Wanted: Your questions!

[Matthew N. Wright]

Hi guys (and girls, if any actually exist here),

As most of you probably know, we're starting the first print magazine for Bitcoin that will be published shortly. In that magazine there are several community driven sections, one of which being the "Mineshaft" section.

If you've got a question that you want answered inside the very first issue of the magazine by the most well known and experienced miners, rig builders and pool operators in Bitcoin, then you can post your questions in this thread. The best questions will be featured in the magazine and the featured submitter will receive a free copy of the digital version of the magazine.

All questions should be less than 400 words.


Cheers

Matthew N. Wright
Editor in Chief

[Matthew N. Wright]

Why do miners give up their vote for so little?

You'll have to be more specific as the readers may not understand what you're referring to.

[Matthew N. Wright]

You'll have to be more specific as the readers may not understand what you're referring to.

if the "most well known and experienced miners, rig builders and pool operators in Bitcoin" don't understand

 

[Matthew N. Wright]

You'll have to be more specific as the readers may not understand what you're referring to.

if the "most well known and experienced miners, rig builders and pool operators in Bitcoin" don't understand

 

Aren't readers supposed to gain something from your magazine? If they already understand it, why bother reading it?

Let's backtrack a bit.

I'm asking for questions from the community that they want answered inside the magazine by professionals in that field.

I'm also requesting that those questions be written in a newbie-friendly way so that new readers can understand the questions being asked.

Being able to understand what someone is asking is not the same thing as being able to answer the question.

[cbeast]

A magazine huh? Considering all the negative press we get, it might not be such a bad idea, if you can get a distributor. If you're looking at the collectables market, that's cool too.

I'll offer a couple questions that newbies may have:
Are there still hoarders with 100k+ BTC and if so, why?
What happens to Bitcoin if someone comes up with something better?

[Matthew N. Wright]

Considering all the negative press we get, it might not be such a bad idea, if you can get a distributor.

Agreed, and just FYI we plan on having it in Barnes and Nobles and other various book/magazine stores around the US, slowly working our way up.

If you're looking at the collectables market, that's cool too.

Not even interested in that to be honest. Too many people involved already to settle. It's all or nothing on this one.

Are there still hoarders with 100k+ BTC and if so, why?
What happens to Bitcoin if someone comes up with something better?

Awesome questions. I'll be sure to include them. I'll send you a PM shortly for your information regarding the free issue.

[cbeast]

Considering all the negative press we get, it might not be such a bad idea, if you can get a distributor.

Agreed, and just FYI we plan on having it in Barnes and Nobles and other various book/magazine stores around the US, slowly working our way up.

If you're looking at the collectables market, that's cool too.

Not even interested in that to be honest. Too many people involved already to settle. It's all or nothing on this one.

Are there still hoarders with 100k+ BTC and if so, why?
What happens to Bitcoin if someone comes up with something better?

Awesome questions. I'll be sure to include them. I'll send you a PM shortly for your information regarding the free issue.

I'm not as up to date on the techie side of things, but from a sociological perspective a magazine can offer intriguing viewpoints to the average Joe. A magazine isn't as formidable as a book and it has lots of pictures. Magazines are like the direct-to-video of the film world. It has lots of ad space. For something as important as Bitcoin, I can see this having a shot.

[Matthew N. Wright]

You'll have to be more specific as the readers may not understand what you're referring to.

if the "most well known and experienced miners, rig builders and pool operators in Bitcoin" don't understand

 

Aren't readers supposed to gain something from your magazine? If they already understand it, why bother reading it?

Let's backtrack a bit.

I'm asking for questions from the community that they want answered inside the magazine by professionals in that field.

I'm also requesting that those questions be written in a newbie-friendly way so that new readers can understand the questions being asked.

Being able to understand what someone is asking is not the same thing as being able to answer the question.

Maybe it's me, but the most rewarding articles I read are the ones where I have absolutely no clue about the subject before actually reading the article. But a good writer has a way of getting me interested enough almost immediately and then reveals the true depth of the story as I continue to read. Not only do I come away with a better understanding, I have a new appreciation for the subject matter.

My question is simple, but has a bit of depth to it. Once you break the surface, you start to think about the entire Bitcoin project as a whole, and what it means to be a part of it. Where did it start and what has it become? What will the future hold?

I asked without revealing too much, because I don't want to define the way in which the question is answered! It gives the author the freedom to discover new questions along the way and the readers can share in that experience. You could spend several full length issues discussing that question. Or you could answer it with a few short sentences. It depends on the authors ability to engage the reader, because trust me, the subject matter is very interesting on many different levels.

So, you can ignore my question because it's too vague. Or you can take advantage of that and direct the story where you want it to go. I won't elaborate, because I'm truly curious about the answer. I will add this though. What does it mean to be a Bitcoin miner?

Unfortunately, what you're discussing would be more of a feature than a letter to the editor, so if you'd like to submit a request for feature, that can easily be done through PM any day of the week.

If you have any brief questions you'd like to be answered in the magazine's "Letters to the editor" section however, post them here. Thanks.

[Matthew N. Wright]

Unfortunately, what you're discussing would be more of a feature than a letter to the editor, so if you'd like to submit a request for feature, that can easily be done through PM any day of the week.

If you have any brief questions you'd like to be answered in the magazine's "Letters to the editor" section however, post them here. Thanks.

I didn't see any mention of "letters to the editor" in your OP. You mentioned something called a "'Mineshaft' secton". I assumed this was for a full fledged feature in the magazine. Sorry for the confusion.

Sorry, that's my mistake. I lost track of which thread I was posting on.

The MineShaft will be questions from the community related to mining. It could be philosophical, scientific or social in nature, but again, what you had offered would be more of a feature than a read submitting a question and it being answered. Would you like that question to be considered for a feature just the same?

[trouserless]

What is currently the most frictionless way to move from USD to BTC and vice versa?  Could help a newbie who doesn't want to mine and its afraid of Dwolla or other currencies from Iowa 

[Matthew N. Wright]

What is currently the most frictionless way to move from USD to BTC and vice versa?  Could help a newbie who doesn't want to mine and its afraid of Dwolla or other currencies from Iowa 

Very good question. I'll PM you regarding your free issue. Thanks!

[the joint]

If Bitcoin becomes widely adopted, thereby increasing demand and price, will hoarding be an issue?  What solutions are available to mitigate the effects of hoarding?

If Bitcoin becomes the globally accepted form of currency, what good reason is there to believe that there won't be a huge disparity in wealth between the rich and poor, and what good reason is there to believe that the rich won't find ways to centralize Bitcoin?

[Matthew N. Wright]

If Bitcoin becomes widely adopted, thereby increasing demand and price, will hoarding be an issue?  What solutions are available to mitigate the effects of hoarding?

If Bitcoin becomes the globally accepted form of currency, what good reason is there to believe that there won't be a huge disparity in wealth between the rich and poor, and what good reason is there to believe that the rich won't find ways to centralize Bitcoin?

The first question is slightly similar to a previous question already seen, but I think it's adaptable. The second question is a great question. I'll PM you regarding your free issue.

Thanks!

[malevolent]

How many questions may I submit?

Q1: Do use the Bitcoins you mine or do you simply exchange them for fiat currencies and treat Bitcoin only as a way of making a living?
Q2: Have you ever met anyone who's first impression of Bitcoin wasn't "it must be some sort of Nigerian scam"?
Q3: What will happen with alternate cryptocurrencies in the future? Will they be wiped out by Bitcoin and forgotten or will they compete? If so, how will they affect the Bitcoin economy?
Q4: How would you counter a situation if a govt. intruduced a new law declaring the use of Bitcoin illegal?
Q5: How many GPUs have you fried?

If any of the questions fit your needs, feel free to rearrange it as you like - English isn't my first langauge.

[payb.tc]

What do you think of fractional-reserve lending of bitcoin (credits)?

[thefussydutchman]

What is the best pool for someone just starting out? Lets say 1000ish MH/s.

[JL421]

Why did you get into Bitcoin?
Why would you suggest others to consider using Bitcoin?
How would you convince others to start using Bitcoin?

[check_status]

Is gaming and mining on one system a bad idea?
What is the difference in Bitcoin mining tweaks vs. Gamerz tweaks?
Are Gamer tweaking recommendations for overclocking core, memory clock, and voltage dangerous for Bitcoin mining systems?

[Sukrim]

How can miners choose which transactions get included in their blocks?

What would be the benefits + risks of participating in an 51% attack as a miner? (e.g. mining in a pool that's attacking the blockchain)

Can Bitcoin miners (the software, like cgminer, phoenix etc.) be used for other, potentially malicious calculations like password cracking or generating rainbow tables?