So I like to think I'm pretty technically proficient, but my Linux skills are lacking ever since I started using OSX.

I'm running Ubuntu off a thumbdrive on an iMac, and I bought one of these FPGA boards thinking I can figure it out, but I'm totally lost. Is there a step-by-step anywhere where I can figure out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing?

Bear with me here, I'm not much of a hardware guy. I ordered one of these, thinking it was powered via the USB dongle.

Alas, it is not so - how in the world am I supposed to power this fricken thing?

Good morning!

I'm writing this post to give everyone a little insight about the website aforementioned. I recently took a leap of faith and purchased three bitcoins through this BRAND NEW site, and I wanted to share my experience.

In order to purchase, you must first visit their site and declare (in a dollar amount) how much you're looking to spend, and at what bank. I was looking to buy 5 BTC through a bank of america (not understanding what, exactly, it entailed), so I placed my order (without using any CC info or anything, simply entered some info in) and waited. Shortly thereafter I received an email saying I would need to deposit my money into a specific account ( )

So I followed up with the email, and was assigned someone to work the process with... I must say - it was a nice touch working with a person right away! He informed me that, since they were a new site, they weren't stocked with enough BTC for the sale. Basically, they're an escrow service, and they match me up with a seller and take a 2% fee from the purchaser - the seller sells free. He said they could supply me with three of the five I needed, and alert me when more were available if I was so inclined. I agreed and he supplied me with someones name, account and routing number, and gave me a deadline to deposit the cash within. I made my way to the bank, VERY wary I might add, and deposited the money.

Part of the process is to send a picture or a scan of the deposit slip and the business card of with whom you had dealings with at the bank. I promptly uploaded them and then held my breath. Dan (my liaison) told me he was going to contact the seller, verify the payment, and then release the BTC. This is where everything took a turn for the worst...


...just kidding. It took a few hours of my nervously checking my email for the confirmation, but low and behold the coins were there.

All in all, solid A++ experience, and I am waiting for a new seller to load the remaining coins so I can purchase them!