From mountains to libraries, we take a look at some of the most extraordinary international borders to be found across the globe. Over the last few years, we’ve seen an impressive collection of new websites, blogs and social media accounts dedicated to ‘travel porn’. They’re filled with big, sweeping images of fairytale lands and precarious precipices. The post 10 remarkable international borders appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
As Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken made history as the first astronauts to launch to orbit on a privately-owned spaceship, the world took pause to watch. Given the turmoil of our times, one observer quipped, 'Congratulations to the Astronauts that left Earth today. Good choice.' The post The most stunning natural phenomena on Earth appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
It was five years ago that I first came across a big wall climber. A tiny speck on the side of a gigantic granite wall, the climber was bivvying in Yosemite National Park, the Holy Land of big wall climbing. I couldn't comprehend how someone could sleep tacked onto the side of a wall, suspended thousands of feet above the ground, sometimes in treacherously windy conditions. I was reminded of this special breed of people by the recent film Meru which follows three world-class climbers on their efforts to scale the mountain's imposing Shark's Fin. The high-altitude and Alpine climbing on display is impressive of course but it's the big wall climbing on the near-featureless Shark's Fin that is really mind blowing. The post 20 most stunning big wall climbs from around the world appeared fir...
Seven fjords, seven hills and an old-world fishing wharf help make Bergen in Norway the perfect destination for a weekend getaway. We take a look at the best things to do in Bergen. The city may be one of the rainiest in Europe but it is also a vibrant cultural center with superb access to the western fjords. Bergen is an excellent blend of nature, culture and exciting city living and – despite the damp – we loved it. We visited Bergen for a long weekend city break, here’s what we suggest. The post 7 best things to do in Bergen, Norway appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
The small Nordic country of Norway may not be particularly notable on the global crypto map. With its 22 blockchain solution providers, the nation doesn’t stand out even at the regional level. However, as the race to test and implement central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) accelerates every day, the Scandinavian nation is taking an active stance on its own national digital currency. In fact, it was among the first countries to begin the work on a CBDC back in 2016. Dropping cash In recent years, amid a rise in cashless payment methods and concern over cash-enabled illicit transactions, some Norwegian banks have moved to remove cash options altogether. In 2016, Trond Bentestuen, then an executive at major Norwegian bank DNB, proposed to stop using cash as a means of payment in the c...
Despite the turbulence that broke out in the crypto market this summer, there is an important long-term marker that should be considered in any complex assessment — the combination of adoption and regulation. The latest report by EUBlockchain Observatory, named “EU Blockchain Ecosystem Developments,” tries to measure this combination within the European Union, combining the data on each and every member country from Portugal to Slovakia. As the original report counts more than 200 pages, Cointelegraph prepared a summary with the intent to capture the most vital information about the state of crypto and blockchain in Europe. Cointelegraph started from a group of countries that are usually labeled as Western European and continues with a review of Northern European states. Sweden Numbe...
There’s a new Bitcoin (BTC) energy FUD in town: noise. In Sortland, a Norwegian municipality, locals are waging war on Bitcoin miners to thwart further BTC mining developments. Their latest protest against proof-of-work (PoW) mining is that it’s loud. It’s not enough that Bitcoin miners in Sortland use 100% renewable energy sources, create jobs and even use waste heat from the PoW process to dry out timber and seaweed for local businesses; they must do so quietly. Sortland (red) in the extremes of Norway. Source: Google Kjetil Hove Pettersen, CEO at local KryptoVault, explained that it could be another case of media spin aiming at Bitcoin. He explained the situation to Cointelegraph: “It is usually the negative voices that get the most media attention; this does not refle...