Skip to main content

The Altcoin Rises

O n May 11 2020, the crypto world experienced the phenomena knows as Bitcoin halving . For those who are still a little looney-toons regarding this phenomena, here's the lowdown . Moral of the story is that, as the Bitcoin supply decreased and it's 21 million market cap slowly approached, it was widely accepted that the low supply and high demand will increase the price of the cryptocurrency back to its previous highs. Basic business right? Wrong! Source: Equity Trust Company BTC prices actually fell and after briefly holding steady, are only just rising above the 10000 USD range. Surprise eh? Well, we are not done yet. Because while the most valuable crypto coin wasn't showing it's expected gains, some other cryptocurrencies shot to outer space. There was no SpaceX rocket nor a Tesla Roadster involved. These "altcoins" bumped up in their market value thanks to the entire underlying system of cryptocurrency: investor speculation.  But what exactly are these ...

Could France versus Croatia be the most thrilling yet unexpected world cup match ever ?

Could you have imagined several weeks ago that Lovren, Dejan Lovren, of all people having a World Cup winner's medal in his scarce trophy cabinet, over the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar? Funny isn't it? I would have put more money on that Liverpool player Bellydancing than reaching the finals. And that's why this France vs Croatia match up, almost as believable as VAR actually being good, is one way to end one hell of a world cup.
Image result for france world cup 2018

Favourites falling, giant-killing, beer draining, the World Cup has seen it all. But this the first time that Germany, Argentina, or Brazil have never reached the semifinals, their replacements being Croatia, Belgium, and England (of all teams). France already had the favourites status, and they once again go into a match as obscenely heavy favourites.Again.Remember Euro 2016? Yeah, that.

This time they have Kylian, and players who are now much better experienced having played and lost one final. For Croatia, this is the first time this little country of around 4 million people has reached a major Finals. And to be honest they probably have the most terrifying midfield in Modric, Rakitic, Perisic, as well as several other names with an -ic added to the end. France might have devastating forwards, as well as good midfield but unlike Croatia, they have struggled to thrill as much under the tutelage of 'Please-defend-first' Deschamps. The Denmark game is the only world cup match with zero goals, and against Belgium, Thibaut's analogy of 'all 11 french players defending 40 m away of from goal' wasn't too far of from the target. I can bet it was 39. Against the chocolate boys of Belgium' France only had 30 something per cent of possession. Even Russia could have 
bettered that.

Image result for croatia world cup 2018

Which is ironically why this match-up could be really thrilling. Croatia knows that when they push for goals their attack is great, as can be evidenced from 3-0 Argentina and 2-1 'It-was-supposed-to-come-home' England. If Croatia gets a quick and early goal against the French, Deschamps will have to open up the taps and Boom. Mbappe will be teleporting everywhere. Mandzukic will be bullying Kante of the ball. Pogba and Modric will both be looking for the defence-splitting passes. Hugo and Daniel will both be primed and ready making world-class saves after another.

So who will bloody win?

Most people would say France. They are the favourites and rightly so. Croatia was expected to make at least the quarters. Semi's would have been a high point. A final is not what the Slavs were expecting. So they have something to prove. Back when they last bowed out of the semis, their home media portrayed the players as heroes, but most of the players themselves agreed that they missed an opportunity. Croatian squad will want to grasp this match with their hands, feet, teeth. Anything which will help them put Croatia on the map. After all, they have never won a World Cup before. And the team they bowed out to the semis in 1998 was none other than France. Something to prove indeed.

But France have that desire as well. 2 years ago they beat Germany on their way to the finals on their own ground. But somehow contrived to lose against a lucky Portugal, a team which only made the last 16 because of the Euro rule where some good 3rd place teams qualify. They would definitely not want to lose it this time. 

In the end, it all comes down to how which team shows more of that feral hunger to get that coveted trophy. While in the end it might be a stalemate and go to penalties, both keepers are sure to make it a nail-biting finish. This is one world cup where if you bet you might as well be ready to lose it. And all FIFA is wondering about is to make broadcasters not pan away to 'hot women'. Seriously?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Everything You Need To Know About Physical Bitcoins

So you actually did it. You read more about Bitcoin Halving. You felt now was the time for you to shine and decided to invest your money into the crypto market. You thought of buying some Ethereum (ETH), maybe a little Ripple (XRP), but you said 'Nah. To hell with it', and decided to go for the real o.g. Bitcoin (BTC). Source: CoinDesk You signed up with a respectable broker who and now you have some BTC stored in a fancy digital wallet. Life is good until I tell you that your wallet isn't secure. You panik, yes, panik. "Really?", you say. And I'm like "Yes, really. You could lose all your holdings online in a snap ". Your panik intensifies. Source: Twitter Mon Dieu! My money! Non! While it's understandable to worry in a weirdly french way (unless you are french...in that case 'Bonjour'),  do remember that no security is always 100% safe. Blockchain tech is the safest that is out there, but that doesn't mean that there aren't big...

The McLaren Speedtail is Egregiously Elegant

Form follows function.   That has been McLaren's mantra ever since its humble beginnings less than a decade ago. If producing a  supercar  as your first ever car can be called humble. They made the F1 in the '90s and partnered with Mercedes-Benz to give birth to the SLR's with its various editions in the early 2000s but the proper start of the organization only began in 2010, with a car name more apt for the Musk family, the MP4-12C. However, in just 8 years the brand has gone from strength to strength. And massively improved their naming system. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the pinnacle of McLaren Automotive: the Speedtail. Source: Google Images The Speedtail is a part of McLaren's Ultimate Series lineup and it's the evolution of McLaren's DNA which began with the 12C, followed by the 650 S, the 500 series, P1, the 720 S and the Senna. As you can see, the cars in McLaren's lineup not only became a lot easier to pronounce but more importantly stuck to t...

Why the North Korean and American summit beats Peanut Butter and Pancakes

My last article described how, along with James Franco, we Homo Sapiens face extinction. But like an eager child who goes to play forgetting his undies, I forgot about the Nuclear War story.  Although this 'story' might not be as fresh as a new pair of socks, it is an added dimension to our human extinction theory. And that's why ' The Summit' ( not the Everest mind you) between 'cute as kittens' heads of 2 states is a way of vanquishing the incessant beast of mass destruction. I mean you can't enjoy peanut butter when you are toast (pun intended)  right?     The first meeting between Trump and Kim could determine the fate of not just the two countries but an entire world as well. If a war does occur the rest of the world can't just sit in their pyjamas and eat popcorn. Allies on both sides will want to get their hands on each other expensive throats. And then WW3 would hit us quicker than you can say ' World War 3'. What is scarier th...