What is a Decentralized App (DApp)?

 

A decentralized application (DApp) is a type of software application that may run independently, generally using a smart contract, on a decentralized computer, blockchain, or other distributed ledger system. DApps offer some kind of function or benefit to their customers, but they are not owned by any single business.

DApps have been popularised by distributed ledger technologies (DLT) such as the Ethereum or Cardano blockchains, leading to significant advancements in the use of these functionalities within the decentralized finance (DeFi) area.

Read more on our main website here:

https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/dapp/

What is a Stablecoin?

 

Stablecoins are a sort of cryptocurrency in which the digital asset’s value is expected to be tied to another asset, such as fiat money, exchange-traded commodities, or another cryptocurrency. In principle, 1:1 backing by a reference asset might cause a stablecoin’s value to mirror the value of the peg, but issuers have not been proven to keep significant reserves to sustain a stable value in practice.

Stablecoins have a variety of uses, such as payments, and are more likely to keep their value than volatile cryptocurrencies.

Some examples of well-known Stablecoin projects include USD Coin and BUSD which was started by Binance.

Read the full content on our tech glossary: https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/stablecoins/

Other related content from our blog:

https://agrtech.com.au/crypto-blockchain/best-crypto-exchanges-in-australia/

https://agrtech.com.au/crypto-blockchain/best-crypto-exchanges-in-new-zealand/

What is a Central Bank Digital currency?

 A central bank digital currency (CBDC) is one that is issued by a central bank rather than a commercial bank. As with real banknotes and coins, it is a liability of the central bank and denominated in the national currency. CBDCs are distinct from virtual money and cryptocurrencies in that they are or would be issued by a government.

In short, a CBDC could be seen as the opposite of something like a DeFi project which aims to create a decentralized financial environment whilst CBDC technology is centrally controlled.

Read more: https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/central-bank-digital-currency/

What is a Staking pool and what are some of its benefits?

 

Staking pools are an excellent way to invest in cryptocurrency and earn passive income if you don’t have a huge portfolio of your own. In this glossary entry, we will talk about what staking pools are, their benefits, and how they work to help you understand more about the topic and why you may want to consider using one.

Staking pools are organizations of cryptocurrency holders who pool their resources together in order to maximize their chances of verifying transactions on a blockchain network. Staking pools allow smaller investors to participate in the network’s validation process, which would otherwise be very difficult as they simply wouldn’t have the appropriate resources or ability to engage in mining.

Read the full post: https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/staking-pool/

Cryptocurrency Whitepaper - What is it?

 

A Cryptocurrency whitepaper is a document that outlines the technical details and proposed features of a new cryptocurrency project.

These documents serve as a technical guide explaining the overall structure of the underlying software, its benefits, and why developers and investors should consider adopting the technology.

Read the whole page: https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/cryptocurrency-whitepaper/

What is a smart contract in the crypto landscape?

 

A smart contract is a computer program or transaction protocol that is designed to execute, control, or document events and activities in accordance with the conditions of a contract or agreement. The goals of smart contracts are to reduce the need for trusted intermediaries, arbitration fees, and fraud losses, as well as to reduce purposeful and unintentional exceptions. Smart contracts are frequently part of dApps and make up a large part of the DeFi and Blockchain ecosystem.

Smart contracts are frequently connected with cryptocurrencies, and Vitalik Buterin’s 2014 Ethereum white paper portrays the Bitcoin protocol as a poor version of the smart contract notion. Various cryptocurrencies have supported programming languages since Bitcoin, allowing for more complex smart contracts between different parties.

Read the whole page: https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/smart-contract/

What is mining in the Cryptocurrency landscape and how does it work?

 

Mining is the process of validating transactions on a blockchain in exchange for fresh Bitcoin. This reward reduces transaction fees by providing a secondary incentive to contribute to the network’s processing capacity. The introduction of specialized processors such as FPGAs and ASICs running complex hashing algorithms has enhanced the rate of creating hashes, which validate any transaction.

Since the introduction of Bitcoin in 2009 and the subsequent explosion in Cryptocurrencies, there has been an arms race for cheaper yet more efficient devices. The hash rate of mining is commonly measured in TH/s.

As more people enter the virtual currency realm, producing hashes for validation has become more complicated, pushing miners to invest increasingly significant sums of money to enhance processing performance. Mining is popular in areas with cheap electricity, a cold temperature, and governments with clear legislation and legal frameworks.

Read the complete entry on the agr technology glossary:

https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/cryptocurrency-mining/

ICO (Initial Coin Offering) - Definition

 

An Initial Coin Offering or ICO for short is a type of cryptocurrency funding mechanism that acts similar to an Initial Public Offering similar to a public company but through a decentralized blockchain. Although a private ICO that does not seek public investment is also conceivable, it is frequently a sort of crowdsourcing. In an ICO, a certain amount of stable cryptocurrencies are offered as “tokens” to investors or traders in return for fiat money or other cryptocurrencies.

If or when the project is successfully launched and the ICO’s financing target is reached, the tokens are marketed as future useful units of currency. ICOs have been used as a means of scams and fraud, and they may violate existing laws or be outright prohibited in some places. From January to June 2018, a record $7 billion was raised via ICOs as the technology has been embraced more and used across different projects in the DeFi space.

Read the full page on our tech glossary: https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/ico-initial-coin-offering/

Best podcast hosting platforms and services

 

Are you looking for the best platform to host your podcast and get it in front of a larger audience?

Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or just starting out, choosing the right hosting platform is key to the success of your podcast and ensuring it is heard by your ideal listeners. With so many options available, deciding which is the best fit for your needs can be overwhelming.

To make things easier for you, we’ve researched and compiled a list of what we believe are the best podcast hosting platforms on the market today. These platforms offer a range of features, such as unlimited storage, distribution to major podcast directories, content management, analytics, and monetization options.

If you’re ready to take your podcast to the next level, take a look at our list and choose the hosting platform that’s right for you. Some are free, while others require a small fee since they provide high-quality support, resources, and functionality.

Read the full post on the AGR Technology blog:

https://agrtech.com.au/business/podcasting/best-podcast-hosting-platforms/

What are Altcoins?

 

Alternative currencies or altcoins as they are known for short refer to any type of Cryptocurrency that is different from Bitcoin which was the first public Cryptocurrency coin in existence.

Altcoins frequently differ from Bitcoin in terms of functionality, such as Litecoin’s ability to execute a block every 2.5 minutes and Ethereum’s smart contract functionality. In 2016, Ethereum has arguably one of the most following of any altcoin and was the most widely used blockchain in 2020. Altcoin market rallies are commonly referred to as an “alt season”.

Some people consider altcoins to be anything separate from Bitcoin or Ethereum as these are the 2 largest cryptocurrencies at the time of publishing and the majority of coins and blockchain projects are built on either of these 2 blockchains.

Key takeaways about altcoins

1. Altcoins can be bought and sold across popular exchanges such as Binance and Crypto.com
2. Altcoins can often be mined with specialized hardware and software which rewards miners with a small amount of crypto for processing transactions on the blockchain. This is an exception however with some altcoins like Ethereum which adopt a different method called proof of stake.
3. Altcoins are considered riskier than their more established counterpart and may or may not actually utilize proper blockchains. Scams or worthless altcoins are commonly referred to as shitcoins
4. Altcoins can be used in tandem with Bitcoin: Altcoins can supplement established coins like Bitcoin in a variety of ways. Some altcoins, for example, are intended to be faster or more efficient than Bitcoin, while others offer additional functionality such as smart contracts for validation.

Read the full article in the AGR Technology Glossary:

https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/altcoins/

What is a virtual classroom?

 

In educational technology, a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) or Virtual Classroom is a web-based platform for the digital parts of courses of study, typically within educational institutions. They present resources, activities, and interactions within the context of a course framework and outline the many levels of evaluation. VLEs typically report on participation and are integrated with other institutional systems.

They are frequently associated with Learning Management Systems and can sometimes be part of LMS software. VLEs can be utilized as authoring and design environments by teachers and instructors who update them. VLEs have been embraced by nearly all English-speaking higher education institutions.

What are some of the components behind a Virtual classroom application

VLEs are online education curriculums that enable content management, curriculum mapping and planning, learner involvement and administration, communication and collaboration, real-time communication, and linkages to external sources.

A VLE may include some or all of the following components:

    Course Syllabus

    Administrative information about the course

    Notice boards for current information about the ongoing course

    Basic course content

    Video/audio conferencing for teachers to communicate with students in groups or individually

    Additional resources

    Self-assessment quizzes or analogous devices

    Provide additional 3rd party embedded content such as web pages, videos, audio, and other documents

    Formal assessment functions such as exams, essay submissions, or project presentations

    Communication support mechanisms such as e-mail, threaded discussions, chat rooms, and social/web 2.0 functionality like Twitter.

The VLE can accommodate many courses over the whole academic program, providing a consistent interface inside the school and providing linkages to all other online learning spaces.

Read more: https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/virtual-classroom-learning-environment/

What is a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization)

 

A decentralized autonomous organization referred to as DAO for short is an organization built on rules encoded as a computer program that is frequently transparent, controlled by the organization’s members, and uninfluenced by a central government. DAO’s are member-owned communities with no centralized leadership that keep financial transaction records and program rules on a blockchain.

The DAO, which amassed 3.6 million ether (ETH) and was hacked and drained of US$50 million in cryptocurrency, is a well-known example of this type of business organization. The hack was reversed in the weeks that followed, and the money was restored, thanks to a hard fork of the Ethereum blockchain. The majority of Ethereum miners and clients migrated to the new fork, while the original chain was renamed Ethereum Classic.

How do they work?

In order for DAO’s to properly operate they rely on “smart contracts” which are sophisticated software programs and algorithms designed to take into account different circumstances and possible options that a user may take in order to enact certain rules.

This enables actions to be taken and decisions that would otherwise be centralized to be divided up amongst the various peers in the network to allow for decentralization and fair rules for all users.

Read the full post on the AGR Technology tech glossary:

https://agrtech.com.au/glossary/dao-decentralized-autonomous-organization/

Best Cryptocurrency exchanges for New Zealanders

 

The crypto industry is rapidly growing and becoming an increasingly popular investment avenue for many worldwide. New Zealand is no exception to this trend, with more and more Kiwis joining the digital currency bandwagon and wanting to learn more about the massive world of Cryptocurrency.

Quick takeaway:

1. Independant Reserve (Simple for beginners)
2. Binance (Great all round platform and options for altcoins)
3. Nexo (Best for returns)
4. Bybit (Best platform for NZ future trading)
5. Crypto.com – Best exchange for NFTs
6. Swyftx – User-friendly Crypto app
7. MEXC Global – Deepest Liquidity

Looking to get into the cryptocurrency game in New Zealand but need help figuring out where to start? Fear not; we’ve got you covered. With so many crypto exchanges available, deciding which is right for you can take time and effort. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best crypto exchanges in NZ

In this article, we’ll explore the best crypto wallet NZ, providing you with all the information (with pros & cons) you need to make an informed decision.

From the fees and security features to the user experience and trading options, we will cover everything you need to know about the top crypto exchanges in NZ.

So whether you’re looking to invest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any other digital asset, read on to discover the best crypto exchange platforms that New Zealand has to offer.

Read our full guide here:

https://agrtech.com.au/crypto-blockchain/best-crypto-exchanges-in-new-zealand/