A new, much more positive outlook from the previously skeptical Kevin O'Leary. He's widely followed in Canada, well known from the Canadian equivalent of the US network show "Shark Tank" (Dragon's Den) and the ongoing CBC program "The Lange and O'Leary exchange"

Hunt bros. 2.0

rsFD1ZhAWWG1BLoMAbC3UmCk9j8zqZEMaE

For those not familiar with CBC, it's Canada's public broadcasting corporation with nationwide coverage.

"The Current" is the primetime country-wide morning radio show on CBC-1.

It makes no sense at all. Are these stolen coins being dumped or is it just ignorant trading?

As of the past few weeks, there are plenty of places to sell that kind of coin with little or no price penalty. Tradehill, Coinlab, etc etc etc all looking for off-book or dark pool trading for big clients.

There are lots of big orders out there, it's just not too wise to assume they're all on Mt Gox!

80% of published btc trading != 80% of btc trading.

Mainstream, objective commentary like this can be a game changer.

Here on these forums it's easy to think the whole world is following the rise of bitcoin - but most investors are still just not paying much attention.

If you pass this link along to any bitcoin-unaware investors you know, they may thank you for it later. How many times have you heard "why didn't you tell me about bitcoin earlier?" or "if I only took the time to learn about bitcoin back in..."

http://www.ftadviser.com/2013/04/10/investments/alternative-investments/bitcoin-currently-too-risky-for-investors-6TZXMCZF7HXJ31uQyqfE9J/article.html

First paragraph:
"The owner of South Yorkshire-based IFA Blue Wealth said the online currency, which can be traded anonymously between individuals and has been labelled ‘virtual gold’, was too volatile for his clients but could be a future option if cash became unstable."

Yes, you read that correctly: "...  but could be a future option if cash became unstable."

Apparently the unthinkable now has a contingency plan: bitcoin.

This will be very interesting to follow. Especially the regulatory response (if any) in the various countries where they're installed.

It could be proof-of-concept for a future open-source ATM project using low-cost existing hardware. Surplus dispensing ATM's are available for ~$1K.

Surprising since Sweden has always been ahead of the curve on tech issues... or maybe it's just because 'beetcooyn' is so difficult to pronounce in swedish

Waterproof printing is easily done, you just need the right material printed on a laser printer (not ink jet) here's an example:

http://rippedsheets.com/laser/reemay.html#100721-1

(I linked this in your other thread too)

Here's some waterproof/tearproof mil-spec laser-printable material:

http://rippedsheets.com/laser/reemay.html#100721-1

Outrageously Insanely paranoid: Also available in Olive Drab / Desert Sand colors in case you find yourself running through a Red-Dawn style post-apocalyptic landscape clutching your paper wallet. Be sure to print in both colors, as a precaution

Yeah, I don't imagine that those are real threats at this time (at least not yet) but anyone with a security background will appreciate we should all be aware of potential vulnerabilites.

One printing idea for durability is to use laser-printable waterproof, white polyester sheets. Not sure where they can be purchased now but have used them for other projects. Pretty much tear-proof with a paper-like feel and color laser-printable.  

Thanks for your work on this project - it will be very useful for many.

Great project.

One comment about printing: It is very easy to imagine trojan/spyware that would 'listen' for specific types of printing (i.e. from certain apps/scripts) and capture/send the output somewhere. Probably not easy to detect if disguised as a printer driver library for example. Also, many newer printers are wi-fi connected and a printer-resident trojan is not an impossibility either, although it's unclear if this has been exploited (yet).

Just a thought.

Thanks Erik for an excellent summary, one that every bitcoin holder / potential investor should read.

One thought on the above (5) however: If the gov't ever considers bitcoin a threat to the 'real' economy, or a 'clear and present danger' to US interests at home or abroad, for whatever reason (i.e. funding enemies of the state, etc.) could this change very quickly and without warning?

Nobody saw US gold confiscation coming in the 1930's, for example.

Bitcoins may be safe on a PC or thumb drive, but I'd guess that a very large percentage are stored with trusted parties (US or soon-to-be US based) like Mt.Gox and others. Needless to say that 'bitcoin funds can never be frozen' does NOT apply in that case. Just ask any (former) e-gold account holder.

In addition, such sites have reasonably low daily withdrawal limits for security reasons.


 

Edit: Sunday morning, btc now at 157 (from 143). This is a market mover, IMHO.

If/when Pimco's Mohamed El-Erian uses the word "bitcoin" the game will change completely.

That may have just sealed the deal for a lot of investors waiting on the sidelines.

Mon./Tues. should be interesting.

Too bad that this idea seems to be 100% 'vaporware' so far - backed up only by a single photoshopped pic.
The off-the-charts press exposure suggests that it might be a success if/when it is actually released.

Eventually, they may be built and sold by that venture, but far more interesting would be an open-source project for re-purposing/conversion of existing commercial units into BTC ATMs. That way anyone could buy, convert, and operate a BTC ATM.

It would be mainly a software project (ATM software plus a server back-end) since ATM's already have the prerequisite bill dispensing, receipt printing and encryption hardware. Some also have envelope receivers for deposits to be verified manually or bill validation (for currency exchange/deposit).

Confirmation time is not really a problem: A withdrawal could be initiated on the server (by smart phone, etc), and a one-time ID/PIN sent to the user for an instant withdrawal a few minutes later. A receipt with a QR code address/key pair could be given for cash deposits which would be funded after manual verification if required.

If an open-source framework existed for the above it could be secure and easily deployable by anyone, anywhere, in any currency.

After all, an open-source, decentralized currency deserves no less than an open-source, decentralized ATM network.

http://mashable.com/2013/04/02/western-union-bitcoin/

The threat to their business model is clearly not going unnoticed. It wouldn't be too surprising to see Western Union (or a major competitor) offering BTC services and currency exchange considering they already have the required regulatory compliance framework in place.

"If you can't beat 'em..."

edit: The original Wall Street Journal source article is here:
http://mobile.blogs.wsj.com/cio/2013/04/01/western-union-eyes-digital-currency-services/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2013/04/01/bitcoin-is-a-bad-currency-but-it-might-be-a-good-platform-for-financial-innovation/

Actually quite positive despite the headline.

from the Expensify blog http://blog.expensify.com/ :

"Maybe you’ve heard of Bitcoin recently in the media. It’s quickly gaining popularity and we believe we are the most mainstream company to implement it with an actual business implication. We’ve hinted that it’s coming, but today we are excited to announce Expensify has added Bitcoin as a reimbursement option for your expense reports. Fans of digital, decentralized, crypto-currencies rejoice!

"We see Bitcoin as more than just a gimmick. It is a great solution to a real world problem facing businesses today – international reimbursement. We think this is a big deal. Previously, our US companies with international employees or contractors were incurring currency conversion or wire transfer fees to the tune of 4% in some cases. To this end, Bitcoin is a great tool for minimizing the cost of reimbursing companies outside of the US. As a plus, transfers are secure and instant – no more waiting multiple business days for your ACH to clear!"

This is good.