Microsoft is working on BitCoin format support in Excel. When this feature becomes available, users can use Excel to track, calculate and analyze Bitcoin data using native Bitcoin number formatting options. This new feature will be first rolled out to Excel 2016 for Windows, Excel Online, Excel Mobile for Windows and Excel Mobile for Android.

This feature is expected to be available in the first half of 2017, both cointelegraph and MSPowerUser talked about this.

https://mspoweruser.com/bitcoin-currency-format-support-coming-soon-microsoft-excel-desktop-mobile/

When it comes to Bitcoin there are many reasons to believe that the cryptocurrency has the power to create wealth. Even small amounts of Bitcoin have made people incredibly wealthy. In December of 2015, The Guardian reported the case of Kristoffer Koch, a Norwegian who had purchased Bitcoin worth $26.60 in 2009. Koch acquired a total of 5000 Bitcoins for his investment, which at last year’s rate was worth $886,000.

A nice article that you should read : https://cointelegraph.com/news/want-to-be-a-millionaire-two-main-rules-of-bitcoin-investing

Istanbul (CNN)At least 39 people were killed and at least 69 wounded in an attack in a nightclub early Sunday as they were celebrating the new year, Turkey's Interior Minister said.

CNN for more  : http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/31/europe/turkey-nightclub-attack/index.html

Two scenarios are likely to happen at this point :

1. "We got hacked" e.g Mt.gox
2. They actually get hacked

It's no secret that when the price of BTC increase , exchanges and other services becomes a target for hacking and sometimes It's actually an inside job where they claim they got hacked and of course , we can't proof it.

So to avoid any kind of regrets If that happens , I really recommend everyone to withdraw his funds from exchanges for the moment as we are heading to 1000$ pretty soon probably. Once you finish trading , just withdraw as there is no reason to keep them there... when you want to trade again , just deposit the amount to trade with and nothing more.

Exchanges that holds most of the funds in cold storage could be more secure but you never know... so yeah , be careful.

Did the Russians really rig the 2016 US election? You bet they did!

Secret documents recently discovered in a bin behind a Kremlin-district 24-hour cabbage and tobacco store reveal for the first time the devious extent of Russian interference. These plans were decades in the making.

from the DailyTelegraph : http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/russian-intervention-exposed/news-story/576784a3e4429d42901b65436d118021

"Fast Money" trader Brian Kelly breaks down the surge in the price of Bitcoin on CNBC with a final note that says that despite the rise, it is not too late to buy into the digital currency.

He says the currency had a phenomenal run this year growing in value by 100 percent even though its price chart had maintained a long outlook between 2014 until now merely moving sideways in response to big price changes.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/waiting-for-a-dip-should-you-buy-bitcoin-now

There is something that I really can't understand and I want to get your thoughts about it.

It looks like for some reasons , the bitcoin community don't care about decentralization at all. I mean , If we check the forums we will see how they say they want to use decentralized websites to exchanges etc... but the truth is that no one does.
OpenBazaar which is supposed to be a decentralized marketplace is almost used by no one compared to the bitcoin userbase and this is valid for Bitsquare.io as well.
In the meanwhile , we see a lot of people providing their real infos to the exchanges just like that.. So what's wrong here?

While most mainstream outlets failed to note some of the specific factors that led to the price surge of Bitcoin, analysts at CNBC explicitly outlined three major factors which contributed to the increasing Bitcoin price. These three were:

• Increase in demand, decrease in supply
• Devaluation of yuan & rupee, and increasing capital controls
• Less than 5 mln Bitcoin left, spurring panic buyers

[racist language and hurling insults at one of his sons during filming of The Apprentice]

Actor Tom Arnold claims he has footage of President-elect Donald Trump using obscenities, racist language and hurling insults at one of his sons during filming of The Apprentice. Arnold, who made the revelation to Seattle-based radio station KIRO, said he did not release the tape because of a confidentiality clause and because he expected Trump to lose the election.

Full story :  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/actor-tom-arnold-claims-have-tapes-donald-trump-saying-every-racist-thing-ever-1597507

I don't know much about politics honestly and I definitely don't support him, but I guess the media should stop at this point, he won and people should deal with it for the next few years at least , leaking more videos about him won't change anything .

As the title says , I'm giving Keybase invites for members here who are Full Member rank or above. I won't ask you for the reason honestly but If you already have one or you are not really going to use it then please don't ask for one. I will be giving for the first three members that asks for it.

While reading an article on cointelegraph a few days , I saw a mention of Lightning network , SegWit & TumbleBit and how they could help bitcoin grow but I still don't understand what is TumbleBit and when we should expect seeing this update as I never heard anyone speaking about it

I want someone who is already running an electrum server and has so experience with this subject so It's easier for him to answer my questions and any help is highly appreciated. I want to know how much It costs to run an Electrum server and what is/are services that you are using to do that .

The Russian envoy to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was wounded after a gunman stormed into a building where the opening ceremony of a Russian photo exhibition was being held. The gunman is dead, Turkish NTV broadcaster reports and the

Article from RT : https://www.rt.com/news/370782-attack-russian-ambassador-ankara/

Putin won't be happy about this , this is for sure.

The price of Bitcoin is difficult to predict as various factors impact the value of the digital currency. However, there are six major events that could lead to a surge in the price of Bitcoin in 2017. These include the activation of Segregated Witness, hereinafter Segwit, the  release of Lightning Network and Tumblebit, approval of Bitcoin ETFs, the financial crash and economic instability.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-price-prediction-for-2017-6-major-events-to-impact-bitcoin-value

If we assume that all of things mentioned in the article will get done/activated the next year , how much would you predict the price would be and how It will impact on Bitcoin userbase (more users ? )

I'm trying to gather reviews as much as possible , I will be linking those reviews on the thread that I made recently : https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1710607.0;topicseen

To prevent spamming from multiple accounts or from users who probably didn't even use the wallets , I won't be accepting (or adding) the reviews from users with a Full member rank or below and to make things clear and easier for me to read and filter , I'd appreciate If you could follow the following format :

★★★★★
★★★★☆
★★★☆☆
★★☆☆☆
★☆☆☆☆

Code:

[b]Hardware wallet :[/b] Trezor
[b]Rating : [/B] ★★★★★
[b]Review/Feedback :[/b] write here

If you used multiple wallets then feel free to give multiple reviews , as long as the review is detailed , I will be adding it.

Amid global economic instability and financial crisis, investors are becoming increasingly aware of Bitcoin and its advantages over traditional forms of assets and money. Although many investors remain wary of Bitcoin’s fluctuating price, there are five major aspects of Bitcoin which every investor must know about.

Full and detailed article : https://cointelegraph.com/news/five-things-every-investor-should-know-about-bitcoin

A MAGNITUDE 8.0 earthquake has struck off the east coast of Papua New Guinea, according to reports.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has said widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible.

Earthquake-Report.com says that although massive earthquakes are very common in PNG, there are fears for tsunami waves potentially “metres in height.”

The Source : http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/powerful-earthquake-strikes-papua-new-guinea-tsunami-warning-issued/news-story/a06adff2e8e33a75dfc64a587d74fca4

The Chinese law enforcement cracked down on a Bitcoin mining farm in Bengbu, Anhui province, for illegally allocating a local electric power company's energy source for Bitcoin mining operations. The local police of Bengbu seized ASIC miners and other equipment used to mine the digital currency.

Xin’an Evening, a local news publication in China, revealed earlier this month that a family in the Anhui province used home energy sources provided by a local electricity service provider to mine Bitcoin.

The digital currency which the family obtained was used to finance the family’s expenditures. The news publication further noted that the family made enough money through its mining farm to finance up to 8 years of their future expenditure.

Like If we needed any more bad publicity , you could read the rest : https://cointelegraph.com/news/anhui-family-bitcoin-mining-farm-seized-by-chinese-police-for-stealing-electricity

It's backup online now but I just wanted to let you know In case you didn't notice , I wouldn't keep my funds there If I were you even though It was just a DDOS attack , this could be a warning and more may come (such as hacking).

Kraken, the largest Euro-to-Bitcoin exchange based in San Francisco, acquired Chicago-based award-winning Bitcoin wallet platform and funding service provider Glidera.

The deal, which was closed on December 13, solidifies Kraken’s fourth acquisition in 2016. Over the past 12 months, Kraken expanded their reach and services by acquiring major Bitcoin exchanges including Coinsetter and Cavirtex.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/why-kraken-has-just-acquired-us-based-bitcoin-wallet-platform-glidera

I'm not really sure how they got any awards when I never heard of them but well...