Simple:

Bitcoins entire purpose is "decentralization".

Ponzi schemes are centralized.

Anyone who calls Bitcoin a ponzi scheme doesn't grasp the most basic element of Bitcoin.

The very reason Bitcoin was created:  To eliminate the need to "trust" a centralized authority which could become corrupt.

Just sent $20.  The highest possible. 

This is an important move folks.  Donate.  The more you can do, the better. 

The masses will only remember a huge number when they announce the results of this experiment.

Make the number huge.

  Did you read my post?  The whole thing was addressing that assumption, and showing why it may be wrong.  Confused why your reply is to just reiterate the assumption.  I was hoping to get reasons why my points are invalid.  I gave some analogies above.  Myspace versus Facebook.  Webcrawler versus Google.  I gave reasons why this is *significantly* different. Why the real issue is toppling Bitcoin, and how unlikely that will be due to people's paranoias, unfamiliarity, uncertainty, the currently developing "bitcoin comfort zone" people won't want to break out of in the most important (and largest) demographic related to adoption:  "non-tech" world.  I also mentioned superior technologies that never went anywhere (GPG versus email), and why.  Hoping for a response to those things.

-B-

Hi everyone.

Mass adoption and *significant* demand will be required for value of Ether to rise *at all*

Can that really happen in a world just starting to grasp Bitcoin?

In order for Ether to increase in value at all, there has to be an ever-increasing level of demand of real-world economic adoption in a setting where more and more ether is constantly being created.  
In order for Ether to go up one "penny", adoption must be fast, worldwide, outpace the inflation built in to the system *and* outpace Bitcoin adoption.  

Let's try to think what that really means.

Bitcoin has market share.  Familiarity.  Recognition.  Adoption.  Five years under its belt as the first and most widespread Crypto.  This is a huge ... huge ... huge obstacle to compete with. It makes *absolutely no difference* that one is better than the other.   None.  The vast majority of human beings are 100% uneducated on this stuff, and very skittish with new technologies.  ESPECIALLY when it comes to their money.  They have only just begun accepting Bitcoin, kicking and screaming the entire way.  Its been a mess of misinformation, confusion, paranoias, fears and a complexity that most can't grasp.  Yet its finally just now piercing that obstacle and beginning to become accepted.  For *one* crypto to accomplish this, is monumental.  Bitcoin has already gone worldwide.  I am not certain I agree that this is like myspace and then facebook.  Or webcrawler and then google.  The learning curve was nearly zero when myspace came out.  And the transition to Facebook / Google was ONLY SUCCESSFUL because it was simple and seamless. Human beings resist change when things are even SLIGHTLY complex, or confusing.  Because of the complexity, uncertainty, and "fear of the unknown" that Bitcoin brings, people are going to lock down on Bitcoin, and may not let go.   To put it another way, I picture many saying:  "You finally got me to grasp this crazy crypto whatever, and im still a little freaked out by the whole thing, and now there's this Ether somethingoranother and you want me to make the jump to that?  No thanks.  I'll stick with Bitcoin." Getting the *entire world* to just "hop off" the Bitcoin wagon and jump over to something even more complex and completely new could be difficult, if not impossible.  While educated people in the crypto world may hail Ether as something amazing, the average person may stick to Bitcoin.  And that means adoption is going to be severely hindered with Ether.  And if that is the case, Ether will go down in value, or struggle to maintain its value.  If Ether doesn't literally become a bitcoin killer and totally replace it - and not with nerds - but with people in 3rd world countries who are just now learning Bitcoin .... its not going to go anywhere.  Reality tells us that "better systems" are often not adopted when they are complex.  Perfect example:  GPG messaging, versus regular email.  Clearly a superior system.  Could've gone gangbusters.  Never did.  Why?  This may happen with Ripple.  And it may happen with Ether.  There will have to be a massive, (and i mean massive) marketing effort that targets the slowly "comprehending" business owners and entrepreneurs that are still just getting their heads around Bitcoin.   Maybe its timing.  Maybe if Ether happened on the scene 4 years from now, when Bitcoin is a household term, and everyone totally "got it" .... right down to Grandma .... then Ether could pop up and say "Here's something even better", and the world would flock to it.  But they're still trying to get comfortable with Bitcoin .... and I really wonder if the adoption necessary for investors to reap any return on investment will actually happen. Maybe in 5 years, if we're lucky?  Then again, they say Bitcoin is 7x faster than "internet time" in evolution and adoption.  So maybe it won't be 5 years before the African man with a basic smartphone in the jungle using Bitcoin, transitions to Ether.  Or maybe if both can exist side by side, allowing Bitcoin to "do what it does", and still generate significant demand for Ether, then adoption will outpace ether inflation. But I fear the required adoption model which would push the value of Ether up, may not pan out.  

Disclaimer:  Playing Devil's Advocate.   Thoughts?

Petr_Koshevoy can you post where you got this picture?

From a news article?

Sad that we have to be careful of scammers, but it looks totally legit.  

One other major problem:  When I first loaded this thread, the QR code you posted was completely different than the one on their sign.

After a couple refreshes, it now matches the one on the sign.   i swear I was not seeing things.

People please be careful that you don't scan the QR code posted above, unless it matches what you see on the sign.

If it doesnt match, try refreshing the thread.   *twilight zone music playing*

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk_kDkrx62s&t=224m17s

-B-

Yes.

In a sense its kind of funny that people here are "declaring" Ethereum dead ....
While everyone at the conference swarmed him after the announcement, and 40 reporters were waiting for him in the hall.
Do we have delusions of grandeur over here?

-B-

So...

Here's why I said they may not care so much about the opinions of a few people in this thread…

+ 1,000,000

Andreas Antonopoulos for President.

Follow him on Twitter at @aantonop

How about this viewpiont on why they're not responding:

Some random thread on Bitcointalk doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

I could be dead wrong about this, but I seem to remember hearing that they'd *already* raised millions of dollars *before* they even created this thread.

I just spent 10 minutes trying to find the older article which stated this, and can't find it.

But do you really think this thread on this forum is their main source of bread?

-B-

I don't have opinion yet.

But did any of you see the post by the guy who attended the Miami conference?

He clearly stated that the 30,000 BTC was a self imposed cap on fund raising.  It was not the amount they're claiming they need.

He clearly stated that V named 500 BTC as what they actually need.  If they have that, they can continue with the project.

Stop saying they're demanding 30,000 BTC from investors.  Apparently its not factual.  Or its lacking some information.

If this became a 500 BTC IPO .... would that make people happier? 

---------------------

I need some clarification please. 

Lets say someone invests 10 BTC ...

Why does everyone say they won't get much ROI?  I realize its going to gradually decrease in value, but this seems bewildering to me. 

Nobody is going to invest in something declared ahead of time to decrease in value.  So there's information missing from this response as well.

Someone said you *might* double your money after a few years.  Is that really the likely outcome?  I probably would save my $10,000 in BTC for something else if I have to wait 3-5 years for it to go to a whopping $20,000.  I would appreciate a response to this from someone who actually understands the system.  That eliminates 90% of people in this thread.

-B-

Well I had a current version wallet.dat file.

I found that if I renamed that file to something else, and moved it to another drive, then moved it back and named it wallet.dat again ... boom ... file corrupt.

The only way i was able to salvage all my bitcoins was that I had previously deleted the wallet.dat file, and it was still sitting in my recycle bin.

Fortunately, restoring that enabled me to access my coins again.

It took me all of 1 hour to get every single bit of my coins the hell out of Bitcoin QT and onto a paper wallet.

Never again.

Same here.  Thats why i decided you have to be F'n crazy to keep your coins in a software program, even locally, even offline.   

Paper wallets 100% of the time.  No way im trusting tons of money to a windows application.

Which exchange does everyone agree is best for purchasing significant amounts of Bitcoin?

Is using an exchange even the best method, or do some people buy directly from mining pools / miners?

Thanks!

Which website is generally considered the most reputable site for determining the averaged BTC price across all exchanges?

I assume weighted average is best?

Thanks.

Your misinformation is astounding.  Listen sometime to what Andreas Anotonopoulos has said about his experiences in 3rd world countries, south america, et al, and the revolutionary role Bitcoin is about to play in places where the vast majority of individuals are unbanked, underbanked, or oppressed by corrupt governments.  While Bitcoin may be a neat new payment method in the USA, its becoming matter of life and death to many people around the world.  Those individuals who get dragged out of their homes and tortured for supporting things like Bitcoin.  And yet they still do it.  You truly don't have any idea what is going on around the world right now pertaining to Bitcoin, and what types of people are beginning to look to it for salvation from poverty and oppression.


Here's some more news for you:   The United States and China are not the only countries in the world.

-B-

an* idiot

I believe Bitcoin will transition from a high / low swinging entity to a gradually rising, rising, rising entity. This would be the best thing.


China gave until January 31 for everyone to get out of Bitcoin by that date.  That's why the date is relevant.  Most are expecting the price to be adversely affected by this.  Feb 1 forward is Bitcoin without China, and possibly the beginning of the next rise.

Any comments from the Miami Conference Ethereum unveiling?

-B-