Didn't see anyone posting about BBF 2015 yet (November 27th), so here it is: http://bitcoinblackfriday.info/ Edit: this one is the original BBF website: http://bitcoinblackfriday.com/For now you can only submit your email address to get the updates. As per schedule, you'll get info about the early offers on 20th, then 2nd wave on 25th and the last wave of pre-offers on 26th. Full list of participating businesses will be published on BBF day (27th). |
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If you play poker often, you've probably heard someone joking 'how do I unfold?' or 'where's the unfold button?' after the flop. What if there actually was one? Would it be an interesting idea to create variation of i.e. standard no-limit Hold'em including 1 extra option: the 'Unfold button'?. For example, it would only be active after the flop (but not after the turn or the river), there would be say 5 seconds pause after the flop to give time to 'folded' players to make decision whether they want to go back in the game or not. To use that option, player would have to throw in 2x current pot on the table (but not as 'raise'), possibly there could also be additional fee payable directly to the house (say 0.2 of the current pot, non-refundable). Would that work at all? Would it make the game more interesting, or on the contrary - too complex and unplayable? Thoughts? Disclaimer: The 'unfold button' implementation idea is an intellectual property of pawel7777, if you planning to use it on your poker site, the author would like to get paid  |
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Maybe bitcoin isn’t the work of the devil, after allhttp://new.spectator.co.uk/2015/11/maybe-bitcoin-isnt-the-work-of-the-devil-after-all/I confess to being an out-and-out Luddite when it comes to bitcoin and other so-called crypto-currencies. To the extent that I think about them at all, I think that they are an ephemeral by-product of those creepy ‘virtual worlds’ in which obsessed gamers eventually go mad; that only such lost souls could seriously believe unregulated online money might eventually supplant the state-backed real thing; and that fashionable belief in them can only lead to fraud and loss. In short, I concluded some time ago, they are probably the work of Satan.
‘Every normal person above the age of six and not over-affected by chemical stimulants should [grasp] that societal concepts such as “money” and “law” are not identical to the tokens and rules that hold sway in games,’ I ranted in a review of Wildcat Currency by Edward Castronova, an ‘expert on the societies of virtual worlds’ at Indiana University whose wacky ramblings re-inforced my hostility. Encounters in London with the clearly benign and well-intentioned Stan Stalnaker, whose Hub Culture social network runs its own currency called the Ven (‘Every time you use it, you’re helping the planet’), did not change my mind.
So I’m perturbed to learn that the ‘blockchain’, the key software behind bitcoin and its ilk, is being investigated by major banks and consultancy firms as a potentially revolutionary mechanism for all our transactions. Using a database shared by a network of computers without a central authority, this could — the FT says — improve security for end-users while slashing costs across the financial sector by $20 billion a year. Even the Bank of England is said to be thinking positively about it. As with so many other changes in modern life and mores, I may one day have to set my prejudices aside.
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Lagarde to bankers: Don't fear bitcoinhttp://www.ft.com/fastft/420521/post-420521Christine Lagarde has advised bankers worrying about being disrupted by bitcoin and blockchain to "pause for a second," citing the potential for abuse of the technologies, writes Kadhim Shubber.
Referencing FT Alphaville reporter Izabella Kaminska's article on the use of bitcoin in a Chinese social network that bears the hallmarks of a pyramid scheme, she told attendees of a banking conference in New York:
If those new technologies and as long as those new technologies are going to abuse, take advantage of, the yield for anonymity, I think the banking industry has quite a few good days ahead of it
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Bitcoin blunders its way to an ASX listinghttp://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/currencies/bitcoin-blunders-its-way-to-an-asx-listing-20151102-gkokzb.htmlASX hopeful Bitcoin Group has delayed its listing after running into trouble with the corporate watchdog over claims Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is a shareholder and "misstatements" about the company's profitability.
Bitcoin, which counts former St Kilda president and former NewSat director Andrew Plympton as its chairman, has also admitted statements in the press in September about its revenue that had "no reasonable basis".
The company's four-page supplementary prospectus also outlines how the company plans to deal with the money it raised from investors through an entity established in the Cayman Islands through Bnk to the Future Limited in a crowd-funding program. Bitcoin also gives notice that it has a related-party investor in the IPO – the father of the company's chief executive Sam Lee.
Mr Lee said the company had hired talented lawyers to help it steer through the IPO process.
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Liquid Bitcoinhttp://techcrunch.com/2015/10/31/liquid-bitcoin/Happy Halloween! Let’s talk about the scariest thing in the tech world today. No, no, not bubbles, drones, or unicorns: Bitcoin. Seriously. (Mostly.) Whether you think it’s a boondoggle scam, a libertarian Trojan horse that threatens governments, the scourge of Wall Street, or the thin edge of the post-capitalist wedge, you face two scary prospects: what if you’re right? And what if you’re wrong?
I’m a long-term Bitcoin believer, in case it isn’t clear, esconced in the (counterintuitive, possibly hopelessly optimistic) “thin edge of the post-capitalist wedge” camp. And while you probably weren’t watching, interesting things have been happening in the Bitcoin world of late. Angry conflicts that could break the Bitcoin blockchain! Fascinating launches and proofs-of-concept! And, most entertaining of all, the ongoing teetering crawl towards mainstream acceptance! Be still your beating hearts.
Let’s start with the angry conflict; everybody loves angry conflict.
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Bitcoin CEO spent embezzled funds on prostitutes: Reportshttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Bitcoin-CEO-spent-embezzled-funds-on-prostitutes-Reports/articleshow/49570125.cmsTOKYO: The head of collapsed Bitcoin exchange MtGox was facing fresh embezzlement charges on Wednesday, as Japanese media said some of the allegedly stolen funds were spent on prostitutes.
Tokyo police said they had arrested France-born Mark Karpeles, 30, for moving 20 million yen ($166,000) in client money to his bank account, as he faces fraud allegations over the disappearance of hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-worth of the virtual currency.
... Yes, they really titled the article "Bitcoin CEO...". Poo in the loo Times of India.
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Visa uses bitcoin's blockchain technology to cut paperwork out of car leasinghttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11961296/Visa-uses-bitcoins-blockchain-technology-to-cut-paperwork-out-of-car-rental.htmlVisa and DocuSign have unveiled a new proof-of-concept that uses bitcoin blockchain technology to revolutionise the car leasing process, allowing people to rent a car without having to plough through reams of paperwork.
The project aims to digitise the whole process, from configuring the lease, insurance and other expenses like parking and tolls, to digitally signing and paying for the car itself.
"Leasing a new sports car – or any car for that matter – should be fun, it should be exciting. The problem is, the paperwork and process involved often diminish that experience," said Ron Hirson, head of product at DocuSign in a blog post.
... Yet another article mentioning Bitcoin, but related to Blockchain technology.
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Digix and Coinify marry Bitcoin and Ethereum for gold-based digital assetshttp://www.ibtimes.co.uk/digix-coinify-marry-bitcoin-ethereum-gold-based-digital-assets-1525790Singapore-based digital assets company Digix and bitcoin payment processor Coinify are creating crypto-assets on Ethereum. The partnership marries the functionality of bitcoin with physical assets such as gold; diamonds are to be added soon, said the companies.
Digix began on the Bitcoin blockchain using the coloured coin concept but felt the solution was not elegant as it requires the concept of "burning" bitcoins and a separate block explorer for looking at transaction history.
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Six Tips for Paying Taxes on Bitcoinhttp://observer.com/2015/10/six-tips-for-paying-taxes-on-bitcoin/How do people pay taxes on bitcoin and other virtual currencies?
Ask anyone deep in the bitcoin scene and they will say that, to the IRS, it’s just like paying taxes on stock. To which you probably think: uh-huh, thanks, but we’re back where we started. Most of us have never paid taxes on stocks, either.
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AmEx just made its first bitcoin investmenthttp://qz.com/533160/amex-just-made-its-first-bitcoin-investment/Credit card companies and banks are getting serious—or at least more curious—about the potential of bitcoin, making an increasing number of investments in startups involved with the digital currency.
American Express late last week confirmed it participated in a $12 million Series A funding round for Abra, a service that makes it easier to send money between countries using the technology underlying bitcoin, called blockchain. Cross-border money transfers are viewed as an area where the technology could be particularly useful, given that conventional methods are costly and slow.
The move by AmEx—its first investment in the digital currency—underscores how traditional financial institutions are at least taking initial steps toward understanding and incorporating bitcoin into some aspects of their business. However, they’re still wary about diving in headfirst, due to an unclear regulatory environment and a lack of mainstream interest.
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Law offcials, Bitcoin groups form alliancehttp://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_29015585/law-o-8734-cials-bitcoin-groups-form-allianceThe goals of the Blockchain Alliance, include educating investigators on how Bitcoin works and enhancing the reputation of a digital currency that's been associated with high-profile crime
The Obama administration is joining with private companies in a partnership aimed at training enforcement officials about the virtual currency Bitcoin and fighting crime arising from its use.
The goals of the partnership, called the Blockchain Alliance, include educating investigators on the ins and outs of how the technology works and enhancing the reputation of a digital currency that's been associated with high-profile crime even as it has slowly gained mainstream acceptance and legitimacy.
The alliance includes the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and representatives of private companies such as BitFury, BitPay and CoinBase that are involved in virtual currency.
Supporters see Bitcoin, a decentralized form of money that offers users a degree of privacy for their transactions, as a fast and easy payment system that is gaining legitimacy among regulators and businesses.
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Bitcoin is a currency, the EU admitshttp://qz.com/532103/bitcoin-is-a-currency-the-eu-admits/When it comes to bitcoin, Europe’s highest court and the US’s major tax agency don’t agree on exactly what it is.
In a decision last week, Europe’s Court of Justice effectively decided that bitcoin is a currency, and therefore transactions in which bitcoins are exchanged for other currencies are exempt from value-added taxes. All exchanges relating to bank notes, coins and currencies are exempt from value-added taxes under European law. (Full judgement is available here.)
In laymans terms, the EU’s highest court thinks that virtual currencies like bitcoin are essentially the same as other currencies.
There’s a different view across the pond. Last year, the IRS decided that bitcoin is essentially is property for tax purposes. Separately, the US Commodity Futures Trade Commission last month argued that bitcoin is a commodity like gold or silver, and as such fell under its own regulatory purview.
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A Bitcoin charm offensive on law enforcementhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/10/22/a-bitcoin-charm-offensive-on-law-enforcement/Earlier this week, a federal judge sentenced Carl Mark Force IV to more than six years in prison after Force admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of bitcoins. It didn't help that Force himself was part of an undercover effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration to bust the virtual drug marketplace, Silk Road. Somewhere along the way, Force had turned to the dark side.
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Bitcoin is tax-free, European court ruleshttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11948222/Bitcoin-is-tax-free-European-court-rules.htmlEurope's highest court has declared that Bitcoin is exempt from VAT, giving a huge boost to its potential as a rival to established currencies.
Purchasing and selling Bitcoin must not incur the sales tax, the European Court of Justice said, declaring that Bitcoin transactions are similar in nature to those of other "currency, bank notes and coins used as legal tender".
Ruling that Bitcoin transactions were liable for sales tax would have been a significant blow, squeezing liquidity by making it much more expensive to buy and sell the virtual currency.
"The Court’s decision squarely places Bitcoin and similar digital currencies within the ambit of financial transactions," said Judith Rinearson, partner at law firm Bryan Cave. "It will make it easy for commerce to grow in this area."
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Bitcoin and the Developing Worldhttp://themarketmogul.com/bitcoin-and-the-developing-world/Developed in 2008 by Japanese hacker Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin was the world’s first decentralised digital currency. Since then, it has garnered praise, criticism and everything in between for its ability to facilitate fast and low cost peer-to-peer transactions, while at the same time having a damaging association with criminal activities: over the past few years, scandals such as the Silk Road website have emerged, in which the cryptocurrency was used to purchase guns and drugs, and the disappearance of nearly £250m on the MtGox exchange in Japan.
These events translated to questions being raised about its credibility: however, after a forgettable 2014 (it lost over 60% in value against the dollar), Bitcoin was given a boost last month when nine of the largest investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, announced that they were backing a Blockchain initiative. Blockchain is the computer network on which Bitcoin sits, and operates a system whereby payment ledgers can instantly be updated without the need of a central authority. Major challenges remain: a power struggle has ensued this year between the five lead developers over whether the “blocks” in bitcoin transactions should be enlarged from their current 1 megabyte to enable more transactions per second, resulting in the creation of a rival group known as Bitcoin XT. However, last month’s news could propel Blockchain technology into the mainstream of finance over the next few years, and Bitcoin is poised to profit from this, arguably in emerging markets to the greatest extent.
... Don't know whether this article is worth reading, I stopped at "Developed in 2008 by Japanese hacker Satoshi Nakamoto"
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Already reported by multiple news source, this one's from Sky News: Drug Agent Jailed Over Silk Road Bitcoin Scamhttp://news.sky.com/story/1572992/drug-agent-jailed-over-silk-road-bitcoin-scamA former US federal agent who stole Bitcoins during the government's investigation of Silk Road has been jailed for more than six years.
Carl Force, a former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, admitted charges of extortion, money laundering and obstruction of justice.
US District Judge Richard Seeborg called the scope of his actions "breathtaking" as he jailed him for 78 months at San Francisco federal court.
Force used his court appearance to apologise for his actions, partially blaming mental health issues.
He said: "I'm sorry, I lost it and I don't understand a lot of it." |
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