in the wikileaks case its a great danger.
+1, I agree completely We know that private and government forces are actively tracing, and trying to shut down, sources of wikileaks funding through all available means of pressure. Does it make sense to actively give multiple world governments incentive to shut down bitcoin? No matter how symathetic wikileaks' cause... if you care about bitcoin's success, the answer is no. This is a very good point. "PayPal Freezes WikiLeaks Account" http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/12/paypal-wikileaks/We must weigh... ---> the potential financial benefit bitcoin would give to wikileaks at This moment vs. ---> the potential demise of bitcoin itself (or at least the impact of bitcoin being mortally wounded at this very early stage of its existence.) I think that -- no matter how righteous anyone may feel about the work wikileaks does... 1. They don't need that much money to do what they do. 2. What they could potentially get via bitcoin at the moment wouldn't be a drop in the bucket of what they're receiving via other private means. 3. Nothing wikileaks is doing is WORTH the potential demise of Bitcoin. We don't need to make Bitcoin, or each of US for that matter, into targets of world governments. Especially not so early in Bitcoin's life. Wikileaks is probably being funded, at least partially, by other governments with interests in leaking damaging information. But in any case, Wikileaks probably has a bankroll larger than the ENTIRE bitcoin economy at this point in time. Also, when you create a new Iron Man suit in your lab, you don't take on all the militaries of the world on your first trip out on the "test track". Bitcoin is still in "beta", remember.  I say, we MUST get Bitcoin accepted at Starbucks and the local grocery store.... BEFORE it gets accepted at Wikileaks. Then, we'll have a chance. Starbucks. Anyone have contact info for them? |
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This is very well-written, and he is very well spoken... I believe very strongly that a successful effort to supplant state money is going to be a ground-up effort. The big players in today's pink economy are going to be the last to adapt, kicking and screaming, to the new economic reality. For years before that happens, though, individuals, sole traders and small enterprises are going to be taking more and more of their income away as, simultaneously, a) the new monetary system's benefits impact more and more people, b) the inevitable institutional dumbness of big organizations makes them stumble and lag, and, c) continually eroding confidence in the state, its institutions and the entities that rely upon them drives more and more people into the new economy. If you're reading this, you're part of the vanguard building the new economy and the new world. Mainstream acceptance will come by weight of numbers and via network effects. Who ever heard of Wikileaks or Twitter four years ago? And today we've got Admiral Chairman-of-the-Joint-Fucking-Chiefs Mullen tweeting his dismay over Wikileaks -- no doubt via the intermediation of an office full of PR analysts and bureaucrats, at extremely low relative impact. BTW, Shadow, when they shut down the internet, I know how to build a new one. Want to help? I agree 100%. |
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Is anyone interested in adding or withdrawing money on mtgox with paxum? They seem better than LR.
YES! ABSOLUTELY! (This thread is about Paxum on MtGox, by the way. ) I think many of you may be missing the point here... What if the question were phrased, "Would anyone here be interested in being able to shop in any store -- brick & mortar or online -- using a MasterCard/Visa... to "spend" Bitcoin directly from your MtGox account? Oh and by the way, you can also "withdrawal" your Bitcoin from MtGox using any ATM and get the local currency 24/7 anytime, anywhere...? Are you beginning to think differently about Jed's question? That system is called Paxum. By the way, I just created a Paxum account -- which was as fast and easy as creating a MtGox account -- and I'm ready to try it out! |
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Are there refillable Visa gift cards? It would be so amazing.
Nope. Gift cards will never be refillable. Refillable cards require the seller to comply with KYC regulations. (Take ID, your blood, your house, we want it all... we want your soul!.. damn that song is still in my head! Haha!) If Mtgox or someone implemented this and it had low fees I would convert most of my cash savings and just spend off of there as needed.
Tell Jed to integrate Paxum and Payoneer already. Jeeze!  OK. I googled paxum and payoneer. The third listing on Google is YOUR posting here on this forum: http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2036.0;wap2So.... What's the rest of the story? What's the catch? Why aren't you already doing Paxum? Why isn't MtGox or MyBitcoin already doing Paxum? Is there some other legal / compliance issue(s) involved? If not, why aren't we all carrying a Paxum MasterCard in our wallet right now!? |
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What's Paxum and Payuneer??
Western Union on Broadway near Times Square sells refillable MasterCard / Visa cards.
They are definitely refillable. They definately ask for a name and social security number. I think they might ask for ID too.
There are charges imposed for every time you "refill" the card.
Honestly, I don't know what the difference is... between one of those cards and a checking account + Visa debit card.
I wonder if one of those cards can be purchased by party A, and subsequently refilled by party B...?
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You all seem to assume that bitcoins will remain legal  I'm just assuming that they are legal right now. The term "confiscation" reminds me of another important application for Bitcoin. Try traveling by air carrying more than US $10,000. When security personnel find it, the police will (1) confiscate it, and (2) use it as "evidence" that you must be smuggling drugs or something. Try carrying bags of gold and silver coins out of the country. It seems to me that this is one very important application for Bitcoin. |
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Yeah, I really don't see the advantage of bitcoin over cash for in-person transactions. I think the killer app is somehow micro-payment related.
In the context of the title of this thread, the advantage of bitcoin for in person transactions is that if the cops are waiting for a deal to go down so that they can swoop in and confiscate everything to pad their budgets, it's much harder to take the bitcoins once the transaction is gone. Particularly if the wallet.dat is encrypted on a remote server, overseas. Confiscation is a good point I hadn't thought of. But my original point was CREDIT. As far as I know, pot dealers don't take credit cards... nor do they sell on convenient credit terms. Thus, Visa --> Bitcoin Bitcoin --> weed The first transaction is not anonymous (the credit card)... but all you bought is Bitcoin. The second transaction -- with a completely different party -- is anonymous. And, presumably, that's the transaction you'd want to remain anonymous. Since you gotta physically meet the guy anyway, cash probably is easier. However, since you don't have $200 on you.... and all you have is that credit card mom and dad got for you "in case of emergency"..... This method lets you buy weed ON CREDIT. |
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It seems like a considerable drawback if all computers / fonts cannot display it.  |
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I am accumulating the "published bitcoin address for general donations / tips" I think it's better for the tip addresses to be located at the same place as the tippable material. Otherwise they get out of date, or you get confusion between different people who use the same handle, etc. Also, having the tip address at the content is better publicity for bitcoin. Yes. I agree. But my "directory" also acts as sort of a starting point. From there you can follow the links which take you to the material. It's a list of content creators who support Bitcoin... with the implicit suggestion that maybe you might want to check out their work... and support them too. I debated about whether to include the actual Bitcoin Addresses or not. I finally decided to include them -- if only for convenience sake. I ask everyone listed to please verify that I have their preferred address listed. And I ask readers to not take my word for it... if they have any doubts whatsoever, please verify the Bitcoin Address directly with the recipient. |
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Proof of delivery of an empty envelope won't prevent a chargeback.
Mailing a "receipt" (in effect) does not qualify as tangible goods.
And none of that will help if the credit card number is stolen.
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I wish there were a way to get a Visa card that automatically refills it's value from Bitcoin. |
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Today over lunch, I was telling Ed about the idea of a bitcoin widget for donations and/or payments. This idea came to me: What we need is a new standard type of URL or link... like: bitcoin://15kDhRAcpgsugmh6mQsTcCHdvbsuYncEEVWhenever anyone clicks that link (or an image or button with that as the underlying link), the computer's default Bitcoin app would launch, with that address already in the Send TO field. Even the web-based MyBitcoin could be set as the default bitcoin app for that device. This way using bitcoin could become a one click thing. As easy as clicking on someone's email address to compose a new email to him. |
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What make you thinks teen use weeds?
College "kids", not teens. But yeah, about 80-90% of the college kids I've known smoke weed. Probably more of them smoke weed than drink beer.... from my personal observations. Based on the thread subject spelling, I bet I know what inspired this post... Don't assume... The typo I can blame on the virtual keyboard of my Android phone... and accidentally pressing Enter instead of Backspace... It posted mid-typo. Actually, I don't smoke.... (anything). See the heroin store thread for a discussion along similar lines. My own opinion is that the US government loves to point to a technology, and make arguments in court along the lines of "the majority of uses are illegal / infringing / evil / etc., therefore, any use of that technology strong imply illegality" I'm not making a political statement about drugs or gambling; that's just the practical reality one finds with today's law enforcement. The best way to make bitcoins a success is to convince legitimate, tax-paying, paperwork-filing merchants to accept bitcoins, and customers to pay them in bitcoins. Similar to how bitcoin's network remains intact as long as >50% of the network is not evil, we need >50% of well known merchants to be upstanding citizens in their respective jurisdictions. One day, inevitably, law enforcement will have a bitcoin-related case, and having evidence of bitcoin's beneficial nature will be powerful and useful. Concrete example: presenting bitcoin as a way for donors to charities to remain anonymous is a powerful, positive argument for bitcoin. If the bitcoin "brand" is generally considered to be a den of thieves, scam artists, tax evaders, and criminals, it gain increased law enforcement attention, and will be marginalized away from the general public. I want bitcoin to be as broadly successful as possible. Yeah. You make lots more sense than my question does. I suppose that there will be plenty of natural attraction anyway... Attraction that certainly won't need our help.... Like how the porn industry was naturally attracted to the internet, when it was invented... No one needed to ask them to sign up. I don't know how to visit a Tor site (if that's that this link is). |
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College kids being able to ANONYMOUSLY buy weed with a Visa/MasterCard .... Is that a "killer app" for Bitcoin?
1. Kid buys Bitcoin with Visa online.
2. Delivery Man accepts Bitcoin as payment.
Not to mention...
3. Delivery Man can then keep it in Bitcoin as an investment, or
4. "Cash Out" daily or weekly in a completely separate transaction with a local Cash-for-Bitcoin dealer..., or eventually even
5. Send payments to distant suppliers without transporting cash, Or...
6. Travel abroud and take their Bitcoin with them via Internet... and "cash out" little by little to live on.
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freenet
Tell us about Freenet. |
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They will need some part-time help in the near future. So, it's a little more than a maybe.
That's Awesome. If you were near New York, I'd make sure we hired you on the spot. |
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Yes, he definitely calls it Mt Cox at one point ... then he proceeds to spell it right... "M T G O X dot com" Funny. My friends were calling me and laughing out loud. As for "the Tokyo story"... Since that was my first understanding... I thought that sounded a lot better than, "It was created by a super secret mystery man named after a super hero." That would give the average listener a lot of confidence about putting money into Bitcoin... Madhatter was plugged. MtGox was plugged. MyBitcoin was plugged a (as the recommended way for total newbies to "get a Bitcoin address in 6 seconds". And BitcoinGateway was plugged (as the way to buy Bitcoin using MasterCard or Visa. I even plugged the Forum and you all. Did I say anything inaccurate, or misleading, or confusing? I tried not to "make their heads explode"... LOL |
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Dont send the 800 at once break it up to smaller but more frequent donations.
Thanks. Yes, I think we will do both. 800 as one transaction... then smaller donations on a regular basis. I know he'll get excited when he sees these coming in. Also, I know he'll start mentioning Bitcoin regularly. I bet anything that he'll be discussing Bitcoin with Andy Gause on his show Saturday (Dec 4)... I highly recommend listening in to that show too! By the way, Patrick Timpone's OneRadioNetwork.com site is pretty ugly... He knows that. He's not technical. However, his site is being completely redesigned. It's almost ready. So, hopefully, the new site will be much more professional-looking. But the main point is his show. He has a very large following of loyal listeners. Including Ed and I. A LOT was said during this interview.... so listen to the whole thing... then let me know what you think. NOTE: Listen to the WHOLE hour. There's a point, 30 minutes in, where he does some commercials, and it sounds almost like he's moved on to the next guest... But that's just a commercial... Keep listening to the whole hour! |
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Correction.... (they changed the url once they uploaded the mp3) The Show Page: http://goo.gl/mCks0 My Dropbox copy of the MP3 (right-click, then Save Link As): http://goo.gl/eB6Sd Yes, as you'll hear during the actual show, Patrick asked me to set up a Bitcoin address for him to add to his site for Donation/Tip Jar. I will do that now. There. I just did it. And I just emailed him and told him to add this to his web site: One Radio Network also accepts donations via Bitcoin digital currency. (see http://bitcoinme.com for details) Donations / Tip Jar via Bitcoin: 1JaED4za1vB9B7EeDZaJkAB1n22NzAtBAh I also sent him the login credentials to his MyBitcoin account and told him to change the password now. I'll add his show to the http://bitcoinaddress.com directory now. Be sure to click the DIGG link to Digg it too. The more publicity, the better. Please tell me what you think of the show as soon as you're done listening to it..... Also, might I suggest that you send Patrick Timpone at least one Bitcoin right now. Ed and I are going to send him 800 Bitcoin... We want to get him excited about it.... We know he will start talking about it more and more and more... |
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