Smart contracts on Ethereum are fully self contained and any information or access to off-chain data is restricted. Tellor solves this problem by creating a system where parties can request the value of an off-chain data point (e.g. ETH/USD) and miners compete to add this value to an on-chain data bank, accessible by all Ethereum smart contracts. Inputs to a data series are secured by a network of staked miners. The main Tellor smart contract creates a time series of each requested data series and aims to become the standard source of high value data for decentralized applications. This oracle, “Tellor”, utilizes similar incentive mechanisms to other cryptocurrency systems through the issuance of Tellor’s token, Tributes, that are used to request a particular data series from miners.
Auroracoin is a cryptocurrency for Iceland that is launched in February 2014. It is 50% premined and the coins will be distributed free-of-charge to all 330,000 citizens of Iceland via an airdrop starting from the midnight of 25th March 2014. Auroracoin is created as an alternative to the Icelandic krona. The movement of krona is severely restricted by the government and its value has dropped significantly against gold and the dollar since 1960. Each Icelandic national will receive 31.8 auroracoins during the airdrop. The creator of auroracoin goes by the pseudonym Baldur Friggjar Odinsson. Aurorcaoin is a clone of Litecoin.