Bitcoin Forum

It's set up! I just got off the phone with speaking to Rashid. Dinner at 4:00 PM at Sabri Nihari Restaurant, 2502 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, IL. I think I'm going to order the Chicken Masala.

http://http.cdnlayer.com/smoola/00/00/32/d0f03031fe9e6559_m.jpg

~Bruno~

Nice! Next time Im in Chi-town let's grab a drink!

Great to hear! Thanks for taking the ball and running with it, Bruno!

I'll penned what transpired in the morning. Shutting down now. Very Tired!. Rashid should be registering soon. If anybody sees ChicagoCabbie or Chicago Cabbie tonight, make sure you do everything in your power to get him whitelisted. This is important. He is a tad under the weather, therefore may not get a video ready till Wednesday or Thursday to be in the video loop at CES.

The following is important.

Does anybody live in Chicago or just outside the city limits that's an avid user of Bitcoin interested in being the first person ever to take a cab ride and pay the fare using Bitcoin? This has a high chance of going viral, albeit no promises, but all will be done to try to make it so. I have read tweets of radio stations wanting him to do interviews. Not sure of the status, but can continue the story of the first cab driver to use social media to aid his business--now accepts Bitcoin. (too tired to edit--sorry--you get the gist)

~Bruno~

(still belching masala--yumm!)

FYI no smart-phone.  Could be an issue.  How does he address the non-smart-phone user?  With...cash?  Hell no.

If this all pans out, this cabbie will be in the history books of bitcoin.

You're on fire Bruno! Good work. You should sell Amway door to door.

Usually the only time I take a cab is drunk... and don't want to be on video doing that. I will call him next time I need one though. I haven't used any smartphone wallets yet though. How exactly did you pay?

I go to school in the city.  He can take me to Potbelly's.  It's ordinarily about a mile walk.  But that's 15-ish minutes, and I'm constantly late for class.

FYI no smart-phone.  Could be an issue.  How does he address the non-smart-phone user?  With...cash?  Hell no.

But, it could be in the UIC newspaper.  When I tell them about it.

Phinnaeus...what about a split-screen video recording?

Here's what I'm thinking:

On my end at my place, I have a video camera of me making the call to the cab company and sending the Bitcoins on my computer.

On the cab drivers end, he can have a video of him receiving the phone call (obviously, we would just arrange a time for me to call and have the cameras set up beforehand).

Then, the video tape of the cab ride and the rest of it.

You could split-screen the video of the call to show both the caller and receiver to show how the entire transaction works.

I have classes on Tuesday and Thursday.  If you want to set something up, let me know.  I'm down to do it.

Interesting concept. I like it! Probably the best shot is Thursday, thus giving time to get the ducks in a row. Unfortunately, CES ends Friday, but that doesn't matter. If it's done before then, it'll be available for Friday. If not, there's plenty of opportunities down the pike. I'll tweet this post to him. Thanks again, the joint.

~Bruno~

...me making the call to the cab company and sending the Bitcoins on my computer....

how will you know his bitcoin address... I hope you wont have him spell out the address on the phone!

here is my solution:
http://www.thebitcoinreview.com/site.php?site_id=825 (http://www.thebitcoinreview.com/site.php?site_id=825)

I'll need his company phone number & bitcoin address. I'm sure there is lots of other information he will want to put up on this listing. like his exact location or service area, I could throw in a google map.

i know it looks shitty... thebitcoinreview.com is in desperate need of a make-over, and its coming soon! In the mean time any publicity is good publicity  ;)  

how will you know his bitcoin address... I hope you wont have him spell out the address on the phone!

here is my solution:
http://www.thebitcoinreview.com/site.php?site_id=825 (http://www.thebitcoinreview.com/site.php?site_id=825)

I'll need his company phone number & bitcoin address. I'm sure there is lots of other information he will want to put up on this listing. like his exact location or service area, I could throw in a google map.

i know it looks shitty... thebitcoinreview.com is in desperate need of a make-over, and its coming soon! In the mean time any publicity is good publicity  ;)  

It could also be nice if the cabbie had a website. He could even have the cab request made right from the website. The site could even show if he is available and what area he is in. Through the ride request page on the site a msg is sent to his phone stating your location, destination and time of pickup. He replies to confirm the time and sends back a total, btc address and QR code.  There are a miriad of options that can be given to make it more convenient for either party.

woo, let's go nice and easy on him, he just started tweeting few weeks ago  :D

edit: lol my 1000 post, i'm not a "virgin" nemore

lets make 100% sure he dosnt get burnt!
setup him up nice and secure!
if he gets burnt we all get burnt!

No need to go that easy on him. He's been tweeting for awhile, facebook, and a website. Did I forget to mention he already does that GPS service, too? He creates his own video, also. Trust me, he'll be up to speed in no time. I'm sending him a PM in a few minutes (almost done penning it). I'm going to post that PM here and you'll all now what to do upon reading it. He basically understands the risk, and he, along with our help, will minimize that risk for him, as well as anybody else who comes on board. I'm sure it's less risky accepting Bitcoin than carrying around a wad of cash, don't your think?

~Bruno~

This would be an angle I would like to spin for the college newspaper.  There are many crime alerts issued because so many UIC students  get mugged or assaulted near the campus.  Having Bitcoins can reduce or eliminate the need for students to carry credit/debit cards or cash.

Rashid

Let's see how simple I can make this.

First go to the Other category and click the Newbies tab. Click the Introduce yourself  tab of which this is the link that will take you directly there: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=15672.0

Pen your first post, introducing yourself. Don't worry about being formal and all that. In fact, this is not even a requirement, but I opt to have you do this to help accelerate the whitelist process of which I've already got that ball rolling. I just felt that at least one post would help.

Once you're whitelisted, I suggest starting two threads. One in Marketplace https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=5.0
and the other in Off-topic https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=9.0

I'll assume you know how forums work. When you pen a new post, that thread gravitates to the top.

Your Marketplace thread will be the place where you advertise your cabbie service. Each day (or 2-3 times a day) you post your latest special. I do suggest that at first do it in USD and BTC (which stands for Bitcoins). You'll get accustomed to it after awhile. Don't worry about making mistakes. You can always go back and edit your post(s) at any time, unlike Twitter. May I suggest the following to title your thread?: ChicagoCabbie: First Bitcoin Accepting Cabbie. No need for Chicago in the tagline, and purposely left off the word taxi, for somehow I felt you folks have adopted the term cabbie opposed to using taxi driver, cab driver, etc.

The other thread in Off-topic is just as important for several reasons, which I'll explain. Again, I suggest titling it ChicagoCabbie Asks Questions. This will be the place where you, personally, will ask any question, no matter if its ever been asked before, therefore there'll be no need for you to hunt down your questions/answers on this board even though they've all been addressed. We will all take the time to answer your specific questions to help you get up to speed. Moreover, this will be a place where you'll send your fellow cabbies too, or anybody else you may introduce to Bitcoin, allowing them to find most of their questions already answered in one place.

These couple of steps should get you started for now. Chances are, you won't be able to start those threads I've mentioned yet, unless you're whitelisted. Therefore, simply make sure you post a hello in the Introduce Yourself thread here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=15672.0

I already have your first customer lined up for Thursday: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=57301.msg684553#msg684553
After reading that post, read the ones that follow. Should be a quick read unless a bunch of posts have been added or someone went on a diatribe since I've sent this PM to you.

Feel free to call me if you have any difficulties.

Yeah, I realized the issue of the address.  

For the sake of this first transaction, I don't think that needs to be an issue.  I think the main point is just showing the simplicity of the transaction (i.e.  customer calls, customer sends Bitcoins, customer suddenly has a cab ride).  He could just email me or text me his BTC address and that would be fine for this first transaction.

The cabby's Bitcoin address appearing on a website would be nice, but even a card would be fine.  After all, once you send your BTC once, that address will be saved in your address book and you won't need to enter it again.  This is great for repeat customers.

Flexcoin would also be a great option in this case.  I have a Flexcoin account, and if I could send my coins to "BitcoinCab" or something, it would be really nice and easy.

Great idea! One thought, though. If I were a mugger, and a muggie claimed to not have any cash, even if true, that would piss me off and may become violent. I'm not sure how this really works in the real world when a mugger encounters such a situation. Just an obscure thought I wanted to share.

Ok, I have my pickup and drop-off locations selected, as well as a time.  I have a webcam available to record footage of a phone-call and Bitcoin transaction. 


Phinnaeus, I'm not sure that I will have immediate access to a video camera outside of the webcam though.  Will this be a problem for when the cabbie comes to pick me up?  I'm sure I can rent one or something if I'm in a bind.  At the very least, I think my buddy has a digital camera with some meager video capturing capabilities.  Otherwise, do you know what kind of filming he plans to have on his end?  If you don't need any footage from me at all, that's fine too, just trying to be as helpful as possible.

Also, he could post his BTC address in his signature, or at least in his marketplace advertisement.  That would make payment a breeze.

If there's anything else you can think of, let me know :)

This happened to me once. The mugger just walked away.
But then this was in Canada and maybe in the US they see it more as a birth right.

I think Cassacius (sp.?) should offer a custom key Coin service. People already trust him to destroy private keys. So he should have a premium where he creates a custom FirstBits address tied to a key embedded in a physical coin. I bet people would go nuts for a Personalized Physical Coin. But how much premium would they pay?

Mugger: Give me all your money.
Muggie: I don't carry cash! All I have is this USB stick with close to $1,000 USD on it--cash that's totally untraceable. Here. Take it! (And hand the mugger a useless USB stick. In fact, you can make and sell fake USB sticks just for this purpose. Think about it!)
Mugger: (of course in a hurry takes the stick, looks at it, and puts it in his pocket--then leaves)
Muggie: (whistling Dixie with a shitty grin on his face all the way home)

Won't be able to post until later today after I get off work.

Hopefully he will have posted by then :)

I'll check back in later.
 

The main goal (CES) may be DOA, due to Rashid being under the weather. We'll see what happens in the next few hours, though. This is by no means a lost cause, the joint. I have a Bitcoin commercial in mind, among other ideas, but you being the first person to pay a cab fare should happen. Do you have two geek friends willing to play parts in a commercial? And what's you're interest in the Adler Planetarium?

~Bruno~

I have some geek friends but I'm not sure how busy they are.  The first that came to mind was studying for some ridiculous physics test to get his PhD.
  But actually, come to think of it my girlfriend's dad is an actor and he owns an theater company.  He knows tons of actresses and actors.  They're pretty damn good, too.  I saw their performance of Steven King's Misery.  It was very impressive.

My interest in the Adler Planetarium?  Well, I like thinking about the Universe and I like Astronomy, so my vague answer would be that I simply have interest in it, and it would be fun to go there.  I don't think I've been there in a very long time.

I have a guitar lesson to teach in an hour.  I will check back again after then to see if there are any updates on the cabbie.  Hope he feels better!

The commercial consist of ChicagoCabbie picking up 3 geeks that need to go to the Adler Planetarium. While in the cab, they're discussing technical shit related to the universe. They're excited. The cabbie is seen as someone that's interested in their conversation, but doesn't say a word until the end after the lads pay their fare with Bitcoin. Prior to the lads departing, the cabbie relays to the boys a set of coordinates they should look into while at the planetarium. The Joint, looking puzzled, says we'll do that.  The real set of coordinates could be of Planet X. Then a tagline or voice over: Cabbies hear everything! Pause. But this advert/ad/commercial is not about cabbies. Fade in the Bitcoin Logo (with a link).

The commercial is likely very doable.  I'm sure I can round up some people.

OK! First question. What geeky subject are you and couple of your friends passionate about besides Bitcoin?

Haha you could do the science vs. religion debate.  "Since when did science become Godly?"  (Enter Bitcoin logo).

I dig metaphysics but I can't say for the others.  It depends who I can find.