Do the exchanges that accept redeemable codes for adding funds and then allow withdrawal to Dwolla (e.g., Mt. Gox, BitFloor) require that the funds be used for trading?

What if I simply used BitInstant to move cash to an exchange solely for the purpose of getting funds quickly into Dwolla, without any conversion to and from bitcoins first?

There's nothing to fear from a single worldwide currency:
 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2dH3_Lcfeac#t=25s

With the amount of hashing on the network, those 20 nodes, even if mining, would not mine enough blocks to reach 6 confirmations anytime soon.  If those 20 were disconnected entirely you'ld simply find that no new blocks are arriving.  If you require confirmations to be the recommended six blocks, the transactions will never confirm and thus you aren't at risk.

The client can be configured to explicitly connect to certain nodes, so in your example if one of those 20 maintains at least one connection to the outside, all 20 will get the correct block chain.

If you wish to accept on 0/unconfirmed transactions you'ld want to also use a monitoring system that listens for double spend attempts (something that is not yet commercially available though).  That would require a continuous connection to the monitoring service though.

Here's a post with additional discussion on the topic:
 - http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/1738

The domain was registered March 6th -- a little more than two weeks ago.

I believe this might be the operator of the site:
 - http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=8516

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard

You get to keep your gains yet your losses are shared with the rest of Bitcoinica's customers (when paying larger than necessary spreads).

That's basically is what happened to our banking system in the U.S. after Glass-Steagall was repealed too.    Though with Bitcoinica, nobody is forced to participate.  With the banking crisis we all paid (and are still paying) regardless of whether we wanted to or not.

Possibly related:
 - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/400212/how-to-copy-to-the-clipboard-in-javascript

Thanks for that -- I hadn't seen it.   SMF mangled your URL so am going to repost it:

By @Dwolla
- https://twitter.com/#!/dwolla/status/182230704237711362

That report described it well.  It basically summarized the advance of mobile being part of the international remittance system mostly only after mobiles gain traction as a domestic bill payments system, mobile banking and/or P2P transfers among those withing the same jurisdiction first.

So just with P2P mobile transfer it becomes easy to provide bitcoin exchange services for family members, friends or an extended circle even.  This could basically be a drop in substitute for hawala and hundi as the exchanger can function independently, without the need for any hawala partner outside the country.

I can confirm this behavior.  Using My Wallet on http://www.blockchain.info/wallet I created a transaction with two outputs, both in my local wallet and find that the amounts are combined when I view the Transaction info for either transaction.

I'll file a bug report on this.

Thank you for noticing this and taking the time to inquire.

Below is a list of the 12 countries that buy Iranian oil and could be subject to U.S. sanctions unless they significantly cut purchases.

Top buyers of Iranian crude.  (Rank)

China 1
India 2
Indonesia NA
Malaysia NA
Pakistan NA
Philippines NA
Singapore NA
South Africa 9
South Korea 4
Sri Lanka NA
Taiwan NA
Turkey NA

 - http://uk.news.yahoo.com/iranian-oil-buyers-could-subject-u-sanctions-033320844.html

That is very strange.

Can you confirm the problem by trying to open the Transaction details dialog by doing this:

1) Select the row for 1PDeS3yibhuiHeD7cZGsWwP2Lx21Urm3E6 (your "1")
2) Right-click
3) Select Show details

Then

1) Select the row for your 1QGNufQY1a67k6oxAGV8vaJH9ACZvmKQ2A  (your "2")
2) Right-click
3) Select Show details

Does selecting the dialog that way produce any different results?

You can verify the checksum for the Bitcoin.org client binary that you download as described here:
 - http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=69355.msg813205#msg813205

There are many eyes on these releases.  Even so, if you don't trust the Bitcoin.org binary, you can always build from the github source yourself.

If you don't trust the Bitcoin.org source, you can always use another client (e.g., MultiBit, Electrum, Armory).

Also, it is not usually the case where an update needs to be performed right away -- especially if you aren't mining.  If you are concerned, there's no need to be the first to do an upgrade.

Remittances to developing countries were estimated at about $351 billion for 2011,

This is an excellent paper on the international remittance markets:

Titled: What do International Remittances mean for Mobile Money?
 - http://technology.cgap.org/2012/03/21/what-do-international-remittances-mean-for-mobile-money-cgap-releases-study-on-remittances
 - http://www.cgap.org/gm/document-1.9.57119/CGAP_Landscape_Study_International_Remittances.pdf

BTCNow.net is one.  They were sparring with Google for a matter of weeks or months maybe, then stopped accepting Google Checkout completely.  They now only sell Bitcoins for OKPay and Dwolla.

One thing that is becoming interesting is how some prepaid debit cards are becoming like bank accounts.  You can do a direct deposit transaction to the card (e.g., using Dwolla) for example.

Here's some excerpts of an excellent article:


 - http://banktalk.org/2012/03/20/five-more-facts-about-prepaid

Here's one interesting development.  BTC-Pak now sells MoneyPaks (which can be used for reloading on many brands of reloadable debit cards).  BTC-Pak sells denominations of $100, $250 and $500:
 - http://btcpak.com

You don't mention where you are located.

One method is to send cash in the mail.  http://www.get-bitcoin.com is one merchant that offers that type of exchange.  Sending cash in the mail internationally though often has a lesser chance of making it to its intended destination.

There is also the recommendation here to buy using cash via other methods:
 - http://mndrix.blogspot.com/2011/09/easily-anonymous-bitcoins.html

There is also the ability to walk into a bank and deposit cash using BitInstant.  In most instances, no identity is required.  This less anonymous than the other options but probably is adequate.

ACH is the new PayPal.

There was a new entry added to the FAQ:


 - https://www.get-bitcoin.com/home/faq

I notice the site has the alert:


Additionally, there is a new entry to the FAQ:


 - https://www.get-bitcoin.com/home/faq

Does it work on iPad?

Is there a way to print a receipt?

Is your account a business account that can be configured for PayPal's Micropayments pricing?
 - https://www.paypalobjects.com/IntegrationCenter/ic_micropayments.html

5% + $0.05 per transaction