As I clearly pointed out, it is about fairness.  Amount of winnings is irrelevant.

It's not exactly a thread that I needed to keep tabs on... "Omg, I wonder what this person guessed....omg, I wonder what this person guessed."

I put in a guess, forgot about it, then saw that the price was nearing $4 yesterday, and so the thread kept appearing atop my "show unread posts since last visit" link. 

It still doesn't change the fact that it was impossible for me to have won.  Since the GMT rule was implemented, I could not have guessed Dec. 20th because Goat had already guessed it.  So, the rule itself made it impossible for me to win because my guess would be nullified if I changed it to the "winning" date.

I will put it to rest after it has been addressed, just like any marketplace scam.

This is where you are wrong.  The first guesser rule implies that the "standard" timezone is the subjective time zone...or the time zone that corresponds to each guesser.  This combines both objectivity (or the syntactic rule that distributes to everyone) and subjectivity (allows for the relative position of each player).  This makes it simple....the first person to post on the thread is the "first guesser."  First simply refers to order...but all time zones are "present," though relative. 

Fallacy of generalizing the specific, but that's yours to make.

This is simply an issue of fairness.  I am not treating this any differently than if it were a marketplace scam.  Unfairness is the common denominator of each situation, and that is what I am focusing on.

First, yes, I don't have a lot of money.  5 BTC to me is much more valuable than it is for some people.

And I'm complaining about being burned, not about being burned for 5 BTC.  I have many many posts warning the community about potential scammers when I noticed something was fishy.  I have always stated my problem with scams and have been genuine and honest in all my transactions on here.

All I am asking for is that honesty and fairness be returned in my direction.  I either 1.) Won the game fair and square or 2.)  Lost the game due to statistical unfairness.  I dont care if it was for .01 BTC, I would react  much the same way.  The principle is what is important to me here.  The amount of BTC is a mitigating factor.

And thanks for the compliment.

Do you even know what I meant by that and in what context?

Please do not assume you know exactly what I meant.  At least show the other members the context of that quote if you're going to use it.  For example, there are studies that show that children who are pathological liars are typically more intelligent (according to the g factor) than their peers because they are able to avoid negative consequences of their actions.  My "quote" was grounded in research AND rooted in a much different context.

That's up to you.

I did send you a PM after you had sent Goat the BTC.  You have not replied.  I had made my case repeatedly in threads before making comments about you personally.  But, you did not find my reasoning to be correct and so you sent goat the BTC.  That is when I began making threads such as this one.

And I'm sure making such a comment that is about me but not addressed to me really shows your own social graces.  And we wonder why...

Check out my rep in honest traders.

No, that's why there is the "first guesser" clarification in the rules.  This point is irrelevant.  First guesser wins in the event of a tie (i.e. multiple winners, as was the case).

The implementation of the rule change made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to win.

Whether it is a free contest or not is irrelevant.

The statistical nature of the game was slanted against me due to your "rule."

It was free but unfair.

Promises are "free" too...they don't cost a thing, but breaking them is dishonest.  Yes I do expect you to PM everyone to notify them of the rule change.   PhinneusGage apparently had no problem when I raised a legitimate concern that I may forget about the thread, and thus I should be notified personally when my donations are expected.  He seemed to think this was doable.  I think it's more stupid that GMT or UTC should be the deciding factor when individual time zones make more sense.  Apparently, people in this very thread seem to be at odds over which time zone would be most appropriate anyway...some say GMT, some say UTC, and others agree with me.  Given that anyone that makes the same guess (e.g. Dec. 20th) as someone else has their guess immediately nullified due to the "first guesser" rule, the implementation of your GMT rule MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO WIN.

What if, after your GMT rule, I wanted to change my guess to Dec. 20th?  Well, I wouldn't be able to do that if Goat had already guessed it.  So, your rule made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to win.

I would be (more) happy with 2.5 BTC to each rather than 5 BTC to each.

I can prove where I live.

If the "fun game" was for 1000 BTC, I have a feeling more of you would understand where I am coming from.

The question of whether it's 5 BTC or 1000 BTC is unimportant.  It's a matter of integrity and fairness.  The game was not played fairly as the rule changed the statistical nature of the game.  Statistical rules became different for players casting guesses before the new rule compared with those casting guesses after.

Your kindness is very welcome  I will send you back your 1 BTC if either OldEngineer or Goat decide to send the 5 BTC to the rightful winner.

I've talked internationally with many foreigners through chat, pm, IM, etc.

Never once has UTC ever come up.  It's more like, "What time is it where you live?"

I did and will continue to do so.  To be fair, this isn't mere "whining."  I feel as though I have been treated unfairly (and, of course, my guess was made under different rules).  The implementation of the rule changes changes the nature of the game.  What if, upon knowing this rule change, I wanted to switch my guess?  What if that new guess had already been taken by someone else?  The implementation of the rule adjusts the STATISTICS of the game.  As guesses were cast both before and after the rule change, those who guessed before the rule and wanted to change their guess would be forced to pick from a MORE CONSTRAINED SET OF DAYS.  This naturally affects a persons' chances of winning.  Thus, the game was ultimately slanted.

Is this how you all live your lives?

Do you all walk around living your lives according to GMT or universal time or whatever?

Jesus Christ, this isn't hard to understand.  I live in Illinois, so I made a guess based upon my time zone.   If my friend asks me, "Hey, what time are we going to dinner?", I don't know about you but I always make sure to ask him, "You mean, Illinois time or Japan time?"

Dude, do you know what deception is?

That's not my problem, I was the player.