I was initially mining at kippo.eu (~4.5 Khash). By simple arithmetic, the pool has about 1/1000 of the network hashpower, and if the network finds a block once per minute, the pool should find a block once per 1000 / 60 = 16 hours.

Unfortunately, the pool did not find a block in 184 hours, and having good reason to suspect a misbehaving pool, I went pool-shopping. What I noticed was that many other smaller pools *also* exhibit a lower-than-statistically-probably tendency to find blocks.

I thus moved to "moneropool.org" which has ~1/5 of network hashpower (that is too centralized for my liking!), and very much hope that the protocol is OK... because if the protocol (or commonly used mining software) somehow favours large pools somehow, that would be a problem, but I'm too new to Monero to research the possibility. Thus I'm just writing my observations here.

Either way, to Monero devs: I hope your cooperation with the I2P project goes productively. For me, ability to use a cryptocoin within a mix network would be a major feature.

Order no. #576 -- shipping confirmation received.

Double post from ecointalk.org. But yay. :)



I'm not sure where I stood in the queue, although I am fairly certain that I ordered quite early and paid ASAP. (I have a fuzzy memory of reading somewhere that payment arrival date might matter.)

(Disclaimer: I also let customer support know, just in case it might matter, that nothing else was relevant to me -- case or no case, Pi or no Pi, LCD or no LCD, GUI or no GUI, PSU or no PSU... just as long as it would hash at anything near the stated rate, I would accept it. I cannot say if my "anything that hashes" request influenced anything from a shipment perspective.)

I will report back as soon as I receive notice from DHL, and of course as soon as I get the shipment cleared in customs and the hardware out of the box. Could take a while, still.

When the first chips have been manufactured, it would be good to hear about how they're doing in tests.

Sidenote: I don't think anyone inclined to check will find anything in Chinese law that would prohibit taking money for pre-orders. Pre-order customers aren't "investors" -- they don't control a company (e.g. they don't elect a company's management). The laws in question specify how companies controlled by overseas capital can be formed over there.

There is no denying that some out-of-proportion freaking out has occurred here.

Let's do a reality check. What are the circumstances? A manufacturer gave advance notice about failure to deliver on time, citing inability to deliver by agreed time a product meeting advertised specifications. They offered (but quite likely insufficient) compensation for the delay (then again, the delay may not fully be their mistake). Their mistake is definitely lack of openness, yet they have a prior record of delivering on promises, even if sometimes late (but not catastrophically late). As most manufacturers on this planet, they have a prior record of defects occurring in products. They have been advised by multiple people to supply more information in future, to avoid damaging trust. Some people who can be expected to publish what they heard and saw, are scheduled to meet and discuss with them. With this event, this manufacturer has lost some amount of their reputation, and customers exhibit varying degrees of disappointment. Meanwhile, in the relevant forum thread, a person who cannot discuss things in a sensible manner takes center stage and spotlight with funny pictures, large colorful text and the essential question of... whether two persons named Matt are the same?

W.T.F.

P.S. Regarding sheepishness.... as long as you don't invest money which you can't live without, is it prohibited to pick the "there is a dove on the street" communication strategy instead of the "my modestly sized bathroom is chock full of flapping eagles" strategy? Last I saw, one was allowed to communicate calmly (though it was also recommended to bring along a big stick).

May I suggest (primarily to P.G.) less name-calling, large text and off-topic illustrations, at least in this thread? I know about the "Ignore" link alright, but still... I come here for information, not distraction.

Sad to hear about the delay, although I must admit that it's not a big surprise, given what I've seen occurring before with other companies.

I also realize that when something isn't working right and cannot be altered in time, other compromises unavoidably follow. Some customers would rather accept a quirky or less efficient product, delivered sooner (I for example, within certain limits, would prefer a less efficient miner sooner, since below a certain wattage, I produce my own electricity from solar energy at no cost) ...while other customers would prefer a more efficient product later.

Once initial promises cannot be adhered to, there also arises the trouble of some people accepting one or another proposed compromise plan... while others aren't satisfied with such arrangements. This causes hassle... negotiating, arguing, refunding orders... all of which either subtracts from work spent towards finished products, or overloads people who carry the burden of customer support.

In the current situation, I am inclined to wait. Thank you for this information. I wish it could have been released somewhat earlier. Also, thanks for the offer of 25% more hashing power when you get ready. Though I realize it may not cover the difference caused by delays, it seems acceptable and on my part, I accept it.

I hope that people at BA take all necessary measures to precisely and successfully reach distribution of products by May 1. I wish you success. Please be sufficently open about progress or setbacks. Early information helps alleviate doubts.

I probably bought from them before "rush hours" (in early November) so your experience might differ, but I had no trouble contacting Black Arrow (to cancel a mistaken order and direct the funds which I had already dispatched to them towards another order with my name on it). I wasn't asked for any additional documents since I paid from my own account and ordered in my own name. The whole process took 4 days, but this included weekend.

(The need to cancel one order and use the funds towards another order resulted from my mistake. Unfortunately it demonstrates that even customers who generally do read the fine print occasionally make mistakes, and with running a shop comes the burden of having to support them. I realize it's difficult for a "mostly engineering" shop to support a lot of customers - especially customers who speak many different languages. I thus try to not bother them with excess curiosity.)

Username: f00Fighter
Seller: Black Arrow Software
Order Number: #576
Payment Date: November 13 2013
Payment Type: Bank Transfer
Type: Prospero X-1
Quantity: 2
Destination (Country): EU

Username: f00Fighter
Seller: Black Arrow Software
Order Number: #573
Payment Date: N/A (mistaken order cancelled)
Payment Type: N/A
Type: Minion ASIC
Quantity: 3
Destination (Country): N/A

I'm just yet another person doing the counterproductive and posting here. Nothing to see, please move along.

(Now to wait 4 hours before I can participate in talk about Black Arrow's ASIC boards.)