More users IS important.  But, my feeling that the key is more merchants accepting Bitcoin.  They supply Bitcoin demand!  If they take BTC, then more people who have BTC will spend (and presumably replenish their supply).

Also, the premiums I see currently see with paying by BTC (providentmetals charges 1% more for BTC vs. sending them a check) might come down some due to competitive pressure.  Lower premium would increase customers paying with BTC...

Yes, I would agree with most of this.  Some words have slippery definitions ("money" is a great example).

Not even gold has "intrinsic value" (at least in the sense that its current value of +/- $1070) in that it has APPLICATIONS approaching its price.

Indeed, utility of Bitcoin (where you can spend it, etc.) is hard enough to determine.  For me, being able to buy gold with BTC is good enough (to give it "value"), BTC's easy transportability is also of potentially great value too.

Further ACCEPTANCE by more merchants and users seems to be the key to increasing BTC value.

...

Well, this is a messy case.  I once made my own mistake with bitmixer (for a much lower amount of BTC), it WAS my own fault.  It took awhile, and it also took some back & forth, but I did get my BTC back.  They key thing (and this was well over a year ago), was to sign and verify that BTC address that I sent it from.

And THAT is one of the reasons why I signed on to their Signature Campaign.  They resolved a problem, my error, for me in an acceptable way.  YES, there was some back & forth.  But, keep in mind that they are likely the targets of scams every day...

I have no idea if their policies regarding mistakes like yours (OP) or mine have changed.

30 BTC is a lot, I think that gentle persistence in asking for your BTC is proper, and that if you follow their instructions completely, you will probably be made whole in the end.  Keep working with (on) them, do what they say, and my guess is that you will get your BTC back.

*   *   *

That 30% offer you made to them seems EXTREMELY fair to them, IMO.  There is almost surely some way that bitmixer could come up with the remaining 70%, there must me some controls that allow them access to THEIR own BTC.  But, be persistent, polite and do whatever they tell you.

They have an apparently excellent business model.  I doubt that they would want to ruin it with a bad reputation from an accident.

But, it really is important to carefully review transactions (which both OP and I did not properly do) and to follow instructions.


EDIT:

One way to put yourself at less risk re accidents is send to send smaller amounts at a time, that of course means more times mixing, but that extra cost is near zero.  And you get more familiar with the whole process.

Still, sloppiness can get one into trouble.  That is why I often lose in chess to players I normally should be able to beat...    Good luck!

...

As of this moment, some 507 people have voted.  I note that most of the countries with the most votes are relatively free economies.  The USA, Singapore and Hong Kong got a lot of votes.  Norway, Denmark and Dubai also did rather well.  All of these countries make sense as places where BTC might thrive relatively unmolested.

I also note that OP did not even LIST China and Russia as candidates.  That would have made a better poll, as I think it would be illustrative that neither China nor Russia would ever be seen as a "Switzerland of Bitcoin", LOL...

...

FWIW, I would guess that it will be merchant acceptance that will be the key to Bitcoin's success (BTC volume and price movement) in 2016.  If more merchants, of all kinds, but especially highly visible ones to the public, then BTC will get more notice and more widespread use.

And we can be a part of that.  By buying, spending and HODLing BTC, that keeps the Bitcoin Ecosystem more healthy and enhances prospects for further success.

More VC funding and more related technologies would also help.  But, my feeling is that more merchants accepting BTC is the key to 2016.

...

I am winging this here, and no doubt missing some relevant technology, but the below *seems* possible:


1)  You have a file of 200 photos you would like to send (say of chip designs to an Intel or someone).

2)  With a new publicly available program and hashing function, you hash that file to something like:

     d14a028c2a3a2bc9476102bb288234c415a2b01f828ea62ac5b3e42f

3)  You put a password on your hash function, so that the intended receiver can enter the hash no. and password into that program

4)  The program* then crunches out the original file (photos in this case).


* One thing (among many other things) I do not know is if hashing functions can be run in reverse by a program...


EDIT: Maybe the hashing function could be modified so that extra characters would give the program additional instructions in how to reconstruct the original files... (?)

...

Usually I need just one confirmation to send out any funds from a BTC address that has recently received some (I am more familiar with blockchain.info's wallets more though).  But the amounts I send are small.  I note that bitmixer.io requires more than one confirmation for LARGE quantities of BTC.

Sometimes just that one confirmation can take some time though, especially when I am in a hurry...

The more options, especially easy-to-use ones that are robust, the better. 

A credit card is good, but CA$H is more versatile in a pinch, or perhaps better said: in a crunch.  If I had to pick ONE option: CA$H.

Everyone, IMO, should have, say, $100 or more in their wallet at all/most times.

And maybe $20 - $50 worth of BTC in their mobile device just in case you find a place where you can grab a bite to eat and pay with Bitcoin!

...

AML/KYC

Anti-money-laundering regulations would be my guess.  Big Brother wants to keep tabs...

I do not have any real idea if that BTC in NYC now will let you buy BTC w/out ID.  When I saw that, I emptied ALL the cash in my wallet to buy BTC!  Then I went to a regular ATM to get some cash for the rest of my visit.

Having a truly private way of buying & selling BTC (barring scam operations) would seem to be a gold mine for whoever can pull that off.

*   *   *

But, I am also interested in other ideas of services that our community would like to see.

...

Well for me yes!  I would like to have a service that would allow buying and selling of BTC in a more anonymous way.  I understand that to a degree that localbitcoins can provide such an option (of meeting a local and doing a cash deal).

But, I would like to see a better service, as localbitcoins (in my city anyway) just does not work well.  Too many of those posting are never around...

I was in NYC a year and a half (or so) ago.  I found a BTC ATM that sold for cash, but with not requiring ID!  My city has just ONE "BTM", but requires a driver's license scan.

So, I would like to see a clever way (I understand it would be difficult) way of buying/selling BTC in a more anonymous way.

*   *   *

What other services would you folks like to see?  

More services likely would mean more acceptance of BTC!

...

I don't know where BTC prices will be in 2016.  No really good idea.  But, FWIW, here are my guesses:

-- Prices will likely be as volatile as always (easy prediction)
-- More VC capital will come in, that should help more & better services get started
-- Which, with luck, encourages more people to start learning about and using Bitcoin

I agree that merchants accepting BTC is likely the key to revving up our crypto.  Will they?  My guess would be continued growth, but probably frustratingly slow.

My guess as to end-2016 price: $600.  If BTC catches on faster than I expect: $1200!

...

ObscureBean (and anyone else who will comment)

That is an interesting project you are involved with.  At some point I should work up the intellectual energy to explore PGP, the Dark Net and related technologies.  A big job, as I have no one to teach me, and I am no pro.

*   *   *

Whatever you can tell us about your project would interest us all.  

Good luck!

Peru is a great place to visit!  We go once or twice a year, we partly own an auto parts import company there.  Peru is one of the most interesting countries in the world...  Almost every corner of the country is interesting, and not just the Inca marvels at Cuzco and Machu Picchu.

Here is an example of a part of Peru that is EXTREMELY interesting, yet hardly anyone ever goes there:

http://goo.gl/VCbS5H

But, Bitcoin has almost NO presence there.  I have looked...  My guess is that because Peru has a free market in currencies (no controls), they do not NEED BTC as Venezuela and Argentina do.

...

The government of China manipulates many of its economic figures, most analysts think that Chinese economic growth is LESS than what .gov China reports.

I have not seen the latest figures, but there does seem to be a way to get some reliable numbers that would help show their economic position:

-- railroad car loadings
-- electricity production
-- imports & exports

Information like the above is harder to fake...

...

notlist3d

A very nice write-up, thank you for posting. 

I bought a Ledger Nano a little over a year ago and am very happy with it.  It works just fine, and has a great price.

I have not bought (nor, obviously, tried to use) the Ledger Starter for safer installation of the Ledger wallet, but I will have to look into that.  Perhaps I can have Eric L. help with that at the TNABC in Miami in late Jan.

...

suda123

If enough people suffer under a recession (or worse), and it can be pinned on the machinations of a New World Order, then the people might reject such policies (unlimited immigration, bank bailouts, dissolution of borders, phony "new" education paradigms, higher taxes, etc.).

The NWO, as I understand it, depends on the abilities of The Elites to impose such ideas upon us.

Maybe it is America that will reject the NWO, we have guns here...  Such elites are not particularly popular around here.

Although France has shown that when pushed far, they can react (not always), one way THEY might react vs. the NWO is to expel Muslims......

The NWO also needs money, lots of money.  Maybe we can Starve the Beast as well.

...

O/P, you might do better to just buy some BTC for cash, via localbitcoins (although my luck w. them is "just barely OK" -- hard to get trades done in my city) or other methods.

As others above have suggested, try to land a Signature Campaign account, that will pay better than faucets.  I am very happy with bitmixer.io, but it is a little hard to get into that one.  Keep looking!

I too have bought PMs from Provident, highly recommended!  You might look into 1/10th oz Gold Eagles, they would cost you perhaps $140 or so at perhaps a lower premium to metal value than silver.

Nick Barisheff, a Canadian author, wrote in his book $10,000 Gold (2013) that the price of platinum is the best leading indicator of price inflation and deflation.  OK, it is just ONE indicator, but he cites a study showing this, some group out of Boston.

Platinum is now around $885 per ounce, way off its highs, and down a lot even vs. gold.  Normally, Pt sells at a premium to gold, typically 5% to 20%.  It is now around a 20% DISCOUNT.

Again, this is is but one indicator, but it does match the price decline in crude oil.  A DEFLATION (perhaps soon followed by a hyperinflation) might just cook the NWO...

Yes, those are flashing red lights, why almost like they are ringing a bell...  Beware.

I'll have to look into that (requesting a Socrates invitation).  Even though I know that Armstrong likes to look at all things, I am really more interested in his gold forecasts only, at least if I have to shell out money...

With his gold price ideas, and his blog, that is enough for me.  I already read plenty on financial matters.

...

Actually, IMO, allowing competing currencies (that really DO compete), would solve many of the problems cited above re "money".  Money has a slippery definition, almost everyone has their own ideas of what it is.

They guy I follow re "money" is a gold guy (FOFOA), but NOT in favor of a "gold standard" or similar.  He is in the camp that money ideally has the three below attributes all functioning well (but as he points out, NONE do):

1)  Unit of Account (how much wealth you have, what things are worth to a tax collector, ect.).  A measure.

2)  Means of Exchange (give some US$, euros, shekels, rupees, etc.) to buy stuff.  To make transactions convenient.

3)  Store of Value (the money in your wallet will be worth next year what it is today).   <--- Almost always fails given enough time.

Currencies essentially ALWAYS fail at Number Three.  The dollar's time will almost surely come...

*   *   *

"Triffin's Dilemma" (and FOFOA's own version) show that all three of the above are very difficult, especially for a "reserve currency" like the US$.  A reserve currency almost *has to depreciate* as it is exported to foreign countries to fund international trade).

FOFOA believes that gold will ultimately become the "Store of Value" of choice (as it has for most of the last 5000 years).  And that gold will not be "tied" to the dollar (that is, there will be no pretense of gold backing).  People will seek gold to preserve their wealth.

I have grossly over-simplified FOFOA's ideas.  But, they are worth a thought (or more) for any interested in how currencies and gold interact over longer periods of time.