Bitcoin and cryptocurrency round-up: 19 February 2018

What's on today?
Souped-up mining rigs, Africa's underestimated crypto enthusiasm and the important place of regulation in crypto.
Plus, why Monero can't afford to centralise, your weekly price analyses and the Virt-U elevator pitch on video.
1. Pulled over for speeding hash rates
There's a lot of incentive to pimp your rig, but a New York resident with a modified Antminer s5 Bitcoin was pulled over by the FCC.
Just like drones have ticked off aviation authorities, modified rigs on the airwaves can tick off communications authorities.
2. The Silicon Savanna
Sub-Saharan Africa has always been well ahead of the times, being about six times more likely to use mobile payment systems than the global average.
Now the region looks set for another technological leapfrog, jumping right into cryptocurrency at a booming rate.
3. The currency, commodity and token phyla
That's the plural of phylum apparently.
With regulations reining in cryptocurrencies in different ways, it's worth hearing the experts talk about exactly how it probably should be regulated.
4. It was a dark and stormy CryptoNight
The Monero darkcoin is getting an upgrade to its CryptoNight mining algorithm. Or a downgrade, if you were hoping to bring your ASIC processors to it.
Monero developers have decided that a pre-emptive strike against CryptoNight ASIC processors is the way to go. It seems to make sense, and the hard fork is expected to pass smoothly.
5. Weekly price analyses: Flexing edition
- Bitcoin's all like "Boom, baby!"
- Ethereum's bulking up, but surreptitiously admiring bitcoin's gains
- Ripple's working on mastering its technique
- Litecoin isn't the biggest, but it's looking very well toned
6. So, what's it all about?
Virt-U's Daniel Doll-Steinberg gives the elevator pitch.
Latest cryptocurrency news
- Ethereum price breaks all time high of US$1,448
- Ethereum price: Massive slide as market faces bearish pressure
- Ethereum 2.0: Roadmap, timeline and implications
- Bitcoin falls to US$34,000 as confidence in money markets improves with the Biden inauguration
- Bitcoin price lags while regulators raise fears and banks grapple
Picture: Shutterstock
Disclosure: At the time of writing the author holds ETH, IOTA, ICX, VEN, XLM, NANO, SALT and BTC.