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NFTs or non-fungible tokens: The new kind of digital art that could prove a bonanza for creators

Paul “Lamborghini” Kell made the news in 2018 when he paid $US38,000 for a digital artwork that anyone could already view or download. This week, he sold the same artwork — a depiction of Homer Simpson combined with internet meme Pepe the Frog — for $US320,000. It’s an example of the surging demand for digital artworks called NFTs, which are selling for thousands, even millions of dollars. But why would anyone pay for online artwork they can already get for free? The answer goes to the heart of this emerging digital economy and opens up new avenues for artists to (finally) make more money for their work. But first: what even are NFTs? NFT stands for non-fungible token. Fungible means are exchangeable. A movie ticket is fungible — you can give it to anyone else to use. A typical plane ticket, on the other hand, is non-fungible. You can’t give it to a random person waiting at the airport after you’ve decided not to jump on your plane. So NFTs are unique collectible tokens that are permanently tied to, for instance, digital artworks and music. They cannot be separated; the token is the art. Though NFTs have been around for years, recently the market exploded. An animated flying cat with a pop-tart body sold for almost $US600,000 in February. This was soon topped by a 10-second animated video of what appears to be Donald Trump collapsed on the ground in an urban park. It sold for $US6 million. Again, these are videos you can watch for free. Right now. Here’s the Trump one: So why pay good money for NFTs? Mr Kell, who made his money as a cryptocurrency investor and lives in Denver, Colorado, where he drives a white Lamborghini, said the value of owning Homer Pepe is the “token under the picture that represents Homer Pepe”. “You can take a picture of the picture, but you don’t have what’s under the picture.” The total value of NFT transactions increased 300 percent to $US250 million last year, according to a recent report. OpenSea, a marketplace for NFTs, reported selling $US86.3 million worth in February, up from $US8 million in January. And January had been a good month. Monthly sales were at $US1.5 million a year ago. For some, the “stupid money” being paid for NFTs is just the latest example of a speculative bubble that will soon pop. For others, it means artists get paid. They point to a central fact of the internet: in a digital medium where objects can endlessly be cut-and-pasted, copied and reproduced, nobody bothers to pay for the original. For instance, music ripped from CDs and put online to download as mp3s is why musicians have been paid less for each song they release. But with NFTs, a JPEG can be as unique as an oil painting. Buyers pay to own the original artwork instead of having a copy. That means that artists will get paid more for the music they create or the images they draw. ‘Paying money for JPEGs kind of blows my mind’ Serwah Attafuah, a Western Sydney artist, was one of the first Australians to sell an NFT. Foundation, a website for buying and selling digital goods and run by a company based in New York, contacted her last year about selling one of her works as an NFT at their launch. Through the website, her piece Voidwalker sold for $2,000. This isn’t a bad price, but what makes the process really interesting to Ms. Attafuah is that she retains 10 percent equity in the artwork. Every time it changes hands, she gets 10 percent of the sale price. At the time of the sale, no one in her circle of artists knew about NFTs. Last month, a GIF sold on the same website for $US580,000. Australian artists have since been rushing to get on the website. “When I dropped my NFT, none of my artist friends understood it, but now all my artist friends are saying ‘how do I get onto it?’ “It feels very futuristic.” Flume, and others, are exploring benefits The music business is quickly taking notice of this, particularly as the lack of revenue from live music has forced a recalibration in the industry. People involved with two separate Australian independent records labels described the NFT situation at the moment as the “wild west”. Australian producer Flume released an NFT collaboration yesterday with Sydney visual artist Jonathan Zawada. “It’s such early days. I’m just wanting to experiment more,” Harley Streten, aka Flume, told the ABC. “Jonathan and I have essentially been making NFTs for years. We just didn’t have a name for them. “We’re excited to push the boundaries of it — experimenting with the space, going beyond just audio and visuals. This feels like phase one.” Nathan McLay, Flume’s manager and the founder of his label, Future Classic, said from initial conversations with NFT marketplaces, it seemed artists will get a cut of the subsequent sale of the works, rather than just the initial one. That is unusual in the creative world and could be a useful additional revenue stream. But what’s also exciting is the flexibility of the technology, Mr. McLay said. “The first drop from Flume and Jonathan Zawada has a 1- to 2-minute audio piece that goes along with a visual, so it’s a new ‘piece’. The Australian company Blockchain Music has created Rarez, a consultancy that seeks to help artists take advantage of the new technology. It has so far facilitated about $150,000 in sales of digital art created for the DJ and producer deadmau5. “The space has just accelerated so much that almost every artist out there is considering how they should be using NFTs and what they should do,” Sean Gardner, co-founder, and CEO told. A collaboration between deadmau5 and the LA-based Australian designer Sutu — a 30-second animation of a golden mouse head backed by music — sold in December for 78 Ethereum, or, at the time, >>Read more
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Oxford University to trial giving AstraZeneca vaccine as a nasal spray

Oxford University to trial giving AstraZeneca Covid vaccine as a nasal spray with the hope it will trigger a better and faster immune response in the lungs. Oxford university is looking for 30 adults to receive vaccine through nasal spray. Trials could begin next week and are expected to last four months. Trial follows announcements that the university and other researchers are assessing delivering vaccines in non-jab forms. AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine will be administered as a nasal spray as part of a new trial. Oxford University scientists — who developed the jab — have been looking at injection-free ways to dish out the vaccine. It’s thought that nasal sprays may better target immune cells in the lungs, throat and nose, making them even more effective at defending against Covid. Oxford is looking for 30 adults to get the vaccine squirted up their noses as soon as next week. Volunteers will be tracked for four months to see make sure it’s safe as part of the initial trial. If successful, the phase one study will move on and tens or potentially hundreds more adults will be recruited to see if it can ward off the virus as well as a jab. Nasal spray vaccines would be great news for people who have a fear of needles and could alleviate supply issues that have hindered rollouts around the world. This method is already used to give out children’s flu jabs. The university’s study, involving adults over 40, is part of its partnership with AstraZeneca, the Financial Times reported. Professor Sarah Gilbert, one of the lead scientists behind the Oxford university jab, announced last month that her team was working on injection-free ways of delivering the vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy could lead to 20,000 extra coronavirus deaths over the next two years, a study has suggested. Researchers warned that if a significant number of people turn the jab down, it may allow the virus to spread in high numbers when lockdowns are eased, posing a constant threat to the elderly and ill. The gloomy modelling by Imperial College London predicted 305 extra Covid deaths per million people by 2023, the equivalent of 20,130 people in the UK. Other more pessimistic calculations projected even more deaths. Experts warned vaccine hesitancy will lead to flare-ups in cases and hospitalisations which could see lockdown restrictions in place for longer. The study did not specify what constituted as high vaccine hesitancy. But Imperial has been repeatedly criticised for its pessimistic Covid models, which predicted 250,000 deaths in the first wave without further action. So far, uptake in Britain has been far higher than expected, with more than 90 per cent of Britons over the age of 60 having accepted their jab. But officials expect that, as the programme moves to younger, less-vulnerable groups, the turnout rate will drop because young people don’t see the virus as a threat. Government-funded surveys have indicated up to a fifth of people under-30 will turn the vaccines down. Professor Sarah Gilbert told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee last month that researchers were exploring nasal spray and tablet forms of the vaccine. She said: ‘As you know all the vaccines have been given at the moment as intramuscular injections. ‘That is not necessarily the best way to provide protection against a respiratory virus infection, where we want the immune system to be active in the upper respiratory tract and then in the lower respiratory tract, which is where the virus is causing the infection. ‘We have flu vaccines that are given by nasal spray and this could be a very good approach in the future to use vaccines against coronaviruses.’ Other scientists in the UK began testing a different nasal spray vaccine, known as COVI-VAC, on volunteers at the start of the year. The spray, made by New York-based company Codagenix, contains a genetically modified form of Covid and is being tested on 48 adults in London. The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) green-lit the trial after positive safety data in animal studies. COVI-VAC is a type of live attenuated vaccine, meaning trialists will get a genetically-modified version of Covid that is weaker than the real thing but still infectious. Live attenuated vaccines — such as the MMR jab — work by stimulating the immune system in the same way that real disease would, but by relying on viruses unable to cause severe illness. Oxford University’s vaccine is an adenovirus vaccine – which uses a weakened virus that causes the common cold that has been modified not to trigger illness and is not infectious. Meanwhile, Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology is also trialing a nasal spray to deliver the country’s Sputnik V vaccine. The institute expects to complete clinical trials of the spray by the end of the year. Scientists at the University of Birmingham are also working on a nasal Covid treatment. But rather than acting as a vaccine, its version aims to prevent Covid infections by capturing the virus in the nose. Researchers hope the spray may be readily available in pharmacies in the coming months. Source: DailyMail.co.uk
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Securing your home against burglary

Make your home safer—and get insurance discounts, too Burglars won’t find your home an easy target if it’s well lit and features security measures that slow them down. Don’t let your home be an easy mark for theft and vandalism. Protect yourself and your belongings—and save on insurance premiums—by employing commonsense safety precautions. Check your home for security weaknesses and correct them Research shows that if it takes a thief more than four or five minutes to break into a home, he or she will go elsewhere. Take the time to “case” your house or apartment just as a burglar would and consider these steps to make it more crime-resistant, especially at points of easiest entry. Install simple security devices. Padlocks, door and window locks, grates, bars and bolts can increase the amount of time it takes to break into your home. Make sure the elements you already have in place are working properly. Invest in a burglar alarm. The most effective ones also ring at an outside service. Invest in security cameras. Cover key entry points and mount out of easy reach to deter tampering, these tell burglars that someone is watching. Trade a bit of privacy for added security. Trim trees and shrubs near doors and windows and think carefully before installing a high, wooden fence around your back yard. High fences and shrubbery can add to your privacy, but can also be an asset to a burglar. Shine a light. Force any would-be burglar out of the shadows. Exterior lights and motion detectors, mounted out of easy reach, can reduce the darkness shielding a would-be burglar. Keep valuables out of easy sight. If your valuable paintings, silver collection or home entertainment system are easy to see from outside the house, consider rearranging your furnishings to make your home less inviting to criminals. Home entry point security To help foil break-ins, strengthen the barriers at your home’s entry points. Of course, don’t sacrifice personal safety in this effort—whatever security features you install, make sure that you are able to easily escape in case of a fire or other emergency. Doors — Doors should be strong. Outside doors should be metal or solid hardwood, and at least one-and-three-quarters inches thick. Doorframes must be made of equally strong material, and each door must fit its frame securely. Even the most efficient lock, if it is placed in a weak door, will not keep out a determined burglar. A peephole or a wide-angle viewer in the door is safer for identifying visitors than a door chain. Sliding glass doors present a special problem because they are easy to open but, if you have these doors, you can find special locks for them. Locks — Deadbolt locks are best. They usually are locked with a key from the outside and a thumb turn on the inside. The cylinder (where the key is inserted) should be pick-resistant. Ask your hardware dealer for a reputable brand or buy your locks from a reliable locksmith. Windows — Key locks are available for all types of windows. Double-hung windows can be secured simply by “pinning” the upper and lower frames together with a nail, which can be removed from the inside. For windows at street level or on fire escapes, consider installing metal accordion gates. Home security habits Don’t inadvertently invite crime into your home—make these safety behaviors non-optional. Establish a routine to make certain that doors and windows are locked and alarm systems are turned on. Avoid giving information to unidentified telephone callers and announcing your personal plans online or in public notices (such as giving your address when advertising items for sale). Join with your neighbors to keep a close watch on what’s happening in your area—working together as a community is a good way to prevent crime. Notify the police and/or your neighborhood watch if you see suspicious strangers in your area. Don’t carry house keys on a key ring bearing your home address or leave house keys with your car in a commercial parking lot or with an attendant. Don’t hide your keys in “secret” places outside your home—burglars know where to look. Home security tips for when you’re away To prevent burglars and vandals when you’re away for vacation or business, it’s critical to make your home looked occupied and have friends and neighbors look out for suspicious activity. Some hints: Leave blinds open in their usual position. Notify dependable neighbors when you plan to be away; consider notifying police, as well. Arrange to have your lawn mowed in summer and your walk and driveway shoveled in winter. Stop newspaper deliveries and ask a neighbor to pick-up “throw-away” newspapers and circulars. Have mail and packages picked up by neighbors; alternately, have them forwarded or held by the post office. Lower the sound of your telephone ringer and answering machine so they can’t be heard outside. Use automatic timers to turn lights and a radio on and off in various parts of the house at appropriate times. Insurance benefits of home security measures Devices that make a home safer—such as dead-bolt locks, window grates and bars, smoke, fire or burglar alarm systems, and some security camera systems—make sense for your homeowners insurance bottom line, too. Most insurance companies provide discounts for qualifying security devices; check with your insurance professional for specifics.
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What is burial insurance?

“Burial insurance” usually refers to a whole life insurance policy with a death benefit of from $5,000 to $25,000. As its nickname implies, people buy this type of policy to provide money for funeral and burial costs for themselves and/or family members. It is possible to buy a policy after answering a few health-related questions on the application and with no medical exam. Premiums are payable weekly or monthly. The premium is usually collected at the policyowner’s home or workplace, and the premium is usually a small round number, such as $2 or $3 per week; the death benefit is whatever that premium will buy given the insured’s current age. For example, a $3 per week premium might buy a $6,000 death benefit for a 36-year-old man or an $18,000 death benefit for a 9-year-old boy. Burial policies may be designed to cover one person or everyone in a family. Under some state laws, funeral homes may be licensed to sell burial insurance, but it is mainly sold through brokers and agents of insurance companies licensed to sell life insurance. An approach that is similar to burial life insurance (and sometimes called burial or “pre-need” insurance) is pre-payment of your funeral arrangements. Under this program, you may select the funeral home, type of service, casket (or cremation), flowers, headstone, burial plot, the cost of digging and filling the grave, and other items, and lock in the prices for them by paying in advance.
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A dog who kept sneaking into a store for a unicorn toy gets a new start

The animal control officer who moved Sisu from the Dollar General store to the shelter bought the stray dog his unicorn toy before bringing the canine in Dogs may be man’s best friend, but apparently, a unicorn — a stuffed purple one at that — is a dog’s best friend. Animal control officers were called to a North Carolina Dollar General store after a stray dog kept coming into the store and beelining for the toy aisle. “He went straight for the unicorn, the same one every time,” says Joe Newburn, a supervisor at Duplin County Animal Services. “It was so strange, one of the strangest calls I’ve ever dealt with,” Newburn adds. Workers at the Kenansville store (about 80 miles from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA) told animal control officers that they caught the Lab mix darting into Dollar General every time a customer exited. Each time the stray dog made it in, he went to grab the same plush purple unicorn toy. “Finally, they had to lock the door and called us,” Newburn tells about how animal control became involved in this playful pooch’s story. Samantha Lane, the officer who responded to the Dollar General store’s call, was so taken with the dog’s devotion to the unicorn that she bought the $10 toy for the dog. According to Newburn, the canine was happy to head off with Lane once he had his beloved stuffed animal. Lane brought the dog to a Duplin County Animal Services shelter, where workers named him Sisu after the dragon cartoon character in Disney’s new film, Raya and the Last Dragon. The only thing we can think is that he came from a home where he had a similar stuffed animal or kids in the home did,” Newburn adds. Shortly after Sisu arrived, the shelter posted a picture of the pup and his unicorn on their Facebook page with a caption that read, “This is what happens when you break into the Dollar General consistently to steal the purple unicorn that you laid claim to but then get animal control called to lock you up for your B & E and larceny but the officer purchases your item for you and brings it in with you.” Sisu is currently considered a stray intake at the shelter because no one has come forward to claim him, but the pooch obviously loves affection. He spends every night curled up with his unicorn at the shelter. “It’s so sweet. It’s amazing. I mean, he’s obviously super smart, and even when we got him to the animal shelter, he’s been very obedient. He sits, shakes. Someone should be looking for him,” Newburn says. “I don’t know of any other reason why he would focus on the unicorn other than he had one at home. If the store had called and said he tore open dog food, that would make more sense but not hunting for a purple unicorn.” Newburn says the shelter has received numerous calls from people interested in giving Sisu — and his beloved unicorn — a forever home. And it looks like it’s time for the pair to pack their bags because, according to a Friday Facebook post from Duplin County Animal Services, Sisu and his stuffed animal have an adopter and will be moving out of the shelter soon. Dollar General spokesperson Crystal Luce tells that Dollar General plans to send a “few extra purple unicorns for the adoptive family,” a thank you gift to animal control officer Lane and a pet food donation to Duplin County Animal Services. “We are glad to see Sisu is happy with his new toy!” Luce added. Source: ExpressDigest.com
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