UPDATE:

Well I signed up for all three. Did some small trading and tests on MtGox and all was fine.. have no opinion on tradehill because I'm not using paxum I don't like it. Signed up and am giving a test run of ExchangeB tomorrow and will let you know if their cash deposit system works and is a fast an reliable as they say it is.  If it is, it seems to be the best option for U.S. bitcoin holders currently.

Again - for like the umpteenth time. I'm not attacking Bruce. Seems like a very nice person. Look forward to meeting him. Not attacking anyone.  I was responding to the anti American crap and just talking basic PR and the failed online coverage. Did you even read my post?

Summary - will places like Pattaya or private cruises add or be good for bitcoin expansion or publicity to a regular public who don't already know about it or aren't already insiders?

Answer: No.

Will there be nice beaches and bars and sex and drugs and whatever? Sure... but keep that stuff private. Hey smoke em if ya got em, I'm just saying official bitcoin conference.... Pattaya?  More like private bitcoin party time.  Nothing wrong with that, but label it what it is.  I doubt you are going to get enslaved asian girls to invest in bitcoin.

But what do I know? I'm a silly american! (talks in monty python american voice while ordering prostitute and bit munchies)

Lots of troll talk going on here!

To "Are-you-a-wizard?" and "defxor"

Not that I need to answer this but since most of my identity is public anyway - I am Argentinian but the 1st born in America and so therefore, yes, I am an American and I would be a proud one if we actually followed our constitution but it seems that it has been thrown out of the window (one of the reasons I am interested in bitcoin) so I am not so proud of my country's actions or government right now but I do what I can do and am responsible for myself.  I am really not to fond of ANY governments let alone ours right now, so your trolls that I am some goofy unworldy naive american stereotype from a monty python sketch are off base and un-warrented. Yes I have traveled all over the place and been to many of these exotic locations and they are fun, but is that the point right now?  As I said, Amsterdam would be better than Pattaya - in my opinion.  I just agree with some of the above posters that as it stands - with the current locations it looks like the conferences are set up more as parties for large bitcoin holders than actual  true Bitcoin Conferences aimed at expanding bitcoin to the general public.  

Like it or not NYC is currently the financial center of the world - good or bad (mostly bad and falling apart as we speak) but still the truth for now until China & the bankers pull the rug.  I think another attempt should be made here before sailing off to bitcoin island.  The UK or Tokyo are other good ideas but I am not deeply enough involved in bitcoin yet to travel that far for it.

Of course I do have have my own biases in this.  I am in NYC so obviously it would be easier for me.
But like some of the other posters have said - Bitcoin is not OWNED by anyone to to proclaim you are running the "OFFICIAL BITCOIN CONFERENCE" and then setting it only in remote islands is a wee bit much.  This is just my opinion - not an attack. I don't know Bruce or the gang that set this up but when I did find out he was very personable and invited me to come with a press pass and had I known a little earlier, I could have fixed the streaming issue.  It's what I do. I'm an actor / writer /director and and expert in HD film & video as well as sound design.  I have set up countless live radio and video internet stations and feeds and have several ways of doing it with redundancy and backup
depending of course on internet connectivity in the area and budget.  4G in the area? No prob we're set so NYC wouldn't be a problem. I have backback streaming setup... for more remote areas there are more expensive ways (parallel 3g cards) ect.... but I use livestream and the technology works.

Example: live bitcoin poker tournament:  full hour from a remote location wireless feed backpack laptop setup, no glitches:

http://www.livestream.com/blackoutsbox/video?clipId=pla_44603104-8347-4bab-a2c7-5f5a8fb7fc0e

Anyway - I didn't mean to make this thread out to be an advertisement for me but I was a little annoyed with all the anti american sarcasm crap.  All this "You Americans must think this... and You Americans and your blah blah de blah".
 
I am in individual - and don't like being labeled or narrowly defined as ANY stereotype.  The REASON I like bitcoin is for the it's very NATURE that it cares not about bullshit country or government red tape, it is truly a great idea for furthering individual liberty on the internet, so let's stop the trolling and name calling.
 
My whole point is that it is my opinion and others that what is labeled as "THE OFFICIAL BITCOIN CONFERENCES" if that can even really be true because no one owns bitcoin so anyone could call their conference the official one, but I digress, ones touted as such SHOULD NOT turn into some elite party club as their official meeting places.  This is exactly what the big banks have done, bought out the governments and all the big players meet in secret party islands.  Aren't we trying to go a different direction with bitcoin?

Again, I like a good party as much as anyone - but lets make that the secondary purpose...these are just some sensible opinions.

I can at least offer up my streaming services for the next one done in NYC and I can promise you there will be no audio or video issues unless of course the aliens land or a giant vortex opens up before 2012 or they aim haarp at us and microwave us like a swanson dinner.  Barring that, my shit works.

- Blackout - that so naive american guy with the hat.

Amsterdam's better than Pattaya but still, Amsterdam is associated in most people's minds as the drug & sex and party city so I still don't think it's a good strategic move at this point.  I might go, I just don't think it's going to be good for bitcoin's rep.  I can just see the articles now "Bitcoin, known for it's use in buying illegal drugs and contraband on the Silk Road website, is now taking it once step further and meeting to do it in Amsterdam"

I agree with one of the several posters above to keep in in some of the main legit financial centers.... maybe in Vegas if you want to have party time yet still be legit.  The goal is to get more NON bitcoin people involved so yes, you can have the geek bitcoin experts and rich massive btc holders, but you can also have NEW people coming up and getting their first bitcoin wallet set up and getting some free bitcoins or prizes etc..... it sounds more like these cities are for party time for the high btc holders than spreading bitcoin and having a real conference that open up bitcoin and furthers it's legitimacy - and to you super early adopters BTC elites, you guys should be putting up some coins to make this happen, if you;re sitting on thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of bitcoins, it is in your best interest to give some away to spread the bitcoin far and wide to new users.  It doesn't hurt you much since you were able to mine at a far increased level, and it will sustain the value of your coins.. probably more than any lost value you would incur by giving some away.

Have fun, party, but do that after a real conference that can be accessed by most people.  I'm not ragging on Bruce or any of the gang, they were extremely friendly and hospitable, I just got bogged down and couldn't make it (I found out about it really late).

- Blackout

You can watch the replay down to the final table here:

http://www.livestream.com/blackoutsbox/video?clipId=pla_44603104-8347-4bab-a2c7-5f5a8fb7fc0e

It's a pretty good site that doesn't have all the fraud (as far as i can tell from playing) that plagued the last bitcoin poker site.  It has its share of regulars that hang there all the time but the player base seems to be expanding and I have gotten bitcoins in and out well, reliably, and fairly fast (3 confirmations in.. about an hour out).  I give it about a 4 out a a 5 star rating I would like to see the client get a little better, more players, a little more security but so far my experience so far has been good.

Gay, straight.... zig zag.. whatever...  I am really not interested nor care about anyone's sexuality as long as they don't push it on me. I'm straight but I don't need to wave a flag about it (except just now). Pattaya is not the BEST place to hold a bitcoin conference. Bitcoin is already got enough trouble with the bad press that insists the only viable thing right now holding bitcoin up to real value is silk road's drug site via tor.  Yes, that press ended up helped the price of bitcoin go up, but it's still not a good way of advertising bitcoin to new people.  I'm sure high school / college crowd immediately wanted to know how to get some bitcoins after hearing about silk road - but I don't think the CONFERENCES should be affiliated with that. Having an official conference about bitcoin in Pattaya which is known for it's sex industry is not in my opinion a very good idea - it is ASKING for bad press to further associate bitcoin with it's only use being wild crazy illegal activities or over priced regular items through middlemen.

I enjoy a good burning man festival, but I wouldn't make it where any OFFICIAL bitcoin conference is held, even though having a meet up there would make sense. Just my two bitcents.

Also - remember you are trying to spread bitcoin to regular people, not just rich high volume btc holders.... do those events in private if you want to. Do you really think your average joe is going to go to Pattaya to learn about bitcoin if they are not heavily invested in it? Think about it.  Not trying to stifle you're sense of adventure, I like a good party and travel as much as anyone, but I agree with what some others have already stated.  

I'll see you at the next NYC conference and if you want to make sure this one streams correctly I can provide that.

I thought you were going to rip into me but you liked it good I'm glad.  Now what do you mean mining accident?  Real mining accident or bitcoin mining accident? I fail to see how graphics cards could sever one's legs off.... burn them badly perhaps... but disable them?

- Blackout

The name of the prank call is "The Quanicles" and yeah, that's me.  That was when I was a teen. Got a few more toys than I did though now and trying to actually make a legit film for Sundance 2012.  Any of you big bitcoin players wanna invest?  Anyway. glad you are still laughing as I am still making stuff.  if I would have been doing the streams, there would be sound.

I'm gonna make it to the the NYC one but I doubt I'm going to Pattya...

Live bitcoin poker tournament poker stream now:

I am playing so I have to mask the screen a bit.... lol

http://blackout.com

http://livestream.com/blackoutsbox

I ended up crashing out. No more energy reserves (three long projects back to back no sleep till Brooklyn).  Thanks for being hospitable though I am sure I will catch up with you guys sooner or later.  I'm definitely rooting for bitcoin and I'm not one of you major players I didn't get on the boat early enough but I just like freedom in general and the entire idea of it.  I'm going to try and do a fun segment and use my humor site to bring bitcoin to my audience in layman's terms it's still currently too geeky for regular people to get it  or use and is mostly adopted by the geek or stock trader crowd. I see this changing though with some modifications to the client and online services and a little less manipulation by the massive coin holders and some more easy tools for 'regs' (regular people) it will really hit the hot seat.

I do various characters and shows on awareness and not being a sheeple, liberty.. but I'm not the Alex Jones type, I'm more a comedian / actor / host / film maker with a production company. I like to bring messages subtly like this

(sorry if you're a mac person)

This was my first test pf my live streaming show from a laptop with a backback:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9yy7i0trQQ

No bitcoin mention in there but as an aside when I was done with the puppet, NO ONE at the apple store new what a bitcoin was....  at the time of this I didn't really know either... but still no apple people I know have any idea what a bitcoin is.

Anyway when do you plan to post all the interviews?

- Blackout

Good to hear.  I really would have loved to have made it. I am just getting off an all night shoot and I'm in Queens so I don't know if it's possible to make it there since you're only going till 12pm today.  I have a nice 4G streaming setup from a laptop with livestream on http://blackout.com I coulda put up.  Are you guys still going to O'Crepes?  I think I am closer to that.  In any case it seems a lot is happening for bitcoin.  I look forward to seeing some of the interviews and next time getting involved earlier.

- Blackout

Where are the bitcoin atm machine going to roll out? I assume here in NYC?  How would they work?  I'm excited about that.
Also I've been trying to find out if there is anything happening today or not as the agenda is a little screwy it says 9pm-12pm I'm sure that's a typo.

Is anything happening today or has it fizzled out?

I do a lot of media I was thinking on getting some footage for my radio show and a later to be put together documentary.

Anything going on today with this event or has it fizzled out?

The agenda has "follow up sessions" at OnlyOneTV studios from 9pm - 12pm  is that a typo? meaning 9am to 12pm?

Then lunch at o-crepe but OnlyOne is in Manhattan & o-crepe is in Brooklyn so I'm just wondering what's up.  It seems a big jump to go back and forth.

Thanks,

- Blackout

I'm lost too why would someone bid 52 bitcoins for 50 bitcoins?

Bugs Bunny face. What's up Doc?

Is pywallet windows 7 friendly or is this a linux thing?

I am fairly a geek and I still find bitcoin difficult sometimes... I can only imagine the ordinary person.  This is why bitcoins are going for $25 on ebay.  No one wants to sign up with weird exchanges and transfer money to 3rd world countries through middle men and install a thing that they don't understand that is not safe or encrypted and have to transfer between so many places.
This is what holds bitcoins back.  It needs to be easy to the common person.

" I would break it open, import the key to a temporary wallet, and send that money immediately to a permanent wallet."


Sorry to still be so dense about this..... but how do you go about "importing the key to a temporary wallet" ?

Am I missing something... I have the windows 7 client...  is this only a linux thing?  I see no option to import keys or scan key or manually enter a key... I am still lost as to how I get the 1 btc from the bitbill or bitcoin coin to my actual wallet that I use....

Or wait.. is the private key just the text that you save as the wallet.dat file? and it will have 1btc in it..... still confused as to how this works

Thanks.

Either of these things seems 100% ready yet though.... and can someone explain to me how you get the btc off the card or coin and into your wallet client?

I know there is some hologram you rip and then you get some key numbers but what do you DO to get them into your own wallet?  I haven't understood this yet.

Also... can't you print out a bitcoin wallet in the same fashion?  So I guess you could make a bunch of wallets with 1 btc in them, and print the key and hash as a paper wallet with instructions on how to get it into a computer and sell it as a BTC certificate.. this would not violate the terms of service either although I am still a little fuzzy on how exactly you do this and get the btc from these cards or paper to an actual wallet.dat for the client to be used.

I'm still a little confused with this bitbill and bitcoin coin things... when you GET one of these things, and you want to actually use the value and put it into your wallet, how do you do it?  I only see the option to send coins and receiving coins is done automatically... I'm on Win 7 client.  Where do you enter this public and private key?