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OCTOBER 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 37 Basically, a blockchain is made up of blocks that include time-stamped encrypted transac- tions that are locked to all except the owner who holds a private key. Once a transaction has been entered in the ledger, it cannot be changed unless a new transaction is added that reverses or changes that specific transaction. It is looking like blockchain—not just one of the currencies based on blockchain, such as Bitcoin, but blockchain itself—may very well change how the world does business. Using blockchain has become a priority for many companies' senior executives. Will the rate of use accelerate? That is a good question. I feel that the upcoming election and the economic results thereafter will catalyze its use and pos- sibly accelerate its acceptance in both business and society. Please remember that we are dis- cussing blockchain and not a single specific currency based on it. Online Meetings, Discussions, Webinars, and Presentations Early in 2000, I wrote a commentary re- garding the then-upcoming trend to working and communicating online. As predicted, the scheduling (or overscheduling) of online meet- ings and events has become part of the new normal. Even when this pandemic is just a bad memory, I expect that when an event is announced, those interested or involved with the event will now have three choices to make: whether to attend, which ones are the tradi- tional options, and which one is the new ad- ditional choice—which is to attend virtually. The rate of online events and meetings has accelerated, which has mostly been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I cannot conceive of any ma- jor trade show or event not having its keynotes and pre- sentations online, as well as the ability to visit booths and talk with exhibitors via the web. That is a good thing, especially for the real events where you can also choose to attend. One problem is that there are so many online events now being put forth that have been created to take advantage of the online opportunity trend. Some of these people are now signing up, knowing that they can de- cide to attend later, and many do not. It's an accelerating trend, especially for the high-qual- ity events, but for the rest, expect it to level off within the next year and for attendance to decline for those that are partly infomercials. 3D Printing and Manufacturing of Circuits and Devices 3D additive manufacturing of electronic components and devices is something that has been on an up-and-down trajectory for the last decade. The first rise was the feel- ing that this would allow for a mini-factory in every home, but due to the limited materials that could be printed at that time, this soon fizzled out. Today, however, with the ability of the new mixed-material printers, the return of 3D printers for many areas of manufacturing,