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Singapore Worksite Trialing BluePass Contact Tracing and Check-in System to Curb COVID-19

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Worksite in Tampines, Singapore, managed by Surbana Jurong, is testing the application of a new BluePass contact tracking gadget and a check-in system to curb coronavirus spread. According to a report by The Straits Times on July 17, more than 400 workers were issued a BluePass wrist-mounted gadget and used Bluetooth technology to interact with other users in the vicinity every 5-10 minutes.

The new contact tracing and control system gives the managing company, Surbana Jurong, greater awareness and control of the social engagement of coronavirus patients to reduce the spread of the virus within the worksite. Notably, this new step is essential to circumvent another epidemic and shut down the economy.

COVID-19 spread management system

Moreover, the technology and gadget being tested were created by Temasek-backed cryptographic firm D’Crypt.The BluePass contact tracking and check-in system could even potentially enhance the national contact tracing gadget, TraceTogether Token, and the compulsory blockchain-based check-in system dubbed SafeEntry.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Surbana Jurong, Mr. Wong Heang Fine, data retention and control over contact tracing is very important for firms. Recording the data of people who were close to the coronavirus patient and tracing the areas the victim had taken so that possibly infected personnel could be detached from the rest of the patient. In addition, the affected regions can be closed for fumigation without having a major effect on worksite operations.

BluePass contact tracing and check-in system for effective workforce management

g On the other hand, the company that developed a national contact tracing gadget, GovTech, does not provide companies with access to the data collected due to privacy issues. According to reports, Singapore’s Ministry of Health takes about 24 hours to notify the company of a potentially infected worker. As a safety measure, most companies quarantine the entire facility waiting for further instructions.

Like the TraceTogether Token, the BluePass Gadget uses Bluetooth signal exchanges to log in to nearby users every five to ten minutes. In addition, each BluePass token is connected to a contact number and the last four NRIC, FIN, or passport numbers of the holder are encoded on the gadget.

Disrupt Ride-Sharing Through the Blockchain

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Decentralized Ride-sharing applications will disrupt both Uber and Lyft. If the two leading on-demand services fail to adapt, there is indeed fear of replacement.

Uber and Lyft are currently not at their best and both decentralized ride-sharing services are plagued with complaints because of their lack of control over users and drivers. Last year, following 6,000 cases of sexual assault in their cars, Uber’s stock fell by 2 percent over the previous two years.

These, in addition to many other criticisms currently faced by Uber and Lyft, are all based on the inconvenience of centralized ride-sharing services. Consequently, they provide some huge potential market penetration for a decentralized ride-sharing service.

Blockchains became the hype of the day with crypto personality and billionaire Mike Novogratz contemplating the idea of a decentralized ride-sharing service. Crypto experts believe there is a massive potential for blockchain ride-sharing applications that will lead the industry to significantly improve.

Centralized, lack of trust, data privacy is a major concern for Ride-Sharing Services

Existing ride-sharing applications need to be fixed in the following areas: Centrality leading to lack of transparency, lack of customer identification, the security of payments, and data piracy. Blockchain in ride-sharing holds the potential to disrupt the industry and provide a means of improvement.

For instance, the processing of large amounts of user data calls for a specific driver and driver verification. The identity of the service provider will remain evident to service clients, and vice versa. This will strengthen transparency and trust.

Storage will be on the blockchain after processing of this data. In addition, the blockchain will protect the ride-sharing database from identity theft. In particular, it granted strong cryptographic keys to the blockchain. Decentralized ride-sharing services will, therefore, reduce the chances of attacks and data manipulation.

The ability of the blockchain to sign digital contracts and make direct payments will be handy in securing ride-sharing payments. These direct payments will not require a gateway for third parties, such as Visa or Mastercard. Therefore, reduce transaction fees and rely on the benefits of cryptocurrency transactions.

Meanwhile, leading industry experts conclude that blockchain will disrupt the space for ride-sharing. Decentralized ride-sharing services will give riders and drivers a great deal of user control.

IBM TradeLens Set to Digitize India’s Largest private Port Operator

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The largest private port operator in India has joined forces with IBM TradeLens, a blockchain-based logistics platform, in an effort to digitize its supply chain. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) joined the blockchain-based logistics platform to automate its process in the coronavirus economy.

International supply chains are in dire need of automation in an economy devastated by the vast effects of COVID-19. IBM TradeLens is the ideal logistics platform for most global shipping and supply chain organisations.

IBM TradeLens was developed back in 2018 in partnership with Maersk. In particular, the blockchain-based platform will integrate cargo handling facilities run by APSEZ across India into the blockchain-based platform. These will include ports such as Gujarat, Odisha, Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, and incomplete Kerala.

IBM TradeLens to Revolutionize India’s supply chain

The supply chain industry is known to heavily involve a lot of paperwork, manual entries, and manual clearance of goods that can easily be manipulated. As such, lack of personnel has been a huge problem due to the spread of the coronavirus. 

According to an anonymous logistics industry official:

“During the pandemic, we realized the price of not digitizing the industry. There will be a mindset change now and more firms will adopt technology.”

Nevertheless, the new partnership with IBM TradeLens will substitute all the difficult, time-consuming labour and managerial procedures with efficient and digitized processes backed by blockchain technology.

Digitizing supply chain worldwide

IBM TradeLens has made congruous advancements in collaborating with key industry players in a bid to digitize their supply chain. Tradelens declared its collaboration with Cái Mép International Terminal.an extensive Asian shipping terminal  in December 2019. Furthermore, in January 2020, in order to digitize its supply chain, Port of Salalah, which is Oman’s port, also collaborated with the firm. 

Customer administrators in India would get a real-time update on shipments and paperwork by employing IBM tradelens,, therefore fast-tracking the whole process of assessments and approvals for everyone. 

Japan’s JCB to develop blockchain based payments system after partnership with TECHFUND

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According to a recent announcement, JCB, one of the largest credit card companies in Japan entered a strategic partnership with Venture Capital firm TECHFUND with a goal to develop a payment system with the help of blockchain technology.

The press release released by JCB global indicated that the aim is to construct a sustainable payment system that will also include other technological factors such as machine learning embedded through business analytics. The press release stated,

“Currently, we are focusing on supporting blockchain and STO projects, and are also developing and providing “ACCEL BaaS (Blockchain as a Service)” that “accelerates” development of startup and enterprise blockchain applications. Supporters include staking business EtherSecurity.”

However, it is not the first time JCB has been making moves towards the inclusion of blockchain in their organization. The financial enterprise, which is Japan’s premier business to business payments firms, had entered a partnership with Singapore blockchain technology provider Keychain in December 2019. The use of blockchain was a key aspect of that partnership as well.

JCB has been taking measured steps over the years, as its collaboration with commercial payments platform PayStand got the ball rolling in the first place.

As mentioned earlier, JCB is one of the leading credit card issuing companies in Japan and had annual revenues of over $2.7 billion dollars in 2018. As of today, JCB Credit Cards can be used in 23 countries around the world at the moment.

Japan and its venture in Blockchain and Crypto

Several financial institutions in the Asian country have been vocally raising their support for blockchain and crypto-assets over the past few years, with crypto-friendly SBI holdings leading the rally in the country. In January 2020, it was also announced that SBI Holdings will give shareholders the option to receive the XRP cryptocurrency as a benefit.

Over the next decade, the country may possibly become a global force in terms of improving financial remittances and payments in the global financial sector.

Digital Technology Crucial in Fight Against Coronavirus Pandemic, Says G-20

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During a video conference held on April 30, members from the Group of Twenty (G-20) member nations, emphasized that digital technology and policies are playing a crucial role in retaliation to the widespread COVID-19.

At the Extraordinary G-20 Digital Economy Ministers Meeting, Mr. S. Iswaran, Minister of Communications, who also represented Singapore, stated that coronavirus had critically deranged economies, international trade, and global supply chains.

According to Iswaran, digital technology and policies are doing extra work to improve response to the coronavirus pandemic and recovery from the epidemic. The Communications Minister pointed out three areas where digital tech and policies can reap near-and long-term benefits: intensifying public health, equipping citizens with knowledge, and reinforcing the economy.

Digital technology and policies in health sector 

In addition, he added that the COVID-19 crisis has lad to the need for digital health solutions including telemedicine, and earmarked interventions such as automated temperature screening and the pursuing of contacts.

Moreover, digital technology has made it possible for administrations to engage with the citizens; to enhance widespread trust and togetherness in order to ease effective retaliation against COVID-19.

Furthermore, Iswaran stated that it is significant for business ventures to employ digital tech and policies to enhance the durability of their entities. Adoption of digital technologies such as digital payment methods and online selling would ramp up sales especially during this period clouded with pandemic uncertainties.

Moving forward, while speaking at Saudi Arabia’s invitation, Iswaran added that the coronavirus epidemic has highlighted the significance of making substantial investments in digital connectivity networks and cybersecurity. Adding to that, he claimed that 5G is the spine of the digital economy.

Ministers to revamp business durability by promoting digitization projects

During the virtual meeting, the ministers present concurred to focus on six areas of work. These areas of work include ensuring the security and affordability of communication systems; and network security while transmitting data; and inspiring research and adoption of digital health technologies.

The ministers also concurred in the bid to reinforce business pliability by promoting digitization and offering support. Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Communication and IT,  Abdullah Amer Al-Swaha chaired the virtual meeting.

Ledger Nano X – Hardware Wallet – Review, Walkthrough and FAQs

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TLDR:

  • Ledger Nano X is extremely portable hardware wallet with its in-built battery
  • Upgraded user experience; wider screen and better support
  • Can run up to 100 apps and supports 1100+ tokens
  • Nano X is great for pro traders, Nano S is sufficient for holders
  • Although it costs more than Ledger Nano S the extra $60 is worth it
  • Setup: 5/5 || UI/UX: 4/5 || Token Support: 5/5 || Security: 5/5

Specifications:-

Dimensions [cm]  7.2 x 1.86 x 1.18
Weight 34 g
Connection USB-C and Bluetooth
Inputs Two buttons
Battery 100 mAh Lithium-ion
Device Compatibility 64-bit desktop PCs – Windows 8+, macOS 10.8+, and Linux*
Tokens 1100+
Applications 100

If you’ve never owned a crypto hardware wallet it is perhaps high time you realize the importance of the saying “not your keys, not your coins”. Even though cryptocurrency exchanges are taking “world-class”, “high-end”, “advanced” security measures to protect your assets at the end of the day exchanges are CENTRALIZED. Even if you’re taking precautions and storing cryptocurrencies on decentralized exchanges or “trustworthy” hot wallets there’s a high amount of risk and chances of you losing your assets under malicious attacks.

The best way to be safe about your assets is to store in cold wallets, offline. The only risk here is for you to be dumb enough to tattoo your private keys on your wrist or throw away your hardware wallet without memorizing the recovery phrase. Nevertheless, if you know your private key and seed your funds can always be retrieved if you lose your wallet, or if it’s stolen you can always sweep your key and get the bread back. 

Amidst the global chaos, today, I finally got my hands on my Ledger Nano X – ever since its release last year, I was pretty intrigued and wanted to buy one. Better late than never, here’s a walkthrough review of the product. 

inside ledger scaled e1588220923894
Inside the Ledger Nano X box

The Set-up

Step 1: To set Ledger Nano X you need to download Ledger Live on your PC/Smartphone. After downloading the app, you will get an option to select your respective device. 

#LedgernanoX

Step 2: After selecting your device you will receive a couple of options:-

  • Set up as a new device
  • Restore the device from the recovery phase
  • Skip device setup

Since my Ledger Nano X is new I went with “Set up as a new device”. You can select according to your own requirements. 

Step 3: The next step requires you to set your pin-up. The Ledger live application has an extremely smooth onboarding process and will guide you through it. 

[Note: Save your PIN in a safe space.]

Step 4: Ledger Nano X will walk you through your seed recovery phrase. Followed by instructions asking you to save the phrase.

[Note: Save your seed recovery phase this helps you to recover your assets if you lose your hardware wallet] 

Step 5: Ledger live will walk you through a couple of security checks to make sure you’ve saved your seed phrase. 

Step 6: Turn on your Bluetooth and pair your set up the device with Ledger Nano X. 

Step 7: Further, you will be asked for a “Password Lock”  in case someone comes across your PC/Smartphone and tries to access your funds. 

Step 8: It’ll ask you for permission, read carefully, and select accordingly. 

And, Voila!
#Ledgernanox

The Setup is super easy and took me less than 2-3 minutes to get done. 

The Exploration 

Ledger Nano X supports 1000+ cryptocurrencies and covers most of the top-ranked coins. For every cryptocurrency, you want to store in your ledger you have to install its respective application. 

I hold BTC, ETH, XRP, EOS, TRX, XLM, ADA, MIOTA along a few scam coins I bought as a newbie in 2016/17.

But for testing purposes, I tried sending 500 TRX to my Ledger Nano X. 

#Ledgernanox

The process was seamless and took me a few minutes to transfer my funds, the interface was impressive considering the low standards of UI/UX in this space. 

I wanted to explore the wallet but as much as I wanted to open it up to see the chips I knew there was a possibility I wouldn’t be able to pack it up.

Ledger Nano X has two chips much like S. The element chip [ST33J2M0] protects your private keys while other is a dual-core MCU with wireless support [STM32WB55].

tron ledger

One of the reasons why I was pretty hesitant to get a Ledger Nano X is Bluetooth. 

BlueTooth makes your device vulnerable and prone to attacks. To secure the device from hacks, it has been designed with a number of measures including hiding electromagnetic radiation and power usage that cancel out the chances of side-channel attacks. Even if your PC/Smartphone or BlueTooth or MCU gets compromised the secure element will always prompt you to verify the transaction with its original details and no transaction will go through without explicit consent.

You can even check out their official blog post to understand their security measures better.

Since Nano X has a battery and doesn’t need a USB  connection to run it they best and only viable option for it to connect to your operating device is through BlueTooth. Nevertheless, if you do not want to keep your BlueTooth on you can always switch to Nano S. 

FAQS on Ledger Nano X

  • Is Ledger Nano X safe?

Ans: Yes, in my opinion, it is the safest hardware wallet in the space and has a proven track record of cold wallet security. 

  • How do I transfer my cryptos from another wallet to Ledger Nano X?

Ans: Let’s assume you want to transfer some XRP. 

Set up Ledger Live -> Download the XRP app on your device and create an account -> Copy your XRP deposit address from your Ledger account -> Open your primary account from which you want to transfer XRP -> Paste the XRP deposit address on your XRP Primary account to “send” the XRP -> Confirm the transaction [Once done, you will be notified]

  •  Can I remove my assets once deposited in Ledger Nano X?

Ans: Yes, it is extremely efficient and fast as compared to the existing products in the market. Open Ledger Live -> Select the coin you want to transfer -> Enter the deposit address of your destination [where you want to send your asset to] -> Confirm the transaction 

  • Does Ledger Nano X support privacy coins?

Ans: You can check it out HERE on their official website to understand which coins they support. 

  • How to reset Nano X?

Ans: Please make sure you transfer all your tokens/coins to a safe wallet before resetting your Nano X. You can read instructions on resetting your Nano X HERE.

Venezuela Increases Monthly Minimum Wage to $2 as Citizens Protest Failed Promise

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Countries in Latin America have taken to the cryptocurrency market due to the problems they face with their national currencies. Venezuela was a major example in this department, taking its citizens to crypto to avoid Bolivar’s crumbling.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recently took to the public forum to inform that the government would be raising the minimum wage in the country by a 100 percent. While the figure looks good on paper, the ground reality was that the new wage will only amount to a measly $2. 

The incumbent government revealed its latest decision in line with the country’s tradition of raising wages before Labor Day on May 1. As per the latest overhaul, the daily wage earners will now earn a minimum of 400,000 bolivars from the earlier 250,000 bolivars. Comparing the hike to Venezuela’s official cryptocurrency, Petro, it was noticed that the figure would jump to 0.039 or 0.0003 BTC.

Venezuelans have been clamouring for an increase in the daily wage for a long time and the new change is not expected to do a lot for their morale. Analysts claimed that 0.0039 petros is only enough to buy one kilogram of meat, a far cry from obtaining other basic necessities. A litre of edible oil costs $1 while a kilogram of rice is priced the same. An on-ground report stated:

“To acquire the 27 basic products regulated by the government, a Venezuelan needs $ 32.65 or 5.58 million bolivars at the official exchange rate of April 25, 171,072 Bs./$. The amount is equivalent to 22 minimum wages, which since January is located at 250,000 bolivars, or 1.4 dollars at the BCV rate.”

The latest value may be confusing to a lot of people, because Petro, linked to daily wages, was not the same as Petro’s cryptocurrency. The second Petro acts just as a unit of account and has not inherent connection with the national cryptocurrency. This is why the monthly minimum wage was set at 40,000, which is roughly $2.

Nicholas Maduro’s government had initially promised that the daily wages would be hiked to 0.5 which was equivalent to almost $30. The premier had instructed his cabinet to carry forward the changes which came to nothing because of internal conflicts within his cabinet. Citizens came out in droves to protest the decision as it was a total u-turn from what was promised.

Reports stated that the promised raise would have been at least 10 times the new minimum wage, something that the struggling people of the country did not take lightly. The current predicament was another black mark for Petro as it only seemed to increase the people’s problems rather than alleviate it. The Center of Documentation and Analysis for Workers said that a family would need 77 times the current wage to sustain their needs.

Outsourcing App Development and How To Do It?

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For many IT start-up companies, the question of how to outsource app development is popping up more and more frequently. Around 50% of all IT companies have outsourced their development at least once.

There are many reasons why companies in the app development industry see outsourcing as a viable option. One of the main reasons being reducing costs and faster development process.

This way, you can get very skilled developers from all across the world to work for you, talented people that you might not have found if you were opting for in-house development.

With that being said, here are a few tips on how to properly outsource development.

Have a clear vision of what you want to do

As in any other business, you firstly need to know exactly what your product will be. You now work with individual people, so having a deep understanding of your idea is crucial to provide effective communication, and minimize the risk of mishaps during the development process.

Ask yourself a few questions. Who are my clients going to be? What exactly is my app going to do? How’s it going to do it? What features am I going to include? How is it going to stand out from other apps?

Study the developers 

Whether you found people who are willing to work for you by outsourcing companies, or by all sorts of freelancer sites you’ll always want to study and select your potential team before you put it to work.

After you’ve got a clear vision of your app, it will be much easier to set criteria when searching for people. Take a look at their portfolios, examine them, and then select the ones best suited for your needs.

Set clear goals

Because long-distance communication could be more difficult than face-to-face ones, because of time-zones, connectivity, etc, the first thing you’ll want to do is to set clear goals to your outsourced developers.

That way, they’ll get a deeper understanding of what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

Have proper communication 

As we’ve said before, outsourcing has its own drawbacks too. One of them being a less efficient communication process. However, you can overcome this by clearly establishing the means of communication. Be it through email, skype, whatever.

Another important thing is to talk to your developers frequently, give them weekly or daily updates, request updates from them. That way you’ll minimize the risk of misunderstanding, and you’ll potentially avoid a lot of damage if it ever happens.

Ask Questions 

Speaking of potential misunderstanding, asking a lot of questions is a great way to minimize the risk of it. Get to know your developers, ask them more about their background.

It’s also a means of testing your team’s communication abilities. When it comes to outsourcing, you don’t really want to deal with an unresponsive employee.

Conclusion 

All in all, outsourcing app development can get quite tricky. Sometimes it serves as a gold-mine, hiding all sorts of talents from all across the world, that otherwise, you would not have known of.

However, if you don’t select your team properly and don’t maintain good communication the whole development process can become quite hectic.