Monthly Archives: January 2019

Today at CES in Las Vegas, the automaker fleshed out the details on an insect-like concept car that isn’t limited by its wheels. This thing also has legs, which allow it to go where there are no roads, by trekking or climbing over difficult terrain, fording rivers, clambering over crumbled concrete, or even climbing stairs.In this city without restraint, CES is a safe space to showcase outrageous concepts unlikely to make it to production. But Hyundai has thought through a business case for the machine it’s calling Elevate, or the Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (how about the ummmm … V?). It pitches the blend of car, robot, and Mars rover as the ideal machine for first responders. While a car or truck would get stumped at the edge of a debris field of broken buildings, for example, the Elevate can just clamber on over, to the heart of the problem, instead of leaving firefighters or anyone else to trek in on foot. Hyundai says that, with a modular platform, the body atop the walking wheels could be swapped out for different applications. It also shows a taxi concept that can climb entrance steps to a building, to allow wheelchair users to roll in and out easily.The platform itself puts the four wheels on the ends of robot legs with five degrees of freedom (meaning they can move in just about any direction). Propulsion comes from electric motors mounted inside each wheel hub, like on the Mars Curiosity Rover.When the legs are folded under the vehicle, the Elevate can travel at highway speeds, almost resembling a normal car. But it looks cleverest, and scariest, when it rises up to full height, using the wheels as feet. It can replicate the walking patterns of both mammals and reptiles, so it can stride across most terrains confidently, even snow and ice, with the wheels turned sideways as nonslip pads. “Imagine a car stranded in a snow ditch 10 feet off the highway being able to walk or climb back to the road,” says David Byron, design manager at Sundberg-Ferar, the Detroit-based design studio that worked with Hyundai to develop the concept.

70 Percent of Central Banks Working Towards Own Digital MoneySwiss-based BIS, dubbed the central bank of central banks, surveyed 63 of its members on central bank digital currencies (CBDC), a form of government issued digital money that might not necessarily be underpinned by blockchain, as the case is with bitcoin.About 70 percent of the banks surveyed said that they were involved in some kind of work to issue their own CBDCs, according to the report, which gathered views from central banks that are responsible for 80 percent of the world’s population.Five central banks have initiated pilot projects, including the central banks of Sweden, Uruguay and South Africa. BIS found that less than a quarter now have the authority to issue a digital currency of their own in the near term and 40 percent remain uncertain. Many are progressing from conceptual work into experimentation and proofs-of-concept, but a great number remain unsure of issuing their own digital coins.“Only a limited number of central banks are proceeding to the pilot stage with CBDCs, and even fewer see issuance of a CBDC as likely in the short or medium term,” reads the report. “At this stage, most central banks appear to have clarified the challenges of launching a CBDC but they are not yet convinced that the benefits will outweigh the costs.”The survey revealed that “central banks are proceeding cautiously, and also that they are collaborating and sharing the results of their work.” It highlighted two types of digital currencies that can be issued by central banks – wholesale and general purpose. Whereas wholesale digital currencies are generally limited to specific tasks such as interbank payments, general purpose currencies are designed to replace cash and will be made available to the public. The report said:Caution and collaboration will reduce the likelihood of unintended consequences. To meet the payment needs of the future, physical cash is unlikely to be the main answer. Most people will have to wait to use a central bank digital currency. However, central banks are working hard to make sure the wait is worth it.‘Bitcoin Is a Niche Pursuit’While some central banks from Canada, Singapore and South Africa are attempting to replicate wholesale payment systems using distributed ledger technology – the backbone of major independent cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin – almost all of them refused to acknowledge the impact of these digital currencies in their jurisdictions. Central bankers tended to regard cryptocurrency as a niche pursuit, rather than as the future of money.“No central banks reported any significant or wider public use of cryptocurrencies for either domestic or cross border payments in their jurisdictions,” BIS said. “Usage of cryptocurrencies is assessed to be either minimal (‘trivial/no use’) or concentrated in niche groups.”BIS added that the majority of central banks believe that the use of cryptocurrency “will remain minor” due to “low retail acceptance, compliance issues, better public understanding by the general public of the risks involved and, for some jurisdictions, outright bans.”

Apple and Samsung have done it again.In a week in which pretty much every tech company in the world is unveiling flashy new products, the two giants have managed to steal the limelight. This time, it was at CES 2019, the world's biggest electronics show. The Las Vegas confab is the event that sets the stage for the coming year in tech. Big players like Samsung, LG and Sony unveil their newest TVs, home appliances and other devices, while smaller companies show off everything from, say, bread-making robots to a toothbrush that scrubs your entire mouth in 10 seconds. This year there was also a lot of noise from Google and Amazon, which are vying to be the primary voice assistant provider for smart home gadgets and other technology. Even with all of that, Apple and Samsung -- two of the most powerful companies in tech -- managed to generate some of the biggest buzz in Las Vegas and they didn't have to hold major press events to get the attention. In the case of Apple, it's started letting TV makers, like LG and Vizio, access its AirPlay and HomeKit technology, and Samsung's 2019 TVs will even come with iTunes built in. Playing nice with the world's biggest TV makers is natural step for Apple ahead of the launch of its long-rumored streaming video service. 

Paris-Montréal en 3h45 au lieu de 7, Sydney-Los Angeles en 6h45 au lieu de 15. C’est ce que promet la start-up américaine Boom, dont l'avion supersonique, baptisé Overture, pourrait décoller dès 2023 après une phase d'essais espérée d'ici la fin de l'année. Dans son communiqué de presse du 4 janvier, l'entreprise officialise sa récente levée de fonds de 100 millions de dollars (environ 87 millions d'euros) dans l'objectif de développer le prototype.Son design élancé et ultra-aérodynamique devrait lui permettre d’atteindre une vitesse de croisière 2,2 fois supérieure à la vitesse du son, soit près de 2 300 kilomètres par heure – à peine plus que le Concorde, son ancêtre européen. Si le projet aboutit, ses 55 passagers voyageront dans un intérieur confortable et luxueux, conformément aux standards (et aux tarifs) de la classe affaires. « À terme, notre objectif est de rendre les vols ultra-rapides accessibles à tous », assure pourtant Blake Scholl, fondateur et PDG de Boom.   

 Notre enjeu, c'est notre indépendance par rapport aux plateformes de mise en relation », souligne Sayah Baaroun, le secrétaire général du Syndicat des chauffeurs privés VTC à l'origine de ces recours groupés. Il pointe les différences entre Uber et des plateformes comme Doctolib ou Blablacar, « qui ne définissent pas les prix ». De fait, ce qui est en train de se jouer devant les tribunaux, ce n'est pas l'existence d'une économie collaborative s'appuyant sur des plateformes mais le degré de contraintes que ces intermédiaires mettant en relation des prestataires et des clients peuvent exercer.A être trop gourmande, avertit la Cour d'appel de Paris, une plateforme d'intermédiation prend le risque que ne s'applique pas la présomption de non-salariat que prévoit le Code du travail pour les autoentrepreneurs et autres entrepreneurs individuels. Cette décision de la Cour d'appel de Paris est majeure car elle limite de fait la portée de cette disposition qu'Emmanuel Macron avait fait introduire dans le Code du travail, lorsqu'il était ministre de l'Economie, via la loi qui porte son nom.

Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos stands to lose millions of shares of company stock during his pending divorce, according to a Business Insider report. The company founder—who recently announced he was parting ways with his wife MacKenzie Bezos after 25 years—owns about 16 percent of Amazon's shares. Under Washington state law, BI notes, MacKenzie could be eligible to collect half of those shares, which make up a sizable chunk of the couples' estimated net worth of $137 billion. Not long after Jeff Bezos tweeted the news of the couple’s breakup, The National Enquirer published the results of a four-month-long investigation into the Amazon exec's alleged relationship with news anchor and pilot Lauren Sanchez, which the tabloid claimed involved "raunchy messages and erotic selfies." It's unclear how those revelations will affect the divorce proceedings, and TMZ reports the couple did not have a prenup. But this much is clear: By year's end, Jeff Bezos will likely be only slightly richer than the Romanoffs.

En marge du CES, lors de la soirée de la francophonie, Mounir Mahjoubi a annoncé la création en 2019 de l’indice Next 40, un CAC 40 des startups du numérique.À l’aide du robot de téléconférence développé par Awabot, Mounir Mahjoubi, le secrétaire d’État au numérique a pu rendre virtuellement visite aux jeunes pousses de la French Tech présentes au CES 2019 de Las Vegas. Mardi 8 janvier, lors de la soirée de la francophonie organisée par Business France et La Tribune en marge du CES, Mounir Mahjoubi est apparu cette fois au travers d’une vidéo. Le secrétaire d’État en a profité pour confirmer la création en 2019 de l’indice Next 40, un CAC 40 pour les startups du numérique.« Il s’agira d’un indice visant à valoriser les 40 startups françaises à plus fort potentiel mondial, un peu comme le CAC 40 de l’industrie, mais pour les pépites du numérique. Elles seront évaluées et sélectionnées par un jury indépendant qui devront mettre à jour régulièrement la liste de ces startups qu’on considère comme ayant le plus fort potentiel, à la fois sur le plan économique et international, mais aussi qui incarnent les valeurs de l’innovation européenne, c’est-à-dire avec un fort impact sociétal », a précisé Mounir Mahjoubi, selon nos confrères de La Tribune. Une opportunité pour les entrepreneurs du Digital de valoriser leurs activités et d’accélérer leur développement. Quelle place occuperont les jeunes pousses du Tourisme au sein de ce nouvel indice ?

According to a Reuters report published Jan. 9 (which mentions only six tabacs), French financial technology group Keplerk is backing the sale of bitcoin in tobacco stores. In 2018, the company reached an agreement with a local payments software provider allowing tabac owners to sell BTC vouchers that can be redeemed from a wallet on Keplerk’s website. Keplerk put the figure of bitcoin selling tobacco outlets at 24, in a statement to French website capital.fr.Currently, BTC can be bought in three sums of 50 euros, 100 euros and 250 euros ($57, $114 and $286). In exchange for the euro, the user obtains a ticket containing an alphanumeric code and a QR code. Buyers then have to visit the Keplerk website to convert their vouchers into cryptocurrency of either bitcoin core or ethereum. Keplerk charges a commission of 7 percent on each ticket sold and gives 1.25% to the tobacconist, the company said.Some people find it complicated to get bitcoins online They trust their local tobacco shop owner more than they would trust some remote anonymous website.Tabacs already sell a variety of products including cigars, cigarettes and lottery tickets. Several of France’s 24,000 licensed tobacco shops have moved into new areas, such as prepaid credit cards, cellphone credits and money transfer services to compensate for the declining revenue from tobacco sales.

One of the most common arguments against pricing goods and services in sats is that BTC is volatile, and thus a 25,000 satoshi dollar bill could be worth 30,000 sats or 20,000 sats tomorrow. While it’s certainly true that cryptocurrencies can be highly volatile, fiat currencies are not exempt from this malaise. In fact, when viewed over a long enough timeframe, the U.S. dollar’s properties as a store of value don’t look so hot:Should bitcoin ever become the global reserve currency, everything will be priced in satoshis. In the meantime, there’s nothing to stop ecosystem participants – vendors, wallet developers, P2P market operators, and consumers – from adopting the satoshi as their default unit of account for low value transactions. In the early aughts, when European Union countries began switching to the euro, it was common for shops to display prices in their outgoing national currency as well as in EUR. Perhaps it’s time for the bitcoin community to follow suit.The first phase is to champion a dual system in which items are priced in both fiat currency and in sats. Should hyperbitcoinization ever occur, phase two will require no explanation – by that point, we’ll know what to do. But that’s a conversation for another day. For now, all that matters is that we start spending, sending, and receiving satoshis. Just as a journey of 1,000 miles starts with one small step, the transition to satoshis starts here.

After years of false starts, the city is ready to unveil a rail-based mass rapid transit (MRT) system that will eventually stretch across 67 miles of the metropolitan area and carry more than a million people daily. In October, Japan committed to funding $619 million for the second phase of the MRT, allowing construction to get underway. In late 2018, the city also launched a light rail (LRT) system to connect the city center to Jakarta’s suburbs, which is expected to cost $4 billion. The LRT is expected to help 12 million people each week avoid Jakarta’s congested streets. The city’s bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which launched in 2004 with just one line, is also expanding, with two new lines expected to open alongside the MRT and LRT.NOW, I HAVE HOPE THAT IT [JAKARTA’S TRAFFIC TRANSFORMATION] MIGHT HAPPEN.RASKA SOEMANTORO, JAKARTA RESIDENT AND COLLEGE STUDENT. The city’s planners and analysts are counting on these mega projects tying in with private sector initiatives that have taken off. The ride-hailing motorcycle taxi app GO-JEK, which launched in 2010, has been downloaded by more than 11 million people in the city. These motorcycle taxis, called ojeks, are able to weave through traffic jams or traverse roads and alleys too small for cars, making them a speedier way to get around the city. Collectively, these transport solutions are finally giving many people hope that Jakarta could be turning the corner on decades of misguided, unplanned development. If Jakarta’s strategy works, it could also serve as an example for similarly packed cities struggling with urban transport, from Dhaka to Lagos to Cairo. “I am really excited for the project to be finished,” says Raska Soemantoro, a college student and native Jakarta resident, about the MRT and LRT projects. “I’ve been waiting for years and years for Jakarta to finally become a proper world-class city, and now, I have hope that it might happen.”