Free BTC at MIT

[farlack]

http://bitcoin.mit.edu/announcing-the-mit-bitcoin-project/

Wow $100 for free, like the students at MIT need more free money.  How about giving it to a homeless shelter instead?

So give it to a homeless shelter so homeless people cant spend it on their phones they don't have.

The homeless people don't need a phone to be benefited from the donation, say for example, the bitcoin can be used for a charity organization to provide food for homeless people.

Honestly Bitcoin isn't about helping homeless people, anyone can fund raise for them. The benefit of helping homeless people which will get zero attention from anyone but the person exchanging the coin to cash vs some of the smartest techies on the planet. Id take the techies.

[Gyfts]

Pretty hard to believe. I mean you must be loaded if you are going there, or have a bright future.

[cbeast]

If I were an MIT student, I would be looking for the weak hands right away.

[Jcw188]

If I were an MIT student, I would be looking for the weak hands right away.

Haha nice point.  Bet like half the students would sign something to give you their $100 in BTC for like $20 cash right now.

[btbrae]

I went to the MIT museum in Boston... I don't think they had even one working robot. I remember coming out and thinking these were some of the dumbest students in the world.

[matt608]

We should raise money to do this for other Universities too!

[OgNasty]

VERY cool!

When the distribution happens this fall, it will make the MIT campus the first place in the world where it will be possible to assume widespread access to Bitcoin

Cool indeed.

[cbeast]

They should be loaded on a free Trezor.

[aztecminer]

quoted from article: “Giving students access to cryptocurrencies is analogous to providing them with internet access at the dawn of the internet era,” said Rubin.




i happen to remember the 'dawn' of the internet. i was on the internet before it was even available to the public. had to access it through a teachers unix account at some school. that was when the BBC's ruled the world. if this is where we are now with this technology is the 'dawn' it makes me really wonder about the potential. the internet technology developed very fast.

[Lauda]

We should raise money to do this for other Universities too!

The Universities should do this on their own.

[galbros]

If what bitcoin needs is to encourage some additional development and acceptance then this is a good thing.  Even if all they do it turn around and sell it, it will at least introduce bitcoin to a lot of new users.

Fine work!

[windpath]

Just heard back from Dan Elitzer, one of the MIT Bitcoin Club Founders, on our twitter account:



It looks like they are considering payment to a Bitcoin address after the student authenticates in some way.

I really like this idea! It encourages adoption, forces students to set up a wallet (rather then sell a key or voucher), and will help Bitcoin continue to grow.

[Injust]

I really like this idea, and how MIT is getting their students to be involved with Bitcoin.
I most definitely need to get into MIT now

[smooth]

Pretty hard to believe. I mean you must be loaded if you are going there, or have a bright future.

Quite false. Most students are on some kind of financial aid and/or in debt up to their eyeballs (though with a good degree from MIT the debt load is probably reasonable). The main reason these schools are so expensive is so they can soak it to the relatively few rich, often foreign (Chinese, Saudis, etc.), students by charging them sticker price.

Anyway, this is a strategic pro-BTC advocacy move (and a smart one) not charity. If anything think of the $100 as a small rebate on the $60K/year it costs to go there (again sticker price)

[Bit_Happy]

Generous amount & the perfect demographics:
This is the best BTC giveaway we have seen in quite a while.

[cbeast]

There will be a boom of gambling and porn sites no doubt.

[SomethingElse]

This is hands down one of the most important things that bitcoin has ever done.  It has in effect created a full and complete micro-economy.  Anything near or associated with MIT will now accept bitcoin.  This is the first time ever that bitcoin actually has a full working economy.  It was a very smart move to make MIT the starting place for the first economy.  MIT students are tech savy and would completely dive into this. 

If this is successful.  Look for bitcoin whales to finance another high tech uni, and then another, each one for less and less.  In a couple of years bitcoin could have 10 serious micro-economies.  If they were really smart, they could knock off Harvard and BU and then from there most of Boston would accept and spend bitcoin.  The is the Facebook model that was used by Facebook to not just squash Myspace, but to take over almost every country.  They did it with one very strategically placed micro market after another until all those micro markets combined into one large unstoppable force. 

[Bit_Happy]

This is hands down one of the most important things that bitcoin has ever done.  It has in effect created a full and complete micro-economy.  Anything near or associated with MIT will now accept bitcoin.  This is the first time ever that bitcoin actually has a full working economy.  It was a very smart move to make MIT the starting place for the first economy.  MIT students are tech savy and would completely dive into this. 

If this is successful.  Look for bitcoin whales to finance another high tech uni, and then another, each one for less and less.  In a couple of years bitcoin could have 10 serious micro-economies.  If they were really smart, they could knock off Harvard and BU and then from there most of Boston would accept and spend bitcoin.  The is the Facebook model that was used by Facebook to not just squash Myspace, but to take over almost every country.  They did it with one very strategically placed micro market after another until all those micro markets combined into one large unstoppable force. 

If they were really smart, they could knock off Harvard and BU and then from there most of Boston would accept and spend bitcoin.
Great idea, Boston was the birthplace of the American Revolution.

The is the Facebook model...
This is the Facebook model AND it is something else, SomethingElse. 

[Jcw188]

Hey I'd love if Bitcoin became more used in Boston.  I thought I saw something about a Bitcoin ATM at South Station but not sure if that lasted.

Yeah, I can see it now, you use Bitcoin to buy snacks at the dining hall.  Is there any way to use your Bitcoin with a "swipe" method? like a credit card.  Otherwise seriously how can you match the convenience of a credit card, or dining hall card.

[Bit_Happy]

Hey I'd love if Bitcoin became more used in Boston.  I thought I saw something about a Bitcoin ATM at South Station but not sure if that lasted.

Yeah, I can see it now, you use Bitcoin to buy snacks at the dining hall.  Is there any way to use your Bitcoin with a "swipe" method? like a credit card.  Otherwise seriously how can you match the convenience of a credit card, or dining hall card.

Companies are working on that now.
There is a huge profit motive to get established as the market leader(s)