#finland however needs your vote because the juries will not give us points

[reunalordi]

mood for tonight

#eurovision #we're gonna need everyone to not vote for sweden #sweden doesn't need your vote they will get so many points from juries they are fine without your vote #finland however needs your vote because the juries will not give us points #do not vote sweden #vote finland #we must defeat the evil (generic pop songs in esc written by the same two swedish dudes) #and also we must defeat the juries

[inhibited-irregularity]

EUROVISION 2021, personal favorites:

- Russia 🇷🇺

Manizha, Russian Woman: Absolute favorite. The sheer originality of the song! Her energy and the level of absolute badassery! She can sing, she can rap,and she's a bomb of energy. The way reggae and brass and hiphop and Slavic melodies overlap and it somehow works, the transitions between fun and "I'm bitter about the sexism and I'm mocking it unapologetically and making a stand" and the anthemic, emphatic and powerful message to Russian women; I was swelling with emotion while watching her. While to an American or a Westerner it may seem like performative feminism, I'm gonna remind you that in Russia and other Slavic countries that's very much not a thing and actually a very unpopular stand to make, and in Russia, The Balkans, and Eastern Europe in general, hundreds of women face domestic and sexual abuse on the daily, and those who do come forward rarely get support and are mostly dismissed. Let's not forget that Manizha got a huge backlash from the Russian government officials, and a big part of it was for her Tajik roots. The honesty of her message is real, and she's speaking from personal experience and the experience of women around her - nothing performative about her song, and you can tell from her delivery that the fire within her is true and she leaves her heart on the stage and pours it into the song. The staging and costumes are great as well, and symbolically well thougt-through. I would really like her to win, or at least get to the top 5. Most of all, I hope her message is heard and felt. 10000/10

- Italy 🇮🇹

Måneskin, Zitti e Buoni: definitely the closest thing to my actual music taste this year, so liking them off the bat wasn't a surprise. However, they're not just your regular Franz-Ferdinand-ish young alt rock band that wants to do rock "properly" - they have IT. The X factor, the Je ne sais quoi. I've been exposed to that particular genre, and I can confidently say that the song still manages to be refreshing and original (that bridge, those riffs!) The band has a great energy and no matter how much Damiano steals the show, they are still a unit and nobody is left in the shadows. They have the spirit of great rock bands of the previous century, and yet they don't try to copy anyone (khm,Greta Van Fleet, khm). Damiano's vocals are both powerful, seductive and provoking, and I'm still admiring the sheer amount of emotion he can pack into a single line and the nuance and yet rawness behind it. I'm not gonna state the obvious lol (the obvious being yes, I'm thirsty as well, he becomes yet another unattainable rockstar for me too,and yes they all look great) Anyway, great song, and maybe the clearest and most serious candidate for the number one spot, taking both the jury and the public into consideration. 10/10

- Iceland 🇮🇸

Daði Freyr and Gagnamagnið, 10 years:

What can I say about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said? A clear fan-favorite (hi, Valentina), but with the guns to back it up. The song is contagious, fun and campy, and unlike some other songs with said qualities, actually good from a musical perspective. Daði is incredibly charismatic and his sense of humor shines through, and even though he's the star of the show, the same can be said about the other band members. The synergy Måneskin has can be applied to Gagnamagnið as well, even though the energy is entirely different. They're serving us fun, sunshine, kitties rainbows sugar spice and everything nice, and manage to do it with zero cringe factor (plus those funky keytars). I'm one of those Eurovision fans that lament the golden age's (2004-2009) campiness (We'll never forget you, Verka), and Daði managed to bring it back, but modernised, polished and still sincere. I personally preferred the epic dad joke that slightly more commercial Think About Thing was (but that's one tough act to follow), but I'm always down for a husband adoring his wife and singing praises to their relationship. Since we're on tumblr, I feel obliged to use the term "cinnamon rolls" in describing Daði and the band. 9.5/10

- France 🇫🇷

Barbara Pravi, Voilà: She brought the theatrics, she brought the drama, and she brought the 101 in "that's how you perform". Her personality leaps through, and her voice is both beautiful and full of emotion and power. I'd hire her to star in a serious and artistic movie. Despite the fact that Voilà is from its melody to the singing style to the video to the vibe and the aesthetic hands down the most French thing I've seen since Amélie (do not come for that movie), it miraculously doesn't come across as a cliché, but rather an homage, and an individualistic one at that. It's not entirely my cup of tea, since I'm usually biased to songs that may come off as snobbish (I mean, the jury is going to lap it up), and are all about being proper and technical and oh how ~artistic~, but Barbara puts the soul into the immaculate. I'm not giving her the highest mark because I'm yet to see the performance, but I'm rooting for her. If she delivers the performance, we might have a clear winner. 9/10

- Ukraine 🇺🇦

Go_A, Shum: I'm a sucker for all things ethnic and mytological, so this was a no-brainer. I want that song played at every party. I want to go to the forest in the video and chant and summon the spring with flute and hard-bass. Kateryna Pavlenko has some unexplainable power over me, and her eyes are simply hypnotizing. The vocals are great, proper Slavic ethno right there (seriously, check out Slavic folklore and traditional music), and she has a subtle punk quality too(?). Ukraine came to save the spring and make us forget about the pandemic, and minus the Maruv fiasco (justice for her!), they always deliver and I expected nothing less. On the other hand, I loved the original version much more and couldn't help but be a bit disappointed with the revamp (yes, I know they had to), and while I personally love Shum, I think some other acts are more deserving of the higher placement. Go_A are not my winner, but definitely soon to be in my playlist. 8/10

- San Marino 🇸🇲

Adrenalina, Senhit ft. Flo Rida: You know that golden age of Eurovision I mentioned? THIS. I'm Serbian, so I can't resist a banger reminiscent of our horrible turbo-folk elements (and I say that endearingly,takes me back to 18th birthday parties (boy I'm glad that's over)). Let's just crown Senhit this year's Queen of Camp. The wild factor of Flo Rida...just?? Amazing. Can't wait to see how the performance goes (EDIT- it went great, I had a grin on my face the entire time and couldn't help but dance along). A certain refreshment after Serhat and Valentina Monetta endless loop. They didn't dial down the weird, but made it catchy af, and the vocal can rival any Balkan folk diva. While I think it's definitely the most entertaining entry this year, it's far from being the most original, and it's not really my genre of preference. Will vote for Senhit and root for her to qualify. 7.5/ 10

- Sweden 🇸🇪

Tusse, A million voices: As I mentioned before, I'm the first person that starts complaining about Sweden Superiority as soon as Eurovision season begins, and I'm with you all with being tired of Sweden qualifying just because they're Sweden and usually just bringing the same brand of MTV/Calvin Harris/American pop, or a successful and not-so-subtle imitation of the performances that did well the previous year,but listen: A million voices is a solid pop song and I'm going to die on that hill. It actually embodies the essence of pop - a catchy, pleasant melody sung by a good vocalist, with a short,sweet and uplifting message. It's not the same as previous years, it's not commercial, just good pop - good pop being something you immediately like and vibe to no matter how many common elements of the genre it checks. It relies on RnB rather than electronic sounds, auto tune or various DJ effects. Tusse is charming and charismatic af, and he's a 19yo kid doing an amazing job on a global stage. You don't have to like it, but there's no need to hate on it (ask Jendrik). Imo, Tusse deserved to qualify. Not winner material yet, but I wish him a fun time and a successful career. 7 5/10

- Switzerland 🇨🇭

G'jons Tears, Tout L'Univers: I saw the video first, and I HATED IT. It came across as a Duncan Lawrence-high-art wannabe, something technically perfect, but empty of soul or meaning, another soft boy with a sad falsetto, another jury-points bait. BUT. I changed my mind entirely after seeing him perform. Hands down, it was touching and epic. Reminding me of Hamlet aside, he DELIVERED, and made me love him, and actually enjoy the song. I still think the song is less original than Tusse's voices, but I enjoy the troubadour vibes of the pre-chours. G'jon is absolutely adorable, and I'm not gonna be mad if he wins. 8/10

shout-outs&honorable mentions:

- Serbia 🇷🇸 Yes, some national bias, but I'm proud of our girls. Ever Since we placed 2nd with Željko's Lane, we had that goddamn flute e v e r y year, and the same outdated scenography with a side of extra pathos (I'm sure that ruined Sanja's chances and her otherwise great performance back in 2016.) Finally something fun and actually representative of the music popular here. They looked flawless and the energy was off the charts. Go, Hurricane!

-Finland 🇫🇮 Yes, cheesy and corny and I cut my finger accidentally from watching the video on all the edge, but I'm biased because they're bringing emo and nu-metal back, and that's the music of my early adolescence (hello, Kaulitz brothers and Andy Biersack,hello Gerard Way and Linkin Park) Call me grandma lol

- Malta 🇲🇹 DESTINY CAN SIIIIIIIIING! I wasn't impressed with the song initially, but the performance blew my mind.

- Ireland 🇮🇪 A for effort, and so nice of her to try and give us something unique! While it wasn't good enough to qualify, it was super fun and she seems so nice. Also, we all know that she was out of breath an can sing much better than that. Still wasn't bad.

- Romania 🇷🇴, for being so young and brave enough to put on a show. The nerves got the better of her, but the song itself is good and no doubt she'll do well in the future

- Lithuania 🇱🇹, thanks for the memeries

- Croatia 🇭🇷, Not my cup of tea, but Albina gave a great performance

-Norway 🇳🇴, for embodying the spirit of Eurovision

- North Macedonia 🇲🇰, for the disco chest

- The UK 🇬🇧, for putting some effort

(Might edit later)

#eurovison #eurovision 2021 #rotterdam #the netherlands #russia #malta #italy #france #iceland #sweden #serbia #esc 2021 #switzerland #san marino #ukraine

[cryptnus-blog]

Blockchain Is Amazing, But It Can't Replace Everything

New Post has been published on https://cryptnus.com/2018/07/blockchain-is-amazing-but-it-cant-replace-everything/

Blockchain Is Amazing, But It Can't Replace Everything

Can blockchain make sex obsolete? That’s the bizarre question posed by Hackernoon author Shawn Gordon. Well, at least that was the title of his tongue-in-cheek post which brings up the real question – has our belief in the almighty blockchain gone too far? Is it really the be all, end all solution to all of man’s problems? And more importantly, are all of these ICO’s coming out today really going to be able to deliver on their outlandish promises? According to Gordon, perhaps we need to reel in our expectations.

Blockchain: Hype Vs. Fact

It is our opinion here at Blockonomi that blockchain and cryptocurrencies (two separate but related concepts) are indeed some of the most important innovations of our time. And while blockchain is indeed such an important technology, it is not the ultimate solution to everything. There are some tasks that blockchain is downright lousy at addressing.

So what is blockchain good for?

It’s a excellent way of storing critical, small pieces of information across a distributed network. It is an excellent way to maintain an immutable record of events, and it is a revolutionary way to create an all-digital form of cash that requires no middleman or gatekeepers.

New uses for blockchain are coming out all the time. While many of them are indeed interesting, a number of them are probably too half-baked to become a reality in our lifetimes.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

One point that Shawn Gordon made about blockchain-based logistics and tracking systems is that they are only as good or as reliable as the information they are given. The system still largely relies on human input, and humans are notorious for producing incorrect, inaccurate or intentionally falsified data when it benefits them.

This refers to a computing concept known as garbage in, garbage out. Basically speaking, if the data supplied to a blockchain project (ostensibly by humans, but perhaps even from automated sources) is of poor quality, then the output of the system no matter how advanced it is will be garbage as well.

Read: Blockchain & Supply Chain Management

In the case of a logistics system, if humans are incentivized to lie about the origin of goods or how long they’ve been sitting in a warehouse before being entered into a blockchain system, then it’s pretty reasonable to assume that this will happen.

Speaking of their experience at a conference, Gordon wrote:

One of them was telling me that blockchain will ensure that your Organic Bananas have in fact never had pesticides used on them. This is a ridiculous assertion and goes back to the early days of computing, namely GIGO (Garbage In/Garbage Out).

Too Far-Fetched

We’re not going to name specific projects here, but instead general concepts that have been applied to one or more different alleged blockchain projects or ICO’s. We say alleged in this case because some of these projects, according to Gordon, may launch an ICO before they even have a single programmer or blockchain expert on their team.

Read: How to Pick Good ICOs

On this severe lack of critical team members, Gordon wrote:

Recently I was at a blockchain Meetup group and got engaged in a conversation with a guy and he was telling me about his upcoming ICO. I did a little devil’s advocate with him to make sure that they’d been thorough with the challenges, and I found out that they did not in fact have any blockchain programmers or technical experts on their team at all, but the ICO was supposed to start in weeks. I laughed…

With that in mind, let’s go over a few of the more far-fetched ideas that we think are pretty unlikely to become reality or see much of any adoption in the next decade or so.

Blockchain Replaces the Legal System

A few projects have come out in the last year or so that focus on providing something that they will call either a dispute resolution service, or even in some cases, a jury service. These systems claim that by using smart contracts, individuals can effectively “sue” each other whenever a business or personal deal goes bad.

This digital pseudo-lawsuit or arbitration case is then presented to a randomly selected group of voters who will decide who is right and who is wrong. Whomever wins the majority of votes is determined the winner of the case and the smart contract will release or withhold payment accordingly.

What makes this kind of project seem too unrealistic is that typically speaking, the voters or jury members are financially incentivized to behave in a certain perhaps unfair way. That being, they are incentivized to vote with their wallet and not with their heart or convictions.

In one project, only the voters who voted for the winning side will receive payment for their participation. This means that if a voter truly believes option A is the correct answer, but option B is most likely to win, then they are incentivized to choose option B even though option B could be objectively wrong.

Blockchain Fixes Poverty

There are at least a handful of projects that are touting that by giving out their own tokens or coins for free to anyone and everyone, that will somehow cure poverty. Typically these projects compare themselves to the much debated concept of a universal basic income, or UBI. UBI being an experiment that Finland tried and later considered the test a failure.

The problem with this idea is that while perhaps well intentioned (unless it turns out to be a scam), tokens or coins that are given out freely will inevitably be worthless. The reason why bitcoin is valuable is because it’s not given out freely and it’s hard to come by – or expensive to purchase.

Cryptocurrencies can bring modern finance to underserved areas and that can change lives for the better, but tossing around valueless tokens or coins for free won’t help anyone.

Tokenize EVERYTHING

Another trend in the blockchain space is the idea that anything and everything can, nay, must be tokenized. Cars, houses, office buildings, airports, armies, furniture, pets, you name it.

The idea of tokenizing real estate is certainly interesting, but the ability to commit fraud or suffer from GIGO is just too high. Most services that want to offer tokenization rely on paid “experts” to verify the real world asset before a split tokenized smart contract is created and sold. But how can we trust these so-called experts? What’s to stop one of them from listing a skyscraper that doesn’t exist, then pocketing the millions of dollars in proceeds and disappearing?

Read: Blockchain & Real Estate

The simple fact is that people can’t be trusted outright, and it’s just a matter of time until these tokenized assets start to represent real world things that don’t exist or never existed in the first place.

Final thoughts

As Shawn Morgan said:

Blockchain is a technology, it isn’t a religion, it isn’t magical, it won’t make sex obsolete. With a good design, proper planning and solid execution, you can solve some real problems using blockchain technology.

As for us, it can certainly be exciting to think that you’re getting in on the ground floor of an entirely new market or technology. However, it’s important to remember that we still live in the real world, and blockchain is just another way of doing things that have already been done for thousands of years. That is, keep track of records and be a medium of exchange of value.

With that said, be sure to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground before you get involved in any blockchain project that you don’t really understand, or whose team you don’t have a very strong understanding of.