Ah, yes, also -

It seems to me that two things have to happen for Bitcoin to become more widely used.

1. A programme needs to be available to allow people to buy and safely hold Bitcoins that is easy to use and not time consuming.

2. Bitcoin would need to be priced and tradeable on a major exchange that people trust to provide neutral pricing data and protect their transactions.

One guy I spoke to set up an exchange, but had to close it down because US financial services regulations made it impossible for him to develop it into a legitimate business. Is regulation the major obstacle for Bitcoin becoming more widely used? Does anyone have any idea what specific regulations are the problem?

Naomi

Hello everyone.

Thanks so much for setting up this forum for me. Bitcoiners have proved so helpful and welcoming! Thanks to all.

I've received a lot of responses from everywhere from Washington to Israel to China. I'm currently looking to meet up with people who use Bitcoin in or near London, so I can see for myself how it works. I'm especially keen on meeting anyone who actually has a mining operation - I've been hearing about dry ice and various kinds of modifications, it all sounds fascinating, I'd love to see one for real.

Are there any ex-forex traders out there? These characters keep getting mentioned, but I have yet to hear from any.

ps. mcorlett - I'm actually not British, I'm from the Republic of Ireland, but that's not important.

Naomi

This seems like a good idea. Thanks.

There is a paradox that strikes me strongly here. On the one hand, a tonne of people seem to be interested in developing Bitcoins for ideological reasons, to develop a currency independent of corporations or central banks. On the other hand, one of the biggest groups I see on here are ex-forex traders hoping to make a quick profit! Intuitively, those seem like clashing beliefs to me: speculative-capitalist and anti-capitalist.

Or am I totally wrong.

I'm not sure where I first heard about it but I became fascinated with the idea of a currency that can be created independently of a state or a central bank. So here I am, researching, trying to understand how it works, and writing up an article about Bitcoins for Reuters, where I work.

Hello, I'm Naomi. New to the world of Bitcoins and eager to learn

Hello,

I'm a journalist for Reuters, and I'm writing an article about Bitcoins. I plan it to be an introductory piece, explaining to a broad audience what Bitcoins are, how they work, and why they are exciting.

I'm interested in talking to people who use Bitcoins who can explain how they are useful and how they got interested in using them.

I'd love to hear from you - send me a PM if you're interested in helping me out!

Naomi