Following his defeat by the Master Chief, the Didact’s physical form was burned away by the Composer, casting his consciousness into a vast desert. It is here that Kelly Gay’s latest novel, Halo: Epitaph, begins—and in this preview, we will see the beginning of his great journey…

The Didact Returns | Halo: Epitaph Preview | Halo - Official Site (en)

The Firefight: King of the Hill experience is expanding today to include five new maps! Ranging in size, the new maps will spice up the encounters, bring variety to the playlist, and ultimately keep your foot firmly on that Warthog accelerator pedal.

Firefight: King of the Hill Refresh | Halo Infinte | Halo - Official Site (en)

&quot;It&#x27;s just one rock rotated, scaled, and moved around&quot;

Halo 3 player discovers every single rock in one of the game's most memorable levels is the same rock: "I can't keep this knowledge to myself anymore"

Halo 3 player discovers every single rock in one of the game's most memorable levels is the same rock: "I can't keep this knowledge to myself anymore" | GamesRadar+

Halo Season 2 Episode 3 is titled &#x27;Visegrad&#x27;. The series airs on Paramount+ and continues the saga.

Halo Season 2 Episode 3 ending explained: Understanding the Visegrad climax

On Twitter, a former 343 Industries developer has revealed that dozens of &#x27;game ideas&#x27; were shot down that could have boosted the Halo universe.

Dozens of Halo Pitches Were Shot Down at 343, Former Dev Reveals - Insider Gaming

Helldivers 2, a PlayStation-only title, is generating steam and stream figures that surpass those of Starfield and Destiny 2, making it the new darling of the battle pass/games as a service market.

HELLDIVERS 2 Takes The Gaming Community By Storm As Steam Numbers Surpass DESTINY 2 And HALO INFINITE

Halo season 2 episode 4, titled Reach, is slated to premiere on February 22, 2024, on Paramount+.

Halo season 2 episode 4: Release date and time, where to watch, and more

Xbox players could have had their Helldivers experience earlier than PlayStation and PC players.

There was a Helldivers-inspired Halo ODST game pitched at one point - - Gamereactor

&quot;We must have pitched 20-30 game ideas that would have totally worked in the Halo universe&quot;

Former Halo devs say they pitched dozens of spin-off games, including a rumored ODST game similar to Helldivers 2 | GamesRadar+

HALEO

haleo

**MIAMI, Florida, November 21st, 2024/CyberNewsWire/--**Halo Security, a leader in external attack surface management and penetration testing, has announced the launch of its new Slack® app, empowering cybersecurity teams to receive real-time alerts on newly discovered assets, vulnerabilities, and other essential security updates directly within the Slack collaboration software. This new integration allows Halo Security’s customers to seamlessly incorporate important security notifications into their existing Slack workflows, improving response time and enhancing collaboration across security and IT teams. Previously, Halo Security offered Slack alerts through a Zapier integration, but this new, direct integration delivers a more streamlined experience, giving customers greater control with minimal configuration. Halo Security’s platform offers comprehensive external attack surface management, encompassing asset discovery, risk and vulnerability assessment, and penetration testing in a single, user-friendly dashboard. Built by a team of experienced penetration testers, security engineers, and reformed hackers, Halo Security provides organizations with an attacker’s perspective to help identify and address vulnerabilities. With the new Slack integration, customers are notified as soon as new issues and vulnerabilities are detected, unknown assets or open ports are discovered, and new technologies appear on their websites, helping teams stay ahead of emerging threats without being overwhelmed by irrelevant alerts. “Organizations need real-time, customized alerts for emerging security threats, but too many notifications can lead to alert fatigue,” said Ben Tyler, CTO of Halo Security. “Our direct Slack integration is easily configurable, giving customers precise control over which alerts they receive and allowing them to focus on the most critical issues directly within their existing workflows." How to Get Started with Halo Security’s Slack Integration Halo Security customers can activate the Slack app today directly from their accounts. New users interested in trying the Halo Security platform can sign up for a 7-day free trial at halosecurity.com. About Halo Security Halo Security is a comprehensive external attack surface management platform that provides asset discovery, risk assessment, and penetration testing in a single, easy-to-use dashboard. Founded by cybersecurity experts with backgrounds at McAfee, Intel, Kenna Security, OneLogin, and WhiteHat Security, Halo Security delivers a unique attacker-based approach to help organizations safeguard against potential threats. Users can learn more at halosecurity.com. Slack is a registered trademark and service mark of Slack Technologies, Inc. Contact VP of Marketing Nicholas Hemenway Halo Security nick@halosecurity.com This story was distributed as a release by Cybernewswire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here **MIAMI, Florida, November 21st, 2024/CyberNewsWire/--**Halo Security, a leader in external attack surface management and penetration testing, has announced the launch of its new Slack® app, empowering cybersecurity teams to receive real-time alerts on newly discovered assets, vulnerabilities, and other essential security updates directly within the Slack collaboration software. This new integration allows Halo Security’s customers to seamlessly incorporate important security notifications into their existing Slack workflows, improving response time and enhancing collaboration across security and IT teams. Previously, Halo Security offered Slack alerts through a Zapier integration, but this new, direct integration delivers a more streamlined experience, giving customers greater control with minimal configuration. Halo Security’s platform offers comprehensive external attack surface management, encompassing asset discovery, risk and vulnerability assessment, and penetration testing in a single, user-friendly dashboard. Built by a team of experienced penetration testers, security engineers, and reformed hackers, Halo Security provides organizations with an attacker’s perspective to help identify and address vulnerabilities. With the new Slack integration, customers are notified as soon as new issues and vulnerabilities are detected, unknown assets or open ports are discovered, and new technologies appear on their websites, helping teams stay ahead of emerging threats without being overwhelmed by irrelevant alerts. “Organizations need real-time, customized alerts for emerging security threats, but too many notifications can lead to alert fatigue,” said Ben Tyler, CTO of Halo Security. “Our direct Slack integration is easily configurable, giving customers precise control over which alerts they receive and allowing them to focus on the most critical issues directly within their existing workflows." “Organizations need real-time, customized alerts for emerging security threats, but too many notifications can lead to alert fatigue,” said Ben Tyler, CTO of Halo Security. “Our direct Slack integration is easily configurable, giving customers precise control over which alerts they receive and allowing them to focus on the most critical issues directly within their existing workflows." How to Get Started with Halo Security’s Slack Integration Halo Security customers can activate the Slack app today directly from their accounts. New users interested in trying the Halo Security platform can sign up for a 7-day free trial at halosecurity.com . halosecurity.com halosecurity.com About Halo Security Halo Security is a comprehensive external attack surface management platform that provides asset discovery, risk assessment, and penetration testing in a single, easy-to-use dashboard. Founded by cybersecurity experts with backgrounds at McAfee, Intel, Kenna Security, OneLogin, and WhiteHat Security, Halo Security delivers a unique attacker-based approach to help organizations safeguard against potential threats. Users can learn more at halosecurity.com . Slack is a registered trademark and service mark of Slack Technologies, Inc. Halo Security Halo Security halosecurity.com halosecurity.com Contact VP of Marketing Nicholas Hemenway Halo Security nick@halosecurity.com This story was distributed as a release by Cybernewswire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here This story was distributed as a release by Cybernewswire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here here here

Halo Security Launches Slack Integration For Real-Time Alerts On New Assets And Vulnerabilities

Halo Security, yeni aktivlər və zəifliklər haqqında real vaxt siqnalları üçün Slack inteqrasiyasını işə salır

Halo Security lanza la integración de Slack para alertas en tiempo real sobre nuevos activos y vulnerabilidades

Halo Security が Slack 統合を開始し、新たな資産や脆弱性に関するリアルタイムアラートを提供

Halo Security, 새로운 자산 및 취약점에 대한 실시간 알림을 위한 Slack 통합 출시

„Halo Security“ pradeda lėtą integraciją, kad realiuoju laiku būtų pranešama apie naujus išteklius ir pažeidžiamumą

Halo Security Melancarkan Integrasi Slack Untuk Makluman Masa Nyata Mengenai Aset dan Kerentanan Baharu

Halo Security lanceert Slack-integratie voor realtime waarschuwingen over nieuwe activa en kwetsbaarheden

Halo Security lansează integrarea Slack pentru alerte în timp real privind noile active și vulnerabilități

Halo Security запускает интеграцию со Slack для оповещений в реальном времени о новых активах и уязвимостях

Halo Security интегратсияи сустро барои огоҳиҳои вақти воқеӣ дар бораи дороиҳо ва осебпазириҳои нав оғоз мекунад

“Halo Security” täze aktiwlere we gowşak taraplara hakyky wagt duýduryşlary üçin haýal integrasiýa başlaýar

Ukhuseleko lweHalo luzisa uDityaniso lweSlack lwezilumkiso zeXesha lokwenyani kwii-asethi ezitsha kunye nokuba semngciphekweni

Halloween is the perfect time to add a touch of spooky fun to your website. You don’t need to go overboard with decorations, something as simple as changing your fonts can make a big impact. Most of the fonts shown are free to download, and to add them to your CSS, use the following code. @font-face {
    font-family: "font name",
    src: url("Extra Days.otf");
}

.font-family {
    font-family: "font name";       
} Font Tester Before you start, if you want to easily test out different local fonts you can use the font tester chrome extension. Not only does it become easier for you to choose a perfect font for Halloween, but provides you with a better understanding of typography. Download Font tester Bloody Hell Download Bloody hell Melted Monster Download Melted Monster Heartless Download Heartless Night core Download Night core Help Me Download Help me Frank knows Frank knows Exquisite corpse Download Exquisite corpse Monster Pumpkin Download Monster pumpkin Zombie Holocaust Zombie holocaust That’s it for now. If you have any more spooky fonts feel free to comment :) Halloween is the perfect time to add a touch of spooky fun to your website. You don’t need to go overboard with decorations, something as simple as changing your fonts can make a big impact. Most of the fonts shown are free to download, and to add them to your CSS, use the following code. @font-face {
    font-family: "font name",
    src: url("Extra Days.otf");
}

.font-family {
    font-family: "font name";       
} @font-face {
    font-family: "font name",
    src: url("Extra Days.otf");
}

.font-family {
    font-family: "font name";       
} Font Tester Before you start, if you want to easily test out different local fonts you can use the font tester chrome extension. Not only does it become easier for you to choose a perfect font for Halloween, but provides you with a better understanding of typography. Download Font tester Download Font tester Download Font tester Bloody Hell Download Bloody hell Download Bloody hell Download Bloody hell Melted Monster Download Melted Monster Download Melted Monster Download Melted Monster Heartless Download Heartless Download Heartless Download Heartless Night core Download Night core Download Night core Download Night core Help Me Download Help me Download Help me Download Help me Frank knows Frank knows Frank knows Frank knows Exquisite corpse Download Exquisite corpse Download Exquisite corpse Download Exquisite corpse Monster Pumpkin Download Monster pumpkin Download Monster pumpkin Download Monster pumpkin Zombie Holocaust Zombie holocaust Zombie holocaust Zombie holocaust That’s it for now. If you have any more spooky fonts feel free to comment :)

Top Spooky Fonts to Use for Your Website on Halloween 🎃

In a time when technology is changing so quickly, privacy and protection have become much more important in the digital world. In his conversation with Dr. Nir Haloani, Ishan Pandey learns a lot about the latest changes in blockchain technology. Dr. Haloani is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of COTI and a famous Master Inventor. Dr. Haloani has more than 14 patents, and he has made a lot of progress in the fields of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data compression. His thoughts are very helpful for anyone who wants to know where blockchain technology and all of its uses are going in the future. Through this conversation, COTI's creative privacy solutions are looked at, along with a full analysis of these technologies' wider effects in the digital world. Unlocking Blockchain's Potential: An Exclusive Interview with COTI's CTO, Dr. Nir Haloani Ishan Pandey: Hello, Dr. Nir, We are happy to have you join us for our "Behind the Startup" series. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your experience into the blockchain space? Dr Nir Haloani: I am the CTO of COTI, Dr. Nir Haloani. I have authored over 14 patents in the domains of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data compression, earning me the esteemed title of Master Inventor. Having over 19 years of experience, I have led R&D teams at many digital firms. Previously, I was the CTO and co-founder of Infima Technologies, which IBM subsequently bought! I have a PhD in applied mathematics from Bar-Ilan University and a BSc in computer technology and mathematics from Tel Aviv University. Ishan Pandey: Could you elaborate on the methods used by COTI to protect privacy without sacrificing the main benefits of blockchain technology? Dr Nir Haloani: To improve privacy on its blockchain network, COTI uses garbled circuits, a cryptographic technique from the secure multi-party computation (MPC) domain. By allowing transactions and smart contract executions where information is kept confidential between participants, this method successfully addresses privacy issues without compromising the openness, security, and decentralisation that are intrinsic to blockchain technology. With the use of their personal data, several people may collaborate on calculations while keeping their inputs secret thanks to garbled circuits technology. Because of its computing requirements, this approach was first theoretical but has now been optimised by COTI and Soda Labs to need a fraction of the usual processing power and memory. In addition to solving the Millionaires' Problem—a well-known cryptography use case created by Andrew Yao to ascertain who is wealthier without disclosing true net worth—COTI's introduction of garbled circuits also establishes a new benchmark for privacy in the Web3 sphere. It serves a range of purposes by guaranteeing safe transactions that impact a shared private state between many parties without jeopardising private information. Due to its immunity to the single-point-of-failure vulnerabilities seen in Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) systems, garbled circuits are positioned as a preferable option to Zero-Knowledge (ZK) based solutions. Ishan Pandey: In what ways does COTI see Web3 applications—such as decentralised exchanges, privacy wallets, and governance systems—integrating with garbled circuits? Dr Nir Haloani: By providing safe and private calculations, COTI anticipates corrupted circuits improving the security of Web3 applications. With a new level of privacy that enables users to participate in transactions and governance decisions without disclosing sensitive information, this technology has the potential to significantly alter decentralised exchanges, privacy wallets, and governance systems. This will promote a more safe and reliable digital environment. Through the effective implementation of jumbled circuits, COTI presents a novel approach to blockchain encryption, fusing the advantages of on-chain immutability with the critical need for privacy. This technique is an example of Multi-Party Computation (MPC), which allows many parties to collaborate on calculations while sharing private data without disclosing the inputs to other parties. This innovation removes the computational obstacles that previously prevented the widespread use of such cutting-edge privacy protections on the blockchain. A major technical advancement, the use of garbled circuits promises scalable privacy and much quicker processing compared to previous encryption methods like Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE). This strengthens COTI's position as a pioneer in Web3 safe data transmission and creates a plethora of use cases that need strict privacy controls without compromising the fundamental benefits of blockchain technology. Ishan Pandey: In terms of safe and private applications for daily life, what opportunities does COTI's jumbled circuits have for the future of blockchain technology? Dr Nir Haloani: By providing safe and private calculations, COTI anticipates corrupted circuits improving the security of Web3 applications. With a new level of privacy that enables users to participate in transactions and governance decisions without disclosing sensitive information, this technology has the potential to significantly alter decentralised exchanges, privacy wallets, and governance systems. This will promote a more safe and reliable digital environment. Through the effective implementation of jumbled circuits, COTI presents a novel approach to blockchain encryption, fusing the advantages of on-chain immutability with the critical need for privacy. This technique is an example of Multi-Party Computation (MPC), which allows many parties to collaborate on calculations while sharing private data without disclosing the inputs to other parties. This innovation removes the computational obstacles that previously prevented the widespread use of such cutting-edge privacy protections on the blockchain. A major technical advancement, the use of garbled circuits promises scalable privacy and much quicker processing compared to previous encryption methods like Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE). This strengthens COTI's position as a pioneer in Web3 safe data transmission and creates a plethora of use cases that need strict privacy controls without compromising the fundamental benefits of blockchain technology. Ishan Pandey: Given that COTI's jumbled circuits are a major advancement in on-chain privacy, how does the business intend to educate and involve users—particularly the younger demographic—about the significance and advantages of this ground-breaking privacy solution? Dr Nir Haloani: COTI plans to engage and educate users through a comprehensive outreach strategy that includes educational content, workshops, and community engagement initiatives. By illustrating the importance of privacy in the digital age and demonstrating how garbled circuits can protect users' data on the blockchain, COTI aims to foster a more informed and privacy-conscious user base. Ishan Pandey: What do you think the future of blockchain gaming will hold, and how do you intend to lead the way in innovation in this quickly changing sector? Dr Nir Haloani: The future of blockchain gaming is incredibly promising, with the potential to offer more immersive, secure, and fair gaming experiences. COTI's vision is to contribute to this future by leveraging its privacy technologies, to protect players' data and transactions within games. By incorporating privacy technologies, COTI aims to safeguard player data and transactions, enhancing trust and fairness in gaming ecosystems. Ishan Pandey: How does COTI intend to modify its privacy technology to satisfy legal requirements without jeopardising user privacy in light of the growing acceptance and examination of cryptocurrencies by regulatory authorities throughout the world? Dr Nir Haloani: Without sacrificing user privacy, COTI is dedicated to modifying its privacy technology to meet international regulatory requirements. This calls for a methodical strategy that upholds users' right to privacy as well as legal obligations by leveraging blockchain technology to balance user privacy with regulatory requirements. Ishan Pandey: How does COTI expect the volatility in cryptocurrency prices to affect its development trajectory and the uptake of its privacy-focused solutions? Dr Nir Haloani: Cryptocurrency price changes may have an effect on how people feel about them, but COTI says that the privacy-focused value of its goods is greater than these short-term changes in value. As more people learn about how important privacy is in the blockchain field, COTI thinks that more and more people will use its goods. Privacy is always important in apps and online purchases. COTI's main goal is to provide reliable privacy solutions that meet real-world needs and stay relevant and strong in a digital world that is changing quickly. Don’t forget to like and share the story! This author is an independent contributor publishing via our brand-as-author program. Be it through direct compensation, media partnerships, or networking, the author has a vested interest in the company/ies mentioned in this story. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure:

Dr. Nir Haloani: Master Inventor Discusses the Future of Privacy in Blockchain

ডঃ নীর হালোয়ানি: মাস্টার উদ্ভাবক ব্লকচেইনে গোপনীয়তার ভবিষ্যত নিয়ে আলোচনা করেছেন

Dr. Nir Haloani: Meistererfinder diskutiert die Zukunft des Datenschutzes in Blockchain

Dr. Nir Haloani: el maestro inventor analiza el futuro de la privacidad en Blockchain

Dr Nir Haloani : le maître inventeur discute de l'avenir de la confidentialité dans la blockchain

डॉ. नीर हलोनी: मास्टर आविष्कारक ब्लॉकचेन में गोपनीयता के भविष्य पर चर्चा करते हैं

ニル・ハロアニ博士: マスター発明家がブロックチェーンにおけるプライバシーの将来について語る

Nir Haloani 박사: 마스터 발명가가 블록체인의 개인 정보 보호의 미래에 대해 논의합니다.

Dr. Nir Haloani: Mestre Inventor discute o futuro da privacidade no Blockchain

Доктор Нир Халоани: Главный изобретатель обсуждает будущее конфиденциальности в блокчейне

Dr. Nir Haloani: Usta Mucit, Blockchain'de Gizliliğin Geleceğini Tartışıyor

Tiến sĩ Nir Haloani: Nhà phát minh bậc thầy thảo luận về tương lai của quyền riêng tư trong Blockchain

Nir Haloani 博士：发明大师讨论区块链隐私的未来

Content Overview Introduction to ZKP The Halloween Themed costume party analogy Real World Case Study: U.S Crypto Tax Bill Overview of the U.S Treasury's Aug 2023 crypto tax bill and its implications. Challenges of enforcing KYC in decentralized exchanges. Solution offered by ZKPs: enabling privacy-compliant verification How ZKP Works Explanation of ZKPs as cryptographic tools for securing data privacy. Detailed look at different types of ZKPs: zk-SNARKs and zk-STARKs. Comparison of their features and applications. Future of ZKP Conclusion Introduction to zkp Let’s assume you're at a Hackernoon Halloween costume party. Guests are making their entrance, and everyone is booming with excitement and anticipation behind their true identities, artfully concealed behind elaborate costumes. At this party, you can prove you're a member of the exclusive guest list without ever showing your face – your costume is your passport, yet it reveals nothing about who you truly are beneath the mask. In the world of technology, this type of anonymity and verification goes beyond the spirit of Halloween. It's the essence of a revolutionary technology known as . Let’s dive into it. zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) Real-world Case Study - U.S. Crypto Tax Bill Back in August, the U.S. treasury raised a crypto tax bill. This new bill mandated Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures for users of web-based exchanges like Uniswap, MetaMask, and DeFi platforms. The aim of the bill was to tighten tax reporting for digital asset brokers and users. Unfortunately, the bill was technically not feasible in a world that is deeply rooted in the ethos of privacy. How can you mandate a decentralized exchange to enforce KYC? To me, it showed a total lack of understanding of the technology on the part of the lawmakers that proposed the bill. But there was a solution: Zero Knowledge Proofs(Zkp). Imagine a scenario where a “decentralized  exchange(a Dex can be a digital exchange for trading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and co needs to verify that a user is not on a sanctions list but doesn't want to know any other information about them. Using ZKPs, the user could provide proof that they're not on the list without revealing their actual identity. The exchange can then confidently allow the user to proceed, knowing they've met regulatory requirements without compromising user privacy. This technology could be particularly useful for  cryptocurrency exchanges like Uniswap or Metamask, which prioritize user privacy but still need to abide by legal frameworks. For example, an exchange could integrate ZKPs into their smart contracts, enabling users to trade freely while still providing the necessary proof to satisfy regulatory requirements. The user remains anonymous, but the exchange can prove that it's operating within the laws. How zkp works for data. They allow one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any information beyond the validity of the statement itself. Zero-knowledge proofs are like the ultimate cryptographic costumes Think of it as proving you have the keys to your house, not by showing the keys themselves, but by simply unlocking the door. The door swings open, but the shape and teeth of the key remain your secret. It's a powerful concept that has become a cornerstone of privacy in the digital realm, particularly within blockchain technologies. Just as a skillfully crafted costume can hint at one's character without giving away their identity, ZKPs can validate transactions, authenticate users, and secure communication channels, all while preserving the privacy of the parties involved. Types of ZKPs Zero-knowledge proofs come in various forms, each suited to different applications. The most common types are zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge) and zk-STARKs (Zero-Knowledge Scalable Transparent Arguments of Knowledge). Zk-SNARKs are known for their efficiency and succinct proofs but require a setup phase that could potentially compromise trust if mishandled. On the other hand, zk-STARKs, while larger in proof size, offer enhanced security with no trusted setup and better resistance to quantum computing threats. This cryptographic technique is a groundbreaking tool that is reshaping the landscape of digital privacy and security. In the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, where transparency and privacy often clash, ZKPs act as the perfect cloak, maintaining the delicate balance between the two. They let users validate transactions with confidence while keeping their data hidden. Picture yourself navigating the dimly lit corridors of a haunted mansion during our Halloween masquerade. You encounter a locked door, and a shadowy figure—the gatekeeper—challenges you to prove you hold the key. In the spirit of the evening, you must do so without revealing the key itself or how it works. This is a perfect practical description of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). At the is a protocol, a series of steps that the prover and verifier engage in. The prover wants to convince the verifier of a particular truth while disclosing zero additional knowledge.
The protocol works through a clever combination of mathematical functions and cryptographic algorithms. heart of ZKPs These serve as the cobwebs and secret compartments of the mansion, hiding the details while allowing the truth to pass through unscathed. For instance, the prover may send a series of encrypted messages, or 'potions,' to the verifier, who can verify these 'potions' are genuine without ever knowing the 'ingredients.' This interaction is built upon the foundation of computational hardness—certain problems are so complex that they are infeasible to solve without a specific piece of knowledge (the secret key, in our analogy). The verifier, much like our party guests wandering through the mansion's maze, can be certain the prover has the secret without ever finding the map themselves. Future of zkp In the coming years, we might see ZKPs become a standard feature in everyday online interactions. They could provide the backbone for secure online identities, where individuals have complete control over how much personal information they share. Just like logging into websites, verifying your age, or proving your qualifications for a job without ever having to reveal your full name, date of birth, or credentials. The proof itself suffices. The financial industry stands to benefit immensely from ZKPs; they have the potential to  transform everything from credit checks to cross-border transactions. With ZKPs, financial institutions could verify the legitimacy of transactions without exposing sensitive data, minimizing the risk of fraud and theft. Healthcare could also see revolutionary changes with the . Patients could share proof of their medical conditions with healthcare providers or insurers without exposing their entire medical history, preserving their privacy while still receiving personalized care. adoption of ZKPs On the regulatory front, ZKPs offer a means to satisfy both privacy advocates and regulatory bodies. Final thoughts They could be the key to unlocking the potential of blockchain and other digital finance technologies, providing the necessary privacy assurances to appease regulatory requirements while maintaining the open nature of this system. This is why such an interesting concept as ZKPs matter; they can achieve a lot in the future of our technology. Thanks for reading. Images from pixabay.

Masks and Mysteries: Understanding Zero-Knowledge Proofs in a Halloween-Themed Costume Party 

As we may know, the crypto industry is filled with some real horror stories. The saddest part is that most of them were, actually, horror stories. If only the main characters knew! Like the classic star in a movie that should have never gone to that suspicious cabin in the forest. They should have never invested in that platform, left their private keys unattended, or bet for that price. avoidable Fortunately, we can now celebrate Halloween by delving into the eerie and enlightening world of past crypto horror stories, learning from their mistakes. Let's take a spine-chilling but educational journey through these tales. The Betrayal(s) We’ll start with some backstabbing here because we usually trust in the wrong person. And we don’t mean strangers on the Internet, but your own family and friends. At least that’s what happened to an old man in Washington when The major irony here is that it was the same son who introduced the father to crypto investments. his own son offered him a spiked cup of tea and proceeded to rob him of $400,000 in cryptocurrencies. In 2022, Liam Ghershony, 24, that his father wasn’t following the best investment strategy. He visited the father and offered him a cup of tea that contained a large dose of benzodiazepine, a kind of depressant that produces sedation and hypnosis. The father Ghershony was knocked out almost immediately after drinking the tea, and the son used the two-step authentication with his phone to steal from his digital wallet. decided The young Ghershony thought his father would wake up soon, but that didn’t happen for two days. Someone called the Police to check on him, and they found him in the same spot, with severe dehydration and organ dysfunction. He was rushed to the hospital, and his son was quickly arrested. Yikes. At least, the father recovered (and also recovered his coins), while the son apologized and just spent some months in jail. Another happened in Manhattan, in 2017. After luring the victim into an Uber-like minivan, they were kidnapped and robbed of their physical possessions, house keys, ETH seed phrase, and wallet location. While the friend was detained, Meza and accomplices looted the victim's apartment, making off with $1.8 million in ETH. Fortunately, the victim managed to escape, leading to the criminals' arrest, with most of the stolen crypto recovered. betrayal story Louis Meza targeted a supposed friend who held a millionaire Ethereum wallet. Loose lips (and posts) sink ships It’s very important not to go around making a fuss about your holdings. You know, loose lips might sink ships, and this has been proven by several crypto investors over the years. In 2021, a man from the Netherlands suffered a serious assault after, somehow, criminals heard about his crypto holdings and found his address. Three men arrived at his home disguised in green jackets, pretending to be troubleshooters. They went straight for the cryptocurrencies, and as the victim , “They literally beat the code out of me.” He also admitted that he’d been talking about his crypto holdings with numerous people around him, so, the criminals likely learned about it this way. The three men fled the scene, but the coins were frozen in the exchanges. Pretty soon, they were hitting him to force him to reveal his passwords and private keys. declared https://youtu.be/tbPNNEP20pg?si=biczVj7BpNah__eT&embedable=true That one is far from being the only case, though. Again in 2021, this time in England, a criminal gang kidnapped a 14-year-old boy after learning (through social media posts) that he made a significant amount of money by investing in cryptocurrencies. At least, they only to extort around $1,000 from the boy’s mom before releasing him; and one of the kidnappers was tracked and arrested days later. managed More crypto assaults In 2020, the crypto trader Kieran Hamilton from Manchester wasn’t that lucky. He posted a lot of photos on Instagram, showing a luxurious life from his crypto investments. some criminals found him, beat him badly, and stabbed him while demanding money. The criminals didn’t know about how crypto works, so Hamilton managed to keep his private keys. However, they left with several electronics and his beloved dog. As a result, These are barely some examples of crypto assaults. The security firm ADT that So, be pretty careful with the things you share publicly. discovered 78% of burglars resort to social media to find victims. A bet is a bet Sometimes, bad people are responsible for your disgrace. Some other times, you are the sole responsible for it. And this is especially applied in the world of cryptocurrencies. Indeed, there’s a whole Twitter (X) account dedicated to anonymous confessions (often mistakes and bad bets) by average crypto investors worldwide. It’s called “ ,” and we can learn a lot from them. Coinfessions For instance, one of the latest confessions talks about how a crypto investor put their inheritance in crypto, earned a lot from it, but also lost a lot and ended up with the same amount. Likely, because they have no financial planning at all. https://twitter.com/coinfessions/status/1716031699862364603?embedable=true There are worse stories, though. An anonymous investor had $650,000 before the FTX crash, but now they’re living paycheck to paycheck without savings, and taking loans to pay for medical bills. People who have bet all their money and more (through loans) into cryptocurrencies, or worse, crypto exchanges like the infamous FTX. https://twitter.com/coinfessions/status/1715669308381208879?embedable=true BlockFi, another failed platform, is the star in another sad story by a soon-to-be medical student. They transferred all their savings to that platform, and the money was meant to pay for medical school. When they tried to withdraw their investment in November 2022, they just couldn’t. Now, at least, BlockFi that they’ll repay their users in 2024. announced https://twitter.com/coinfessions/status/1714219773922574457?embedable=true The main lesson to learn here is, likely, that Always use non-custodial services, where you keep your own private keys and have control of your funds all the time. Also, research thoroughly before putting your coins in a project or platform. you should never fully trust centralized platforms and wallets. Maybe a zombie People may fake their own death due to numerous reasons, but money is often involved. That’s when they’re really alive somewhere, of course, and the fake death isn’t just another conspiracy theory. We can’t know that for sure in the case of Gerald Cotten, the founder and CEO of the now-extinct Canadian crypto exchange Quadriga. Cotten has been officially dead since 2018, but The thing is that Quadriga is now considered a Ponzi scam, and it owes around $190 million in cryptocurrencies to over 115,000 customers. former Quadriga users are trying to his body to prove that he’s really dead. legally exhume Cotten's death, in India, was attributed to complications from Crohn's disease, an illness not typically fatal. Skepticism abounded, particularly when it was revealed that he was the sole possessor of the private keys to the exchange's cold wallets. However, known cold addresses of the exchange were found empty in an explorer. Adding to the intrigue, Cotten's death certificate misspelled his name, further fueling suspicions. , while others raised questions about Quadriga's financial operations, suggesting it might have been a Ponzi scheme all along. Cotten's widow, Jennifer Robertson, was left grappling with these complex issues. She paid $12 million worth of assets after the scandal, declaring that she didn’t know about his husband's misdeeds. Some people speculated that Cotten may have faked his own death as part of an exit scam To date, creditors are claiming over $303 million in losses, but they’ll only be given back 13% of it after . It’s unlikely that they’ll receive more, as one of the trustees declared. Most of it just disappeared after Cotten’s death, after all. \ bankruptcy proceedings A nightmare before private keys Taking good care of your private keys is the first and most important lesson you should learn in crypto. Did you know that up to are forever blocked because people keep forgetting or losing their private keys? And that’s just in Bitcoin. Non-custodial money means that only you have access to and control of your funds. If you lose your keys, nobody can recover them for you. 3.7 million bitcoins The summer of that year started his nightmare when he threw out the wrong hard drive into the trash while cleaning his office. It was the hard drive that contained his private keys and Bitcoin wallet. That’s the sad story of James Howells, a British computer engineer who bought 8,000 bitcoins early, in 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MBRgLEXLEE&embedable=true Since then, Howells has been adamant about recovering his bitcoins. He believes the hard drive is buried somewhere in a landfill in Newport, South Wales. So, he’s been trying to get permits to excavate there, unsuccessfully so far. (from 2022) is using an AI-powered mechanical arm to filter the trash and then check it manually in a nearby facility. All of this with the help of $12 million raised from a hedge fund. His last proposal What can we say? Mistakes were made. Another sad story about private keys in 2023 was starred by , a popular crypto influencer. . An opportunistic viewer was faster than him and stole around $60,000 in crypto assets. Ivan Bianco He didn’t lose his private keys but showed them by accident (ironically) in a live streaming about his DeFi earnings Never show up or share your private keys! Also, put them on paper and hide them away. Don’t be a victim this or another Halloween. Featured Vector Image by Freepik

Watch Out: Crypto Horror Stories You Must Know for Halloween

সতর্ক থাকুন: হ্যালোইনের জন্য ক্রিপ্টো হরর গল্পগুলি আপনাকে অবশ্যই জানা উচিত

Aufgepasst: Krypto-Horrorgeschichten, die Sie zu Halloween kennen müssen

Cuidado: Historias de terror criptográfico que debes conocer para Halloween

Attention : histoires d'horreur cryptographiques à connaître pour Halloween

सावधान रहें: क्रिप्टो डरावनी कहानियाँ जो आपको हैलोवीन के लिए अवश्य जानना चाहिए

注意してください：ハロウィーンに知っておくべき暗号ホラーストーリー

조심하세요: 할로윈에 꼭 알아야 할 암호화폐 공포 이야기

Cuidado: histórias de terror criptográfico que você deve conhecer para o Halloween

Остерегайтесь: крипто-ужасные истории, которые вы должны знать на Хэллоуин

Dikkat Edin: Cadılar Bayramı İçin Bilmeniz Gereken Kripto Korku Hikayeleri

Hãy chú ý: Những câu chuyện kinh dị về tiền điện tử bạn phải biết trong dịp Halloween

小心：万圣节你必须知道的加密货币恐怖故事

Curiously enough, Halloween could be a mysterious time, even in the world of finances. Have you ever heard of the bullish "Halloween effect" in stocks and cryptocurrencies? It's a fascinating phenomenon that suggests that Some even like to sum it up with the catchy phrase, "Sell in May and Go Away," until Halloween rolls around again. Sounds like a spooky mystery, right? Well, let's dive a bit into this phenomenon. after every Halloween (October 31), these markets tend to perform their best until the following May. The Halloween strategy is all about timing the market, which goes against the traditional "buy-and-hold" strategy. It encourages investors to be fully invested in stocks from November through April and then stay out of stocks from May through October. It might sound like a bit of a ghost story, but there's some intriguing data to back it up. An intriguing story The origins of can be traced back to the United Kingdom, where the wealthy class used to leave the bustling city of London for their country estates during the summer. They often neglected their investment portfolios during this time and only returned to the markets in September. The idea of abandoning stocks in May became quite popular, giving rise to the saying, "Sell in May, go away, come again, St. Leger Day." this strategy In more recent times, researchers Sven Bouman and Ben Jacobsen examined stock performance from November to April and coined it the "Halloween Indicator." According to their observations, investors who follow this strategy, fully investing for one six-month period and staying out of the market for the other six months, could potentially enjoy the better part of an annual return with only half the exposure of year-round investors. So, does it really work? Well, historical data suggests that the Halloween strategy has been quite successful over the past half-century. In fact, during a five-year timeframe, the strategy of selling in May beat the market over 80% of the time. And when applied in over ten years, it was successful more than 90% of the time. The numbers seem to indicate that the months from November to April often yield stronger capital gains compared to the rest of the year. ** ** \But here's where it gets mysterious: no one has been able to pinpoint a single, definitive reason for this anomaly. Some speculate that market liquidity is influenced by investment professionals' summer vacations, while others believe that investor aversion to risk during the summer plays a role in the discrepancy in seasonal returns. However, it's not entirely clear whether these factors are the true cause. Halloween effect in crypto This pattern has also been observed in the past for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but it's not a strict rule. It’s only a matter of checking the total cryptocurrency market capitalization in recent years to discover it ( , in our case). From Halloween in 2015 to May 2016, the whole market increased by over 55%. In the same period between 2016 and 2017, the market cap increased by over 177%. on CMC Between 2018 (a bearish year) and 2019, the market decreased by 13%, and between 2019 and 2020 also declined by 1.5% in the same period. The Halloween effect came back in full force between 2020 and 2021, with an increase of over 457%. But the market decreased again by 34% between November 2021 and April 2022. Then, from Halloween 2017 to May 2018, the market increased again by over 127%. It’s not infallible, though. * *The last “Halloween period” (between November 2022 and April 2023) showed modest gains of 20% for the whole market. However, we can’t say that coins increased their price in this period (or before). This may be considered a good time to invest, but every project should be researched thoroughly on its own. all So, while the Halloween effect might be an interesting trend, it's always wise to approach investment decisions with caution and a long-term perspective, especially in such a rapidly changing market. In the meantime, can offer you a safe wallet to save in the long term with several cryptocurrencies, thanks to the . We must remember that cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile and influenced by various factors, and past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Obyte and invest Counterstake Bridge Featured Vector Image by Freepik

Educational Byte: The Halloween Effect in Crypto and Stocks

Electronic Afterword to The Hacker Crackdown, Halloween 1993

In 2001, Microsoft launched Halo: Combat evolved alongside its tie-in novel , authored by Eric Nylund, who then wrote in 2003 and in 2006. Since then, nine other authors have contributed novels to the series, adding more lore to the ever-expanding universe of Halo. One of these authors is Troy Denning, who wrote works such as and The Fall of Reach First Strike Ghosts of Onyx Halo: Last Light, Halo: Retribution, Halo: Oblivion, Halo: Shadows of Reach. About Troy Denning is an American fantasy and author and game designer who has written over two dozen novels, including , and . In this exclusive interview, Troy sheds light on how he became an author, his past projects as a game designer, and some exciting things to look forward to in his latest book, . Troy Denning science fiction The New Jedi Order: Star by Star Waterdeep Halo: Outcasts When did you start writing stories? I think it was in the eighth grade, so probably about the age of 13-14. Our English teacher assigned us to keep a journal, but writing daily entries about chores and ski team practice seemed boring. So I just started to write stories instead. What made you want to start writing? If it was a book, what was it? I guess I became interested in writing because I was an avid reader from a young age.  I would get sucked into worlds created by Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkien, Burroughs and began to imagine my own versions. At first, my worlds were pretty derivative of whatever I happened to be reading, but as my archive expanded, so did my imagination. It wasn’t long—maybe three or four years—before the worlds in my head began to seem fairly original (at least to me), and I started to feel like I had something worth putting on paper. You know, I would read something by Clarke or Leiber and think “I could do that!” Of course, I couldn’t. The mark of a true master is making their work look effortless, and that was certainly true of the authors I was reading. It took fifteen years, a B.A. in English, and eight years of experience as an editor and tabletop game designer before I published my first novel. What does your writing process look like? What kind of routine do you have, and how does it help you? Two of my favorite books on writing are by Terry Brooks, and On Writing by Stephen King. Both authors are (obviously) masters of the craft, but about the only thing their processes have in common is they write every day for AT LEAST a few hours.  Otherwise, their processes are almost opposites. King is a wanderer. He just starts writing and sees where the story takes him. Brooks is a mapper. Before he starts, he likes to know where the story is going and how he’s going to get there. Sometimes the Magic Works When I started out, I was more like King. I just started and let the story take me where it wanted. It’s incredibly fun, but you end up wandering down a lot of box canyons and having to backtrack to keep the story moving forward. If you have the time and self-confidence to handle the bad turns, it can produce some truly marvelous results. That’s how I wrote the Prism Pentad (Dark Sun) and Pages of Pain (Planescape).  But I also have a drawer full of unfinished books that I couldn’t figure out how to fix. More importantly, when I shifted from working with people who knew me personally (as the editors for the Dungeons & Dragons stuff did) to people who were contacting me to write for licensed Intellectual Properties (IPs) such as Star Wars and Halo, the process needed to be a lot more structured. Those books are part of a major publishing program that ties into other mediums such as movies, TV, games, comics, etc. There are usually well over a dozen decision makers (publishing house editors, continuity editors from the IP, executives, marketing people). They can’t just say, “write a book featuring the Lady of Pain” (as was the case for Pages of Pain) or “give us a five-book series set in that game world you just designed” (as was the case with the Dark Sun books).  Everybody needs to agree on the story in advance, and that requires detailed outlines. So now, I work more like Brooks does. I construct detailed outlines before I write the first word of the first chapter. All of the editors and executives and sometimes even the marketing people make suggestions and offer notes, until we finally have something we all agree on. By the time we’re finished, I have a very clear picture of the story arc, the character arcs, the settings, and most of the other story elements. That isn’t to say that nothing ever varies from the outline, because it often does. But when that happens, we have a common map, and we can all agree on the changes I need/want to make. (Or do something even better, which often ends up being the case after everyone offers input). What would you say is the hardest part of writing a novel? For novice/young writers, finishing what you start is always the hardest part. They lose confidence in what they’re doing, because they haven’t been through the revision process and don’t understand that the first draft of any novel is just raw ore. It takes time and effort—a lot of both—to run that draft through the crusher and flotation tanks and smelt out the gold. For me, the opening is always the hardest part. It’s where you raise the story question, introduce the characters, establish atmosphere, and set tone. The first chapter of a good novel does an incredible amount of work, and by the time I sit down to write it, I have a clear concept of how ALL of that stuff is going to work. But getting the concept onto the page? That can be a struggle. It’s not unusual for me to spend a month or more just getting a first chapter I’m happy with. But once that foundation is laid . . . I wouldn’t say the rest of the book writes itself, but it’s a lot easier. Throughout your career, you’ve written several books for various sci-fi and fantasy settings. Which universe did you enjoy writing for the most and why? What was your favorite book in that series? Boy, that’s a loaded question . . . and one I can’t answer simply. Writing a book takes a LOT of time and energy, and if you’re just doing it to fulfill an assignment, you’re doing it wrong. If it’s just work, you can find a lot of jobs that reward you better for your time. The truth is, I loved all the properties I wrote for, or I wouldn’t have done it. I went to work for TSR Hobbies straight out of college because I loved Dungeons & Dragons, and in addition to the work I did as an editor and game designer, I ended up writing twenty novels for them.  Eventually, the opportunity to work on something I loved even more—Star Wars—came along, and I wrote twelve novels for them. Then Disney bought Lucasfilm and I didn’t love where the line was going as much, but I’d started to explore the Halo universe and was really falling in love with it. So when Ed Schlesinger called to see if I’d be interested in doing a Halo novel, it was an easy yes. In addition to your novels, you’ve also worked as a game designer. What past projects are you most proud of? I would have to say the Dark Sun setting, which I conceptualized with Timothy Brown, Mary Kirchoff, and Brom, and wrote with Timothy Brown.  It’s a rough, gritty, campaign world set in an environmental wasteland (yes, it IS a warning about global warming and unchecked environmental damage), and it reflects my love of sand-and-sorcery fantasy like Conan. In Halo: Outcasts, we see the Sangheili society under Cortana’s rule. What was it like describing a society, which once prided itself on its culture of honor and strength, brought to heel by its new overlords? I probably have a different take on martial culture than a lot of readers. Any society that needs a code of honor to regulate its violent interactions is two things by definition:  a) violent, and b) probably not all that honorable. If there wasn’t a fair amount of violence, the society wouldn’t need to regulate it. If warriors were inherently “honorable,” there would be no need for a code. They would just naturally behave with honor. So, when I look at the Sangheili, I see a fairly violent species that, at some point in its past, was so ruthless it developed a code of honor to keep from tearing its society apart. Now, what happened to their ruthless streak? Did it just go away? Nature doesn’t work that way. The ruthless streak is still there. It’s just sublimated to an external code of honor. The thing about sublimation is it’s imperfect. Sublimated traits manifest themselves in other ways. And that’s how the Sangheili kaidons have been portrayed in lore. They’re scheming, sneaky warlords maneuvering to secure their own interests. Once they have the advantage, they usually find a way to justify any amount of underhanded violence in the name of “honor.”  So, when I look at Sangheili culture, I tend to see parallels with Feudal Japan, and the Arbiter’s struggles in unifying the Sangheili are very much akin to that of a feudal emperor fighting to control his shoguns. We are also introduced to an Oath Warden, Crei ‘Ayomuu. Can you tell our readers about Oath Wardens and their role in Sangheili culture? An Oath Warden is basically a bounty hunter who takes contracts to enforce agreements on behalf of other Sangheili. They are unique in Sangheili culture in not considering themselves bound by the warrior code of honor, which frees them to use any means necessary to fulfill their contracts. At the same time, they follow their own code, which they claim to be far more strict than that of the warriors. The thing is, only Oath Wardens know whether that’s true, since only Oath Wardens are allowed to know their code. Halo: Outcasts also focuses on Spartan Vale, a member of Fireteam Osiris from Halo 5. What was it like writing for a character that hasn’t gotten much attention since the events of Hunters in the Dark and Halo 5: Guardians? I enjoyed it. In various pieces of Vale’s background lore, there are hints of a complex, engaging character with the potential to play a much larger part in the Halo Universe than she has so far. I enjoyed building on those hints, to create someone who I hope the readers will want to see more of. What else can Halo fans look forward to in your latest book? We’ll revisit some characters from Halo Oblivion, learn a few of Netherop’s secrets, and explore some very ancient lore. You often write for pre-established universes (Halo, Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons). Have you ever considered writing something in your own setting? If so, what would it look like? I have a drawer full of partially-completed spec projects in various settings. There are sand-and-sorcery fantasies, contemporary thrillers, and near-future SF in there. Fortunately/unfortunately (it’s a bit of both), the media tie-in contracts have kept me too busy to complete them. When an offer for a cool project that will definitely be published comes in, the cool project that might be published loses out. Sigh . . . maybe when I retire! Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Sure: 1) write every day; 2) write because you love it, not because you want to “be” a writer; 3) don’t count on making a living as a writer; only a very small percentage of us do, and the percentage who make a good living is even smaller; 4) study your craft; read books like On Writing by Stephen King, Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks, Story by Robert McKee . . . really, anything about writing that you can get your hands on; 5) editors are your friends; even if you’re not ready to publish yet, hiring an independent story editor to mark up a short story or a chapter of a work-in-progress will teach you a LOT about writing.

An Exclusive Interview w/ Troy Denning, Author of Halo: Outcasts

Una entrevista exclusiva con Troy Denning, autor de Halo: Outcasts

Une interview exclusive avec Troy Denning, auteur de Halo : Outcasts

हेलो: आउटकास्ट्स के लेखक ट्रॉय डेनिंग के साथ एक विशेष साक्षात्कार

『Halo: Outcasts』著者、トロイ・デニング氏への独占インタビュー

Uma entrevista exclusiva com Troy Denning, autor de Halo: Outcasts

Một cuộc phỏng vấn độc quyền với Troy Denning, Tác giả của Halo: Outcasts

《光环：流放者》作者 Troy Denning 独家专访

The first experience I had with the Halo series was through watching gameplay on YouTube, and oh boy, was I intrigued by the Halo universe, characters, graphics, and smooth and transcending storyline. Halo is indeed a cinematic experience that has impressed viewers over the years. Although different adaptations of 343's Halo have been released over time, with the latest being in 2022, it never fails to impress. The 2022 Halo film series has an impressive review score on Rotten Tomatoes, standing at 70%, and its IMDb rating is 7.2. That is not a bad performance at all. In my chat with Troy Denning on his latest book, , he speaks about writing the book, his best character and his influence, the future of AI. Halo: Outcasts I prefer books to movies on account of how wild and wide my imagination can roam and the way words can be strung together to trigger sensations and emotions. For the sci-fi Action genre, however, the subject matter is often technical, and readers might not be familiar with some concepts. So, for me, seeing the Halo games first helped to shape my thoughts of certain concepts, elements, weapons, and creatures, but it did not in any way take away my love for the books. Yet, one cannot help but wonder how writers think of these worlds and concepts. In my conversation with Troy Denning, he mentions being an avid reader and follower of Amy Webb and Michio Kaku. Halo: Outcasts is one of the standalone stories of the Halo Series, written by Troy Denning. It did not come short of wowing us with beautiful words describing the universe, characters, and action sequences. Halo: Outcasts Here’s the summary and plot: After the Covenant fell, the Sangheilis now have their battles to fight: demarcating friends and enemies, choosing allies, and safeguarding against adversaries. It is set around November 2559 after the destruction of Dosiac by Forerunner Guardians and is controlled by the AI Cortana. The powerful Sangheilis are now subjects, and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's attempt to unite them fails. An oath warden's (Crei Ayomuu) conscience awakens and he has to fight for what he believes is right. (Release Date: August 8th, 2023) Buy the Book on Amazon Troy Denning on The Writing of Halo: Outcasts Although he had written on different themes in the series, such as The Ferrets and Master-Chief and The Blue Team, this is Denning Troy’s first work in the standalone series. As a writer, I wondered what that was like because when different writers work on a tie-in job, it certainly has its challenges. So, I asked Troy Denning to talk about the writing process for . Halo: Outcasts Considering there were writers in the Halo Universe before you and a story context was already set for prominent characters, was it difficult to adapt to the setting and character development? And to eventually develop them into Halo Outcasts? Me: **Denning:**Was it difficult? Not at all. One of the joys of writing media tie-ins is that there is such a wealth of material to draw on. I am aware of the Halo Story Bible, a material which is to provide support to writers on continuity and the background of characters and settings. I wanted to know what that was like. What do you think of using a story guide, e.g., the " ," when doing a tie-in writing job? What is your advice for people who are involved in such jobs? Halo Story Bible Denning: "I have heard writers new to tie-in work complain that they’re limited by pre-existing material and the IP’s story parameters. Usually, what they’re complaining about is having to do their research. really "When an editor is trying to recruit you to work in a new universe, s/he will often tell you not to worry about the pre-existing lore, that the IP has continuity editors to help you along. It’s a mistake to accept that at face value. "The continuity editors do a wonderful job, but it’s just impossible to deliver a book that matches the spirit of the (licensed intellectual property) IP if you don’t the IP. To do that, you have to read widely in it. know "More importantly, the wealth of lore works as a creative springboard. It’s like a group brainstorming session, where the synergy of a lot of disparate viewpoints produces ideas far better than anything one person could have thought of on his own. Imagine having an entire library of ideas to bounce off—stuff you’d have never thought of in a hundred years, but which sparks something different and even better when you see it? "You have to be willing to do the research, but it’s those kinds of flashes that keep me coming back to tie-in work." Halo: Outcasts Characters has interesting characters. Some have established backgrounds, but there are some whose plots are just budding. First, which character(s) did you enjoy writing? Is there any character from this book that you would love to spend more time with in the future? Me: Halo: Outcasts “Vale and Vadam. I loved writing both of them. Denning: “I’d like to bring Crei ‘Ayomuu back as a recurring villain. There’s still a ton of material to explore about the Oath Wardens, and it would be fun to build that out in the future. “I think the readers (and I) will also want to see what becomes of Rosa Fuertes (who changed her name from Roselle in ). “And, of course, Vale and Vadam. It will be a delight to write about them again.” Oblivion Me: Interesting. Certainly, Vale and ‘Vadam had their marks all over the book (I wish I could talk about it, but no spoilers). and The Future of AI Halo: Outcasts The series is set in the 2500s. The technology there is still time away—not very far away—from reality, even though the foundations are laid now. Troy acknowledges following scientific trends, especially in physics. Halo To that, he mentions some influential and favorite futurists, Amy Webb and Michio Kaku, whose "work suggests a lot of the technology in is just around the corner." Halo With his exposure and ongoing research in the cinematic and technological worlds, Troy believes the future is not far away, as we do not fully know the capabilities of AI and how it would affect our reading and books. Whatever that future is, he believes it will be strange to those who are alive in this generation. He says,  "I’m doubtful we’ll have faster-than-light travel by the 2500s (or ever). But I suspect we’ll see 80–90% of everything else—probably much sooner than the 2500s. "By 2500, I suspect books, Earth, society, and probably even the human species will be unrecognizable to someone from our era—assuming, of course, we survive climate change." That’s very reflective, both about the present and the future. Astrophysics, quantum physics, biotechnology, and biomedical engineering will change the way we see things and think of what we currently call natural orders, with AI being at the forefront of them all. Final Thoughts Truly, current discoveries and scientists, at large, are impressive and keep us hopeful for life-improving technology in a future not too far from here. As he said, all of that is possible, assuming we survive climate change. Already, I am looking forward to reading Ayomuu as a villain! PS: Thanks to Troy Denning for granting the request for the interview. Also, my gratitude goes out to the HackerNoon team for making this happen. May the odds be in your favor and the force be with you. (Release Date: August 8th, 2023) Buy the Book on Amazon

Troy Denning on Halo Outcasts and Writing for the Halo Universe

Learn how to dress up Bittle and program it to play Halloween comics Story Hi there, It's been two years since our launch of the . For the Halloween celebration, I made a horror comic clip with Bittle. You may check out the final cut and read the following tutorial to make your Petoi robots play like a pro. Bittle robot dog, a programmable robot kit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53airP7kKd4?embedable=true Idea The idea comes from many cute animal videos that dress dogs/cats in costumes. I have both handy. Since their leg structures are very similar to the real ones, I think it would be funny to dress them up. However, the robots are about 15cm in body length, so I adjusted a lot to fit them into the tiniest costumes for real pets. the Bittle dog and Nybble cat robots Hardware I have printed a pumpkin cat head before, but the seems deleted. You may find some variants or design your own. original Thingiverse design file I ODMed some ultrasonic sensors with RGB LEDs. It has three WS2812 RGB LEDs in each column. They can be programmed as blinking eyes using the . Adafruit NeoPixel library I inserted the ultrasonic sensor into the pumpkin head. I also glued a small plastic block between the pumpkin and Bittle's head to raise the pumpkin above the tall collar. Now the main character is ready to go. Storyline I need to add some dramatic storylines to make the simple movements less boring. I have some anatomy models for reference when designing bionic robots. They happen to fit the Halloween theme perfectly. They also look pretty creepy. The assassin (Bittle) should get shocked when facing his mighty victim. I glued a small magnet to the assassin's hand to make the dagger detachable. The magnet's strength is tuned by a thin layer of hot glue so that the dagger will drop with a moderate shock. I will also utilize the built-in behavior "check-around" and "backflip" to make the assassin observe the surroundings and jump backward when shocked. Software Over the past years, I've optimized the software to make it user-friendly. I only need to uncomment the macro definition to activate the LEDs on the ultrasonic sensor. OpenCat I need to disable the distance measuring function to stop the robot from automatic reactions. The basic Arduino code defines the instinctive motions and reactions of the robot. It's pretty encapsulated so that users don't need to worry about the tedious hardware details of a complex robot. A set of top-level can control it through the serial port. string commands I used the to create and preview a new jump behavior. Below are two demos showing how the Skill Composer works. Skill Composer I used a Mac to create a and align all the events in order. You can read it like a regular play script. Python script The script is executed in the terminal by . It will send queries to all the existing serial ports in parallel, decide if a serial port is connected to a Petoi robot, and then send the tasks over the serial port. The serial port can be wired or wireless connection. For the video, I used the Bluetooth dongle to eliminate the wires. python3 hlw.py After the workflow is well-tuned, I can make Bittle repeatedly play the sequences and shoot videos from different perspectives with a single camera. Bittle is the most patient actor and only complained about a low battery once! I shot about 4 hours to collect all media resources. It took about 20 tries to get the dagger to drop in the best direction. The post-editing took more time to search for the proper licensed BGM, clip the appropriate time window, align the soundtrack with motion, and make other tedious adjustments to achieve the best results. Result The final video (at the beginning of this post) turned out cinematic. My friends loved it, and I even got likes from a few professional film directors. They want to use Nybble or Bittle as the hero in their movies. Below is another story between the Nybble cat and Sox. It may look like a waste of time to make a short video. However, I think it's a good demo to show how much we have improved the user interface of OpenCat robots. We have made the V1_2 and V0 fully functional and open-sourced their codes on . Arduino Uno-based NyBoard ESP32-based BiBoard GitHub We have improved the code structure and unified the Arduino motion code for Nybble, Bittle, and a coming 12 DoF model. And the and share the same code structure. Uno version ESP32 version Above the motion base, we have implemented high-level controllers in and on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It can upload firmware, calibrate the joints, and design skills. New skills developed by the Skill Composer or simulation can be sent over to the robot in real-time to test their performance in reality. Gymnastic motions such as climbing upside down and rolling on a high bar can be developed with a few clicks in less than an hour. Python script Tinker GUI We developed a for iOS and Android. It allows programmable buttons to configure and control the robot for competitions. smartphone app We also implemented a package (to be translated) that turns the WiFi dongle into a minimal standalone master computer. It also allows group control for multiple robots. micro-python We have made brief tutorials on and integration with the Petoi robots. Raspberry Pi ROS We keep revising the and adding to improve the user experience. documentation center tutorial videos We developed an introductory C++ curriculum based on Bittle. We also improved the components and packaging a few times since our initial launch. We now offer and to simplify the building and coding experiences. various kits with pre-assembled components fully pre-assembled and tuned robots So far, we have sold about 10, 000 Petoi robots worldwide through our and . The users' feedback is vital for product quality and features iteration. Technology is only valuable when the general public other than its inventor can benefit from it. That's why I've been spending a lot of time polishing the boring bits of the released products. With the fundamental toolchain built during these two years, I hope more users can make full use of their Petoi robots. I look forward to more creative projects on ! online store Amazon our forum ~~ Rz and the Petoi Team Also published . here

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