Please help me grasp a few concepts.

[snakus44]

I've been trying to get my head around a few of the potential uses for Bitcoin.  I would also appreciate some insight on the social responsabilities and ramifications of decentralization in general.  Unfortunately, I don't have PhD's in economics, computer science, political science, cyptography and law.  So I am hoping this thread might serve as time saver to find answers for newer users, like myself.  The great thing about this new technology is that it stimulates thought and discourse across a variety of subjects.  Thank you in advance for reading and responding.  And I appologise if the ideas are a bit scatterbrained. 

1.How does one input information into the blockchain?

-I've read how Satoshi embedded a message in the genius block.  How is this accomplished?  Is this permanent?
-Can someone show me how to do this with open source code?  I want to embed: text, sound, video into the blockchain using software and/or bitcoin transactions.
-I think is a great concept, because it could decentralize and uncensor media on a global level.
-Freedom of expression vs. security, copyright protection...Oh well, I vote freedom for freedom of expression.

2.I want to explain BTC mining with the analogy of a network of computers playing Pacman.  Any suggestions?

-as opposed to explaining analogous to World of Warcraft, more people have played Pacman, so it's easier to relate.
-Imagine each computer in the network is a pacman chomping away at pellets(transactions) while the ghosts(difficulty) are trying to get them.  If they do, it starts them at the beginning of the level.  The program(free and open source) knows how fast the pacmans complete the board.  It uses this information to make the next leval more difficult in proportion(the ghosts get faster, the boards layout is more difficult to navigate).  The pacman that eats the last pellet, gets all the points as reward.  The software calls for the reward to half every so many years.
-That's what I have so far, but other little concepts might be able to relate to eachother. Cherries are transaction fees that bounce around maybe.  Ms.Pacmans are roaming around as well, they are alt currencies based on the original.  I'm trying to think how to relate the big pellets that make the pacmans go beast mode. 
-The point is, to articulate bitcoin protocol in laymans terms.  I know this very hard, so looking for suggestions.

3.Are cryptocoins an artist's answer to file sharing?

-I'd love to see an open source app that exchanges bitcoins for content.  Even better if it used the blockchain as a universally known reference to encrypt the downloadable material.  I think of it as using the blockchain as the Rosetta Stone for digital information.
-Are colored coins on the right track with this idea?  Any programmers on here want to help me put a song out i wrote as a colored coin?  It's a cool little electro-folk tune, don't worry, it's not about bitcoin.

4.Is cloud mining an investment in infrastructure or a waste of BTC

-I wish there was an affordable way for the average joe to participate in BTC mining.  All I'm going to say for now.

5.Could/would the BTC community ever take over state gov programs, even if it were on a small scale to start?  For example Foodstamps?

-There is a previous thread about this, I'm just curious if it could gain any support, since it would essentially be a public charity to help the government budget.  At least it's not the Fed gov tho.

6.I'm way behind the curve, but I have alot of ideas and I'm thirsty for some dialoge.  I live in Pittburgh..."knowledge town"...but for the most part, I don't know anybody that gives a rat's ass(sorry but, got to love that term) about bitcoin news ect.  Anybody nearby that would like to exchange ideas?

Thanks so much!

[hostmaster]

I've been trying to get my head around a few of the potential uses for Bitcoin.  I would also appreciate some insight on the social responsabilities and ramifications of decentralization in general.  Unfortunately, I don't have PhD's in economics, computer science, political science, cyptography and law.  So I am hoping this thread might serve as time saver to find answers for newer users, like myself.  The great thing about this new technology is that it stimulates thought and discourse across a variety of subjects.  Thank you in advance for reading and responding.  And I appologise if the ideas are a bit scatterbrained. 

1.How does one input information into the blockchain?

-I've read how Satoshi embedded a message in the genius block.  How is this accomplished?  Is this permanent?
-Can someone show me how to do this with open source code?  I want to embed: text, sound, video into the blockchain using software and/or bitcoin transactions.
-I think is a great concept, because it could decentralize and uncensor media on a global level.
-Freedom of expression vs. security, copyright protection...Oh well, I vote freedom for freedom of expression.

YES AGREE!

2.I want to explain BTC mining with the analogy of a network of computers playing Pacman.  Any suggestions?

"YES very similar but with one difference MORE SECURE!"

-as opposed to explaining analogous to World of Warcraft, more people have played Pacman, so it's easier to relate.
-Imagine each computer in the network is a pacman chomping away at pellets(transactions) while the ghosts(difficulty) are trying to get them.  If they do, it starts them at the beginning of the level.  The program(free and open source) knows how fast the pacmans complete the board.  It uses this information to make the next leval more difficult in proportion(the ghosts get faster, the boards layout is more difficult to navigate).  The pacman that eats the last pellet, gets all the points as reward.  The software calls for the reward to half every so many years.
-That's what I have so far, but other little concepts might be able to relate to eachother. Cherries are transaction fees that bounce around maybe.  Ms.Pacmans are roaming around as well, they are alt currencies based on the original.  I'm trying to think how to relate the big pellets that make the pacmans go beast mode. 
-The point is, to articulate bitcoin protocol in laymans terms.  I know this very hard, so looking for suggestions.

3.Are cryptocoins an artist's answer to file sharing?

"YES exactly"

-I'd love to see an open source app that exchanges bitcoins for content.  Even better if it used the blockchain as a universally known reference to encrypt the downloadable material.  I think of it as using the blockchain as the Rosetta Stone for digital information.
-Are colored coins on the right track with this idea?  Any programmers on here want to help me put a song out i wrote as a colored coin?  It's a cool little electro-folk tune, don't worry, it's not about bitcoin.

4.Is cloud mining an investment in infrastructure or a waste of BTC

"

YES. you are small fish there is out there big fishes and even "fish factories like CEX.io!!!!!

"
-I wish there was an affordable way for the average joe to participate in BTC mining.  All I'm going to say for now.

5.Could/would the BTC community ever take over state gov programs, even if it were on a small scale to start?  For example Foodstamps?

"

Yes why not


"
-There is a previous thread about this, I'm just curious if it could gain any support, since it would essentially be a public charity to help the government budget.  At least it's not the Fed gov tho.

6.I'm way behind the curve, but I have alot of ideas and I'm thirsty for some dialoge.  I live in Pittburgh..."knowledge town"...but for the most part, I don't know anybody that gives a rat's ass(sorry but, got to love that term) about bitcoin news ect.  Anybody nearby that would like to exchange ideas?

Thanks so much!

sorry i could answer between titles and as much as i know. these questions WISe ones congrats!

[DeathAndTaxes]

-I've read how Satoshi embedded a message in the genius block.  How is this accomplished?  Is this permanent?

The genesis block is "special".  It is actually never shared peer to peer.  This is because it forms the begining of the trust chain.  All Bitcoin clients have to know the genesis block in order to verify anything else is correct.  For this reason the genesis block is hard coded into clients.  If it wasn't it would be very easy to trick new (bootstraping nodes).  The first thing they would ask for is the genesis block and the attacker would give him a fake one, one then feed him false blocks which validate off this false blockchain.  The attack is called an isolation attack and clients make this much harder by including the genesis block "built in" and putting checkpoint hashes to ensure the blockchain can't be modified below a certain depth.

-Can someone show me how to do this with open source code?  I want to embed: text, sound, video into the blockchain using software and/or bitcoin transactions.

No (or at least I won't).

-I think is a great concept, because it could decentralize and uncensor media on a global level.

It will also spam the blockchain, filling it with false transactions, which bloat the UXTO and make the entire network less efficient.  Sorry there are better ways to achieve distributed storage systems that don't involve the blockchain.

2.I want to explain BTC mining with the analogy of a network of computers playing Pacman.  Any suggestions?

It is a pretty bad analogy.  Don't feel bad.  Nobody understand how Bitcoin works the first time.  There are likely large areas where Bitcoin works differently than you think it does.

Just one example.  The "level" isn't a certain length.  The next block could be solved in a single attempt (one pellet) or 10x as many hashes (pellets) as the targeted average.  The network can only set the average number of hashes/attempts/pellets per block.

4.Is cloud mining an investment in infrastructure or a waste of BTC

Get ready for people to tell you it is the greatest thing since sliced bread (and share their affiliate link).  Yes they are a waste.

If you had a machine which printed one dollar per day why would you rent it for less than one dollar per day?