As great as this is, "Note that I'm not paying directly in bitcoins, but have exchanged for USD to spend. " That is depressing =(
*Nod* -- I've done my best to patronize some services and goods that are listed on the
Trade wiki page. I also did a lot of purchasing through BitSpend.com to purchase additional mining equipment.
One consolation, is that the pirate did ask what the coin was about after I took his picture so I gave him a quick 60 second primer on what a Bitcoin was. He was thoroughly interested and said he'd look it up when he gets home. (I did tell him immediately that the 'coin' was a 'novelty' physical representation of what a Bitcoin is.)
Cheers,
Kermee
"I gave him a quick 60 second PRIMER on what a Bitcoin was."
Caution: Brain fart ahead from PG.
Here's I go again, brainstormin' to the nth degree, all thanks to the keyword "primer". Upon reading it, my overreacted brain envisioned an illustrated children's-type book, a primer, used for educating children and adults alike.
Break's over. Now back to Project X.