Maybe an early iteration will be an autonomous busker - living off of donations, synthesizing music, fractal movies, or stange haikus.

Can somebody draw a Captain Bitcoin! ?

He fights for liberty in a world awash in decay and fraud.

He wears a mask, a cape, and a large Bitcoin emblem on his chest.

EVorhees, I really like what you say. Thank you or taking the time to speak your mind so succinctly. I think it's important work.

 

 

True. StrongCoin doesn't encrypt the private keys - the users do.

Fascinating idea - if I understand it. It sounds like this proposal is sort of like an "oral history" of a block chain - as long as enough recently-connected clients are around to testify as to the "recent" history. Is that an accurate description?

So I'm sure that I understand this:

a) when would it be "safe" to "forget" a genesis block from such a blockchain? As soon as all coins generated by it have been spent, and 51% of clients have learned of these spends (received the blocks they're contained in)?

b) IF 51% of the network were forced offline for 2+ weeks, could a malevolent actor with 51% hash power step in and present a complete two-week false history?

I like the life-stages idea, btc_novice. It's similar to the "You Will" commercials in how it evokes emotions.
  (thanks CBeast for reminding us about "You Will")
I don't think Satoshi should be mentioned in any commercials - at least for 5 years.
Keep It Simple, Satoshi. Go short on details. Fill it with imagery and emotion.

+1

Bitcoin can compete with this.

Is that what witcoin does?

 https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Witcoin

Can anyone comment on its effectiveness?

Is this the kind of thing you(OP)'re thinking about?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=27055.60

I want the last 5 minutes of my life back

Exactly. Let's call it Bitcoin 2.0, with 7-letter currency symbol "satoshi". There will only every be 2.1 quadrillion of them. Then the common man can really get behind it.

This, and Peter Lambert's #5, might not be far off. If trust is needed, why can't the marketplace provide it? Isn't this a business opportunity?

Imagine a "BitTrust" working to help bitcoin businesses establish themselves - like a credit rating agency geared toward bitcoin.
1) new businesses "register" with them to whatever degree they're willing:
  - participate in recorded video conference interview
  - provide valid photo ID, proof of address
  - submit to a credit check
  - submit to site security audits
  - post a bond, pay a periodic fee
  - attend face-to-face recorded interview with BitTrust employees
  - provide passports, fingerprints, social security numbers
2) BitTrust rates them and discloses their level of trust
3) BitTrust insures transactions with them for a price commensurate with their rating

Now, clearly one would have to trust BitTrust itself, but if they were a registered bricks and mortar operation themselves, maybe it could work (people could trust them enough to use their services). There'd always be the chance of collusion with an evil business, but if business were profitable, honesty might be their best policy - if BitTrust CEOs were on the line.


Sounds expensive, right? Maybe that's why credit cards charge such a high fee


It makes me think that the MOST important function of bitcoin has nothing to do with avoiding credit card fees - but more to do with it's Fed-proof nature.

EDIT:
Nice

Bitcoin - gold
Namecoin - maybe silver one day
Others - need a raison detre that innovates, and makes sense, the way these two do.

Briefly, I thought solidcoin might have a future as an edgier, more experimental coin. I was wrong.

This is great news. I imagined the law was written for gold (and maybe silver) alone.

News like this gets people thinking about money - about what it really is. And that's the glimmer of hope in these times of decay and decline.

Aw, shucks.

If OP is right, bitcoin won't get widespread adoption by general consumer Packers until there's been a pattern drawn out for them by general consumer Mappers (for several years).


But, elicit drug consumer Packers might exhibit a different time preference when they see a pattern drawn out for them by elicit drug consumer Mappers - and take it up a little quicker.

And organizations that find themselves on the wrong side of governmental pressure on Paypal might find they need fresh ideas or leadership in a hurry - and spot the pattern drawn out for them by organizations headed by Mappers.

And Packers in a country with a hyper-inflating currency will feel a fire under their posteriors - to spot the pattern drawn out for them by flight-to-safety Mappers that figured it out.


These and other niche groups, stroke by stroke, will help to paint a picture that challenges the pre-conceived notions of general consumer Packers.

The time frames we're dealing with are clearly historically short. They're just longer than we would have hoped - having lived through the big run-up of June.

ended

+1