There is work involved in fiat. It takes lots of time to make those printing plates! 

The "work" involved in bitcoin is nonsense that doesn't need to be done imo. It's password password cracking in a game of find-the-hidden-treasure. I know it's unique and interesting, and as a project in itself I'm certainly not dissing on it in that respect. What I am saying is that if the purpose of Bitcoin is to be a currency for *spending*, then it doesn't *need* to be mined. It could just automatically start with the values of everything in the world already. It's impossible, I know.

In my opinion, the only currency that will kill all other currencies is a currency that merely reflects the value of the person's life, time, possessions etc. Something akin to a credit report, but on the biological level. "This person will die in 2 years" "Then his worth has gone down". Then life itself would be quite expensive. Wait, didn't I watch a movie recently where time was a currency? Maybe that's where I'm going with this.

Sorry for the off-topic (I still can't edit my posts so I had to add a new one), but I wanted to say that the real bitcoin killer is going to be bitcoin without the need for mining, whatever it is.

...Mrs. Peacock in the kitchen with the rope!

I think the complaints of it feeling forced aren't so much about someone creating one as part of a marketing agenda (which is forced in itself), but that they simply aren't...well, funny.

Where can you trade your ripples for BTC?

Well, in that case, why not have a Chrome plugin that holds a PGP key and uses that automatically for cross website logins, and the service would merely confirm with bitcointalk or another known site that that was the true owner of a signed key for example?

This is delusional at best. "it's only the USD that's really going up, Bitcoin is staying exactly where it is"?

I think Bitcoin has some potential, but you're crossing a line into religious willful ignorance.

Ripple is a fascinating concept. The current explanations are dead on-- it's a decentralized (or centralized) modern SWIFT system where all the daily high value trust decisions are made by individuals without financial training instead of banks whose very business it is is to provide such services.

It will either end badly or it will start badly and end well. That is the gamble that the Ripple group are taking and they're fully aware of it. Joel is right to not focus on the "trust" part of things too much because those elements really are a breeding ground for scammers and deadbeats and everyone will get burned a little until everyone agrees that trust is worth money (something not many outside of finances and business owners really understand yet).

I only ever use BitStamp. I'd prefer they led the way.

Instead, people are forced to make workarounds like this one https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=117725.0;topicseen

(Sorry for the second post, can't edit my posts)

I had messaged theymos about this back in 2011 because I thought it would make reputation on other sites a simpler matter but it was batted down.

I think it's worth revisiting.

You don't think that was intentional to get as many coins in their hands before the spike as possible? 

That list isn't ordered in any particular way other than "paid" and "not paid". The real list is organized by settlement value. The people who demanded larger settlements wait longer (and will surely need to renegotiate if the price of coins continues to rise every bloody week).


There are 18 people ahead of you. Agreeing on a settlement value doesn't mean you get paid that afternoon unless stated as so. I appreciate your patience just the same.

Volume. It's certainly not the turn around or fund security.

You forgot "Don't touch".

Until otherwise provided for, BitStamp is the only place I'll touch.

MtGox is the Paypal of Bitcoin. Stop using that which we swear to fight against.

^^ The above post was a joke, but I clicked submit accidentally and forgot I can't edit my own posts anymore. Thanks Obama.

I meant values in a programmatic integral sense. Variable = value.

For an update on who has been paid and whom hasn't (everyone loves deadbeat drama!), go ahead and scootch on over to here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=140654

It's kept up to date by Theymos and JohntheDong. If someone is paid, it shows up there. If they're about to be paid, they'll get a PM. If they're not about to be paid, I'll probably be the one getting the PM, to which a canned response will be given because PMs don't change financial situations! 

Probably could be argued as that, but it would still be trading stored values and be subject to FinCEN regulation if that's what you're getting at.