By nature, it is a public address with a unique character string. This allows a user or digital wallet owner to receive cryptocurrency from others. Each public address that is generated has a corresponding private address. This automatic match proves or establishes ownership of a public address. As a more practical analogy, you can accept a public cryptocurrency address as your email address to which others can send emails. Emails are the currency people send you.

Understanding the latest version of technology in the form of cryptocurrency is not difficult. One needs a bit of interest and time on the web to clear the basics.

Beginner’s Guide: An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies

Introduction: To Invest in Cryptocurrencies

The first cryptocurrency to emerge was Bitcoin, which was built on Blockchain technology and was probably launched in 2009 by a mysterious person, Satoshi Nakamoto. At the time of writing this blog, 17 million bitcoins have been mined and it is estimated that a total of 21 million bitcoins can be mined. The other most popular cryptocurrencies are Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Golem, Civic and hard forks of Bitcoin such as Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Gold.

Users are advised not to put all their money into one cryptocurrency and try to avoid investing at the peak of the cryptocurrency bubble. It has been observed that the price suddenly dropped when it was at the top of the crypto bubble. Since cryptocurrency is a volatile market, users should invest the amount they can afford to lose as there is no government control over cryptocurrency as it is a decentralized cryptocurrency.

Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple predicted that Bitcoin is real gold and will dominate all currencies like USD, EUR, INR and ASD in the future and become the world currency in the coming years.

Why and why not invest in cryptocurrencies?

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to emerge and after that around 1600+ cryptocurrencies were launched with some unique features for each coin.

Some of the reasons I experienced and would like to share, cryptocurrencies are built on the decentralized platform – so users don’t require a third party to transfer cryptocurrency from one destination to another, unlike fiat currency where the user needs a platform like a bank to transferring money from one account to another. Cryptocurrency built on very safe blockchain technology and almost zero chance of hacking and stealing your cryptocurrencies as long as you don’t share your important information.

You should always avoid buying cryptocurrencies at the highest point of a cryptocurrency bubble. Many of us buy cryptocurrencies at their peak hoping to make a quick buck and fall prey to the hype of the bubble and lose our money. It is better for users to do a lot of research before investing the money. It is always good to put your money in several cryptocurrencies instead of one as few cryptocurrencies have been observed to grow more, some on average, if other cryptocurrencies go into the red zone.

Cryptocurrencies in focus

In 2014, Bitcoin held 90% of the market and other cryptocurrencies held the remaining 10%. In 2017, Bitcoin still dominated the crypto market, but its share fell sharply from 90% to 38%, and altcoins such as Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple grew rapidly and took most of the market.

Bitcoin still dominates the cryptocurrency market, but it is not the only cryptocurrency to consider while investing in cryptocurrency. Some of the main cryptocurrencies to consider:

Bitcoin

Litecoin

pulsations

Ethereum

Throne

Civil

A big one

Monero

Where and how to buy cryptocurrencies?

While it was not easy to buy cryptocurrencies a few years ago, now users have many platforms available.

In 2015, India has two main bitcoin platforms Unocoin wallet and Zebpay wallet where users can buy and sell only bitcoins. Users should only buy Bitcoin from the wallet and not from another person. There was a price difference in the buying and selling rate and users had to pay some nominal fee to make their transactions.

In 2017, the cryptocurrency industry grew tremendously and the price of Bitcoin skyrocketed, especially in the last six months of 2017, which forced users to look for alternatives to Bitcoin and crossed 14 lakhs in the Indian market.

As Unodax and Zebpay are the two major platforms in India that dominated the market with 90% of the market share – which only dealt with Bitcoin. This enables other organization to grow with other altcoins and even forced Unocoin and others to add more currencies to their platform.

Unocoin, one of India’s leading cryptocurrency and blockchain companies, has launched an exclusive UnoDAX Exchange platform for its users to trade multiple cryptocurrencies apart from trading Bitcoins on Unocoin. The difference between the two platforms was – Unocion provided instant buying and selling of Bitcoin only, while in UnoDAX, users can place an order in any available cryptocurrency and if it matches the recipient, the order will be fulfilled.

Other major exchanges available for cryptocurrency trading in India are Koinex, Coinsecure, Bitbns, WazirX.

Users have to open an account with any exchange by registering with an email address and submitting the KYC details. Once their account is verified, one can start trading coins of their choice.

Users should do their research before investing in coins and avoid falling into the cryptocurrency bubble trap. Users should explore the exchange’s reliability, transparency, security features, and more.

All exchanges charge some nominal fee for each transaction. There are two types of fees – creation fee and claim fee. Apart from the transaction fee, one has to pay the transfer fee if you want to transfer your cryptocurrencies to another exchange or your personal wallet. The fees depend solely on the coins and the exchange as different exchange has a price difference module to transfer the coins.

Major altcoins other than Bitcoin

As mentioned above, Bitcoin dominates the market with 38% market share, followed by Ripple, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash. Exchanges like UnoDAX, Bitfinex, Kraken, Bitstamp have listed many other coins like Golem, Civic, Raiden Network, Kyber Network, Basic Attention, 0X, Augur, Monero, Tron and many more. If any of the coins matches your portfolio, you should buy it.

But you should invest the money in the market that you can afford to lose because the cryptocurrency market is very volatile and no government has control over it.

When should I buy?

There is no hard and fast rule when to buy your favorite cryptocurrency. But the stability of the market must be examined. You shouldn’t, except at the peak of a cryptocurrency bubble or when the price is constantly crashing. Always the best time is considered when the price is stable at a relatively low level for some time.

A method of storing cryptocurrencies

Before buying any cryptocurrency, you need to understand how to keep your cryptocurrency safe.

Generally, all exchanges provide storage facilities where you can store your coins safely. One should not share one’s username, password, 2FA when holding cryptocurrency on exchanges.

Paper wallet, hardware wallet, software wallet are some of the channels where one can store his cryptocurrency.

Paper Wallet: A paper wallet is an offline cold storage method to keep your cryptocurrency. It prints your private and public key on a piece of paper where a QR code is also printed. One has to simply scan the QR code for their future transactions. Why is it safe? No need to worry about your account being hacked or being attacked by malicious malware. You just need to keep your piece of paper in a safe place in a locker and, if possible, keep two to three pieces of paper in the wallet, all under your complete control.

Hardware Wallet: A hardware wallet is a physical device where you store cryptocurrency safely. There are many forms of hardware wallet, but a commonly used hardware wallet is USB. When you keep your cryptocurrency in a hardware wallet, you just have to keep in mind that you should not lose your hardware wallet because once it is lost, you cannot recover your cryptocurrency.

One famous incident where a person mined over 7000 bitcoins and stored it in his hardware wallet and stored it in another hardware wallet. One day he dropped the hardware wallet in which he stored his cryptocurrency instead of damaged hardware and lost all his bitcoins.

What can be bought from cryptocurrencies in India?

Most people assume that buying and selling any cryptocurrency is only for investment and getting high returns in the long and short term. Bitcoin influencers and investors believe that in the coming years, Bitcoin will dominate all fiat currencies and be accepted as an international currency.

Dell is one of the largest e-commerce businesses accepting Bitcoin as payment. Expedia and UNICEF are other examples.

In India, Sapna Book Mall accepts Bitcoin as payment using the Unocoin merchant service. People booked movie tickets through BookMyShow or recharged their mobile phone through the Unocoin platform. According to the report, they have stopped the service but plan to start it again in the near future.

Conclusion:

Cryptocurrency is one of the growing investment sectors and has given good returns from real estate, gold, stock markets, etc. in the past. You can buy the cryptocurrency and hold it long term to get good profits or go short term for a quick profit as we have seen many coins grow 1000%+ in the past. Because cryptocurrency is a volatile market and there is no government control over the industry. One should invest the amount in any cryptocurrency that one can afford to lose.

You can store your cryptocurrency in a hardware wallet, paper wallet, software wallet if you don’t want to hold on the exchange you trade from.

Make Money With Fiverr – 3 Tips

In today’s “gig economy,” Fiverr has quickly risen to become one of the most prominent opportunities for young people.

Its ease of use, massive audience, and large pool of highly talented providers have made it a solution for entrepreneurs of all abilities, allowing people to make everything from a decent living to a huge full-time income from it.

To that end, if you’ve heard of Fiverr or are looking for ways it can potentially help you make the most of your time and skills, it’s certainly an opportunity worth looking into. This tutorial will explain what Fiverr actually is, how it works, and what it means for job providers around the world.

Founded in 2012, Fiverr has grown to over 3 million listings and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. The company’s name comes from the starting price of each of its listings ($5) – although a common misconception is that this is the “only” price you can list your services at. The reality is that you can list services at prices up to $1500+. The price of $5 is only a nominal initiation fee.

The way the system gives ‘vendors’ the ability to list their services as ‘gigs’. In these gigs, vendors promise to perform tasks ranging from the likes of digital marketing to creative writing for a nominal fee.

The client will pay the supplier, with the money held by Fiverr until the job is completed. The supplier then has a set period of time to provide the customer with their work. The customer can then request revisions or simply give a “star” rating for the service they received.

The most important thing to remember about the Fiverr business model is that it is short and sharp. People go there for “regular” work and usually won’t pay for anything too ambitious. Although it started as an easy way to make some quick money as a struggling student, it quickly grew into the huge platform we see today.

Some of the most popular services that are purchased from Fiverr are copywriting and creative/article writing. People want English language writers to make “perfect” copy for their product listings, websites, and general business portfolios. Providing these services on the platform gives you a direct way to earn an extra few hundred dollars with relatively little cost.

If you are interested in how it works, there are 3 tips you can use to advance on the platform.

  1. Be personal

    The most important thing (for long-term growth) is to be personal. Using your face, credentials and a real portfolio is one of the most important ways to get ahead on the site. While you can make progress by being anonymous — or hiding behind a company name — it’s a far better bet to make sure you’re investing in yourself. Some of the most productive sellers on the site are people who simply put up their credentials and offered a service.

  2. Sell ​​what you know

    Instead of trying to copy what other people are doing, sell what *you* know. It will take a few tries to get a gig that people will actively seek (for example, my friend was a financier and I created a gig for him on Fiverr to sell articles about “cryptocurrency” – orders started coming in pretty quickly). The most important thing to say with this is that if you’re trying to “fit in,” you’ll end up pursuing work that isn’t really your forte. Instead, you really need to put your best foot forward in a creative way (so people look for you).

  3. Always experiment / test

    Finally, you should keep trying new gigs, new ways to promote your work, and new ways to portray what you’ve done before. There’s no point in stalling because you end up just wasting time and getting nowhere.

The most important thing to remember is that you can either sell what everyone is buying (which usually leads to short-term success). If you have an actual skill, you can use the Fiverr opportunity to provide yourself with the ability to improve your main brand.