I became a Bitcoin Man-Whore

Pornography has always driven the rise of new technology, and Bitcoin is no different, says Jeremy Wilson.

By Jeremy Wilson

Friday, 13 December 2013

The digital currency Bitcoin has been generating a lot of column inches in recent weeks, on the back of the virtual cash’s market value recently shooting past $1,000. This sudden increase has led to much head scratching in the media as learned tech journalists give their earnest thoughts on the cause of the boom in value.
Is Bitcoin the new interplanetary currency that will bring the millennia-old, state-controlled, economic system to its knees? Or is it the over-hyped product of unwashed basement dwellers?
As a lowly non-tech journalist myself, I try not to speculate too much on such important matters, but I think I might have stumbled upon the true reason for Bitcoin’s meteoric rise: porn.
There’s been a proliferation of websites gaining traction of late, where amateur porn wannabes can post explicit images in return for Bitcoin. The whole enterprise makes perfect sense: porn aficionados can satisfy their urges without leaving a credit card trail and hard up graduates can get themselves in on some Bitcoin action.
In fact, it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss out on. With the Christmas season approaching and being a little light on cash, I decided to try out stripping for Bitcoin. After doing some research, I came across a subreddit called /r/GuysGoneBitcoin, an elite group of males who post saucy pictures online in the hope of soliciting Bitcoin tips. There was only one thing to do: sign up and watch the digital currency roll in.
Not being the most tech savvy of people I decided to follow the /r/GuysGoneBitcoin sign-up recommendations to the letter. First up I needed something called a Bitcoin wallet. I paid a visit to blockchain.info, clicked “Start A New Wallet”, entered a password and with that, had entrusted a random website with the safekeeping of my future Bitcoin fortune.

Next I needed to make paying me easy for the online punters. I paid a visit to payb.tc a Bitcoin address shortener and before I knew it, I had nabbed the hot domain payc.tc/HornyHack – my new hotline for those wishing to rain cash on me.

And with that I was done, it was time to make my first post:
Hot and horny writer looking to make some extra cash, will strip for Bitcoin tips

I waited a couple of hours, but nothing. Not a single fraction of a Bitcoin was funnelled my way.
Clearly the first picture wasn’t tantalising enough, I needed to try again – if my next post didn’t work, nothing else would.

Sexy guy needs cash. Will make a custom dirty video for all Bitcoin tippers!

After a sleepless night glued to my computer, my Bitcoin wallet is still bare. Maybe this Bitcoin thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

source:kernelmag.com

The aura of militancy seems to be wearing off in the Northeast

By Rahul Karmakar

Guwahati, Dec 16 : Mizoram’s mandate 2013 appears to have restated a reality — the romanticism associated with rebels in the Northeast is wearing off.

The second successive poll rout of the Mizo National Front (MNF), though partially attributed to a Congress pro-poor scheme, has indicated that the ‘hangover’ of 1966 might not be working on a young, outward-bound Mizoram.

A group of famine relief workers-turned-rebel outfit, the MNF fought a war of liberation against the Indian armed forces since 1966. It transformed into a political party after inking a truce with New Delhi in 1986.

Lal Thanhawla, who headed the first Congress government in 1984, stepped aside for MNF supremo Laldenga, who became chief minister in 1986. Later, Laldenga’s lieutenant Zoramthanga helmed the MNF government from 1998 to 2008.

The MNF’s loss in the 2008 polls was attributed to anti-incumbency. But the defeat of Zoramthanga in two seats — of other senior party leaders with an ex-rebel tag — was not lost on many. Zoramthanga changed his constituency this time for a change of fortune but a Congress newcomer beat him comfortably.

What also did not work for the party was its ‘Mizo nationalism’ plank, a throwback to the militancy days when ‘India’ was viewed as colonial power and national parties such as Congress labelled ‘vaipawl’, meaning organisation of outsiders.

“The past no longer seems to be working for the MNF, though it has a chance of coming back if the Congress falters. The MNF will have to reinvent and repackage itself as a party of a progressive state and even go for a leadership change, preferably with younger people with fresh ideas,” Lallianchunga, assistant professor of Mizoram University’s political science department, said.

The profiles of three of the MNF’s five winners this time are indicative of the changing mindset. Lalrinawma, Lalruatkima and K Beichhua were minors when the MNF was past its prime as a militant outfit by 1972.

Two months before the Mizoram polls, people in Nagaland confronted the rebels for extortion in the name of ‘revolutionary taxes’. Such defiance against the armed cadres of six Naga groups was unthinkable earlier.

The two major Naga outfits on ceasefire mode — the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland — allegedly influence politics in the state and control the party or coalition that heads the government there.

The story is similar elsewhere in the Northeast, whether or not rebel groups evolved into political parties. The United Liberation Front of Asom is virtually a spent force, living in the past as far back as 1826, when the British annexed Assam.

In Tripura, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) has gone nowhere with its credo of taking the state back to its pre-1947 status of tribal rule. Headed by former guerrilla chief Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl, the INPT won six of the 20 seats across Tripura’s tribal belt in its first assembly elections in 2003. In 2008, Hrangkhawl was the party’s lone winner but he too bit the dust in 2013.

Likewise, some leaders of the disbanded Dima Halam Daogah were rejected by voters in Assam’s North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council polls earlier this year.

The only political entity that is dominated by ex-rebels and which seems to have stemmed the tide is the Bodoland People’s Party. An ally of the ruling Congress in Assam, it has been lording over the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) since its creation in 2003.

But the BTC’s story has been that of fratricide — those in power have allegedly retained their arms to wage period wars against rival political and militant groups — and communal violence, the kind that saw 108 people, most of them migrant Muslims, being killed last year.

Even Before swearing-in, government pushing forward with continuing halted flagship scheme

By Adam Halliday

Lal Thanhawla had promised during campaign season that the NLUP, halted by the ECI due to complaints by opposition parties, would be continued immediately.

Aizawl, Dec 13 : With the Congress set to form a government for the second consecutive term, the Mizoram government is wasting no time in continuing it's flagship beneficiary scheme beginning with a high-level meeting on Friday to decide on land-use conversion and teams scheduled to visit sites earmarked for infrastructure projects. The NLUP implementing board is scheduled to have a meeting headed by Chief Secretary on Friday, a day before state Congress president Lal Thanhawla is set to be sworn in as CM for the fifth time.

Lal Thanhawla had promised during campaign season that the NLUP, halted by the ECI due to complaints by opposition parties, would be continued immediately after the elections were over. He had already told officials to continue the scheme as soon as possible even before counting day and results of the elections were known.

The high-level Friday meeting has been called, among others, to discuss the conversion of agricultural plots for industrial use at Kawnpui town, where two processing units for ginger and turmeric are being planned. Mizoram's new land law requires a case-by-case clearance for such land-use conversion.

With Mizoram's economy largely agrarian, the New Land Use Policy is a scheme under which families with no member as government employee are given money in installments through direct transfers to their bank accounts, which they use to enhance their livelihoods by using this to fund any of several trades they choose.

These optional trades include the production of several crops, small industries or even small private businesses.

While much of the money has already been disbursed, albeit installments still pending, the main thrust of the policy now is the marketing of the produce that has begun to accumulate or started from the labour already done by beneficiaries since the scheme began it's cash distribution component in 2010, and under which 1.2 lakh families have been covered.

The ginger and turmeric processing units mentioned earlier are also meant to convert the raw produce into readily marketable produce. Besides the two units mentioned, three teams are to visit various places within two weeks from now to survey locations for the setting up of collection centres of farm produce.

Retired Wing Commander Lalnghinglova, chairman of the NLUP Implementing Board's marketing cell, said the marketing component of the scheme is the main part of work left now that much of the funds have already been dispersed or are soon to be disbursed.

"We have no problem with buyers for these produce. There are various parties from Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati who are already roped in after they evinced interest. It is getting these produce to the market that is the main task ahead, said Lalnghinglova.

He added most of the processing units will be for easily perishable items, while regulated markets would be built at various points to sell others. The collection centres would facilitate the movement from farms to intermediate locations, and then to these markets.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi orders probe into Assam killings

Guwahati, Dec 13 :  Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday ordered an inquiry into an alleged staged shootout in Chirang district, where residents said police and army personnel killed two students claiming they were Bodo insurgents.

Mr Gogoi asked state Additional Chief Secretary V.B. Pyarelal to carry out the inquiry and submit the report within 30 days.

The incident took place early on Wednesday at Raijungbari village in Runikhata, about 200 km from Assam's main city Guwahati.

Police and army personnel killed two youths and injured another. They said the two slain youths were cadres of the anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) led by I.K. Songbijit.

One AK-46 rifle, one grenade and 15 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from their possession. Police said the injured youth was a linkman of the outfit.

Residents, however, said the three boys were from the same family and that they were innocent. The slain youths - Jiri Narzary and Pranjit Narzary - were students of Class 7 and 10 while the injured Nikedin Narzary is a student of Class 6 in a local school.

Residents on Wednesday came out on the streets to protest the killings, attacked the Runikhata police station and also set fire to some motorcycles.

This forced police to resort to a baton charge and fire blank rounds to disperse the crowd. The Chirang deputy commissioner also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

With A Loud Boom

By ALLAN MOSES RODRICKS

The Hindu Coming Home With their debut album. Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Junk Rock band Boomarang talk about their dreams, music and making it big in the music scene

Some dreams are meant to come true and for Junk Rock band Boomarang, the dream of making it big came true recently. The Mizoram-based four-member band was recently selected by Universal Music for the Contra Bands Project and given a platform to spread their music to the world.

Preceded by their first single ‘Stellar’, the video of which premiered on VH1, Boomarang’s debut album, Home is scheduled to be released later this month supported by a multi-city tour across the country. The band was in the city recently to perform at the Hard Rock Café.

Comprising Atea on vocals, Boom on the guitars, Joshua on the bass and RS on the drums, the four-piece band has its roots in good old rock music infused with jazz, funk and punk with a hint of reggae.

“This is a dream come true for us. Everyone needs good Rock ‘N Roll everywhere and we are here to deliver just that,” says Atea before getting on stage for the gig.

Though relatively new on the mainstream music scene, Boomarang is no stranger to laurels, having won several national awards in addition to performing at international festivals.

They have played alongside international acts such as Korn, Lamb of God, Aurora Jane, Fire house, Tribal Tech, Enslaved, Intron out and Scott Kinsey Band. Besides this, they were also named ‘Top Ten Bands to watch out for’ by the Rolling Stone magazine in India.

Bangalore is not a new for Boomarang. “We have played several times in all the major music venues across the city. The music scene is pretty good in Bangalore,” says Atea.

Excited about their debut album, Atea gives a sneak peek into its collection. “Boomarang has been around for a while. We started in 2005 and the songs in the album have been around with us ever since we started. The album is more about our journey. It doesn’t specifically have a theme. These are songs that have our ideas, dreams and beliefs translated into music. The songs in Home are also mean to inspire people to find a new meaning in life, to serve some purpose in this lifetime and always know that when it all ends, we can finally go Home.”

The band, which started with a humble union from different bands in 2005 and doing covers of Rage Against the Machine, has now become an enterprising symbol of the new genre Boomarang loves to promote. “We don’t like to stick to one particular genre. Though its good old rock we play on stage, we like to call it ‘Junk’ so we can play whatever we want,” shares Atea.

Drawing inspiration from Rage Against the Machine, Incubus, Jimmy Hendrix and Led Zeppelin among others, Boomarang has become comfortable doing their own songs which have a niche following already.

“When we started playing, we sounded a lot like Rage Against the Machine. Over the years, we’ve played and travelled a lot and developed some sort of originality infusing our own signature into our sounds,” Atea explains.

All their songs are purpose-driven, he says. “Boomarang makes songs that are simple but are meant to be heard and enjoyed.” On future plans, Atea says the deal with Universal was the best thing that ever happened to them. “This is what we have been waiting for. We were good and successful but never really made it anywhere. This is the perfect platform for us to go places we have only dreamt about. It’s a new beginning for us and we are looking forward to where Universal takes us.” To upcoming bands , Atea says dreams do not come true overnight. “It’s a rough journey and nothing happens instantly. You need to work hard and believe in what you do. There are a lot of troubles and sacrifices. I even quit my government job to play with the band. But that is the beauty of what we do. We are passionate about our music and believe in it. ,” he says.

Lal Thanhawla to be sworn in as Mizoram CM for fifth time on Saturday

By Adam Halliday
The Chief Minister had won from Serchhip and Hrangturzo constituencies.

Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla was on Wednesday unanimously elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Following this decision, Lal Thanhawla will be anointed the Chief Minister of the state for the fifth time.

The swearing-in ceremony is slated to be held on Saturday. The Congress veteran, who has been president since the party's inception in the state, said his cabinet members and parliamentary secretaries would be made known on the same day.

Although the swearing-in was initially planned to for an earlier date, it became inconvenient because the final result for the Lawngtlai East seat will only be available on Thursday. An EVM malfunction on counting day has made a re-poll necessary in one station, scheduled for Wednesday. The Congress candidate was leading on last count.

When asked if former finance minister H Liansailova, who lost in the Assembly elections, would be the party's candidate during bypolls to either of the two seats Lal Thanhawla has won, he said, "I think he will be a good choice."

After H Liansailova's defeat was known on counting day, Lal Thanhawla had said, "My happiness [over the Congress win] cannot be complete."

The Chief Minister had won from Serchhip and Hrangturzo constituencies.

The Congress had won 33 seats in the Mizoram Assembly elections, counting of which was done on December 9.

Lal Thanhawla elected CLP leader in Mizoram

The Congress Legislature Party in Mizoram unanimously elected Lal Thanhawla as its leader at a meeting held here on Wednesday.

As the party's chief ministerial candidate, Lal Thanhawla is likely to call on the state governor on Thursday to stake claim to form the next government.

The oath taking ceremony is expected to be held on Saturday.

Lal Thanhawla is all set to be chief minister of Mizoram for a fifth term.

He won a seat in the Mizoram State Assembly from both Serchhip and Hrangturzo.

He was elected to the assembly for a record ninth time since 1978.

The Congress won a two-third majority in the Mizoram Assembly polls, winning 33 of 39 seats.

No Woman Legislator in Mizoram for 20 Years

Aizawl, Dec 12 : No woman candidate was elected to the Mizoram Assembly even though it is the only State in India where women voters have outnumbered men, officials said here on Tuesday.

There has been no woman legislator in Mizoram for the whole of the past two decades. In the November 25 Assembly elections, among the 142 candidates in the field, female aspirants were only six – nominated by various political parties. The results of the polls were declared on Monday.

The Congress and the main Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) fielded one woman candidate each, while three women contested on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. One woman joined the fray as an Independent candidate.

Tlangthanmawii, who is also the State Congress women wing president, and Lalmalsawmi of the MNF, were defeated by male candidates of rival political parties.

The BJP’s three female candidates got very few votes, while the lone female Independent aspirant B Sangkhumi, former president of the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or Mizo women federation, also suffered defeat.

“No woman was elected to the State Assembly this time,” Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer Ashwini Kumar said.

“The Congress and MNF’s female nominees were fielded against heavy weight candidates while the other parties who fielded female candidates have little political base in the State. Therefore, no women could get elected to the State Assembly,” the CEO said.

Mizoram is the only State in India where in a total population of 1,091,014, female voters outnumbered men by 9,806 in the total electorate of 690,860.

Since Mizoram became a Union Territory in 1973 and a full-fledged State in 1987, there have been only three female legislators – Thanmawii (1978), K Thansiamii (1979) and Lalhimpuii Hmar (1987). Among them, Lalhimpuii Hmar of the MNF was a Minister in the government led by the late Laldenga in 1987.

The Women Welfare Front, constituted by woman members of village councils across the State, has been actively spearheading the campaign for female candidates before the Assembly polls.

“We made all-out efforts so that we see as many female candidates as possible in the November 25 Assembly elections. We requested political parties to nominate as many women candidates as possible. We made appeal to the female voters to vote for the women contestants,” Women Welfare Front secretary Darhmingthangi said.

“As much as we need women in our domestic affairs, we need them in the legislative system too,” she added. “The Mizo society in pre-modern times was based on what is known as an extreme patriarchal society. This created ‘private’ and ‘public’ domain, where women were confined to the private sphere that further relegated their status in the social and religious life,” sociologist Subhankar Goswami said.

“Women, therefore, had no opportunities to go beyond the scope of the ‘domestic sphere’ and it was only men who controlled and dominated the entire ‘public sphere’. They were not supposed to have any independent religious loyalty, but were required to follow the religion of their husbands.”

MC Mary Kom’s Autobiography ‘UNBREAKABLE’ Officially Launched By Amitabh Bachchan

By Ambarish Ganesh

M.C. Mary Kom, who bought laurels for the country in the Olympics, has been saluted legendary by none other than megastar Amitabh Bachchan himself, for contributing immensely in breaking stereotypes pertaining to women from the north-eastern regions of India.

This is what the actor had to say about the athlete while unveiling her autobiography Unbreakable - “Mary Kom is already a legendary figure in the country, loved and admired by all.

She has made innumerable contributions in breaking stereotypes about women, more so from the northeast.

The book beautifully brings out her indestructible spirit and is an inspirational read for everyone.” Him and Mary even donned golden boxing gloves as they posed for the media.

Mary speaking on the occasion, said- “My struggle has been one that many in our country face, especially women. The reason I decided to pen my story down was so others could read it and feel that if I could achieve what I have, so can they.”

The autobiography is a candid confession and narration of Mary’s various struggles and wins encountered during her journey as an Indian boxer. A truly inspirational account.

You may order the book from Flipkart here: