Edit: Okay I just realized how much I actually typed, lol.
As mentioned below, I was actually able to use the Bitcoins I had collected to pay for needed medical care that my HMO did not provide. Bitcoin actually saved my life (or at least allowed me a chance at having one). My address is
1MVVBPSy3sbVpkv4n5SuzoRwsKAoQB1myMPrevious post below for posterity sake.
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Bitcoin is really a great concept, and it's implementation so far has been incredibly impressive. Besides a great choice for any peer to peer methods of currency exchange, it's a great way to pay for items in public without being charged transaction fees that are imposed by various credit card/phone company/other previous means of transferring money (yes, Bitcoins doesn't do away with the idea of transaction fees, however it's very transparent about what they are and you have a say in their amount). What I like even more about it, since it's based around technology, a lot of young, smart people are coming up with inventive ways to implement its use. Also, it's starting to become accessible to more and more people (right now, if you have an Android phone, computer with install rights, etc you can mine Bitcoins). Sure, you will likely end up using much more money in traditional power than you gain in Bitcoins you can trade, but even that wall is starting to come down (see the release of the 300MH/sec USB sticks).
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Right now there are some roadblocks as far as full-scale adaptation, but that is due to the fact that there are no legal presences out there regarding the control over Bitcoin (partly due because there it is completely decentralized and literally anyone can become a user of Bitcoin, which is why it is attractive to many). A lot of people criticized the EFF when they stopped taking Bitcoin donations, but they were more or less told by their internal lawyers (erm, we don't know if this is legal, and if it is, how we should file for it, etc). I don't blame them for deciding to not accepting donations via BTC, however I think they are a prime group that should be lobbying for its acceptance, especially in the e-commerce world.
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Erm sorry guys, went a little bit overboard there (obviously I am passionate about alt-coins =p). Also, although I have yet to gain a whole 0.25 to add to your site's mining catalog (due to cashing almost everything I had in to pay for medical expenses), I have received 2 returns already from MU (normally a day earlier than predicted) and am currently in a queue that's expected to finish Tuesday. Whatever you've heard, MU is the real deal. Also some of you might find this amusing, but I came across an ad this morning, and based on the ad it seemed like they were offering a similar service as MU was. When I clicked on the link for
BTC Cheap I had almost wondered if I was actually on the MU site as things looked pretty familiar. I'm all for giving people a chance, and I took a small risk the first time I tried MU, however I am personally avoiding this new site (even if it's legitimate, a lot of things are a bit "off"). Happy mining!
