Bitcoin Documentary: Day 10 Recap (Washington, DC) #theBITmovie – Video

Posted on by


Bitcoin Documentary: Day 10 Recap (Washington, DC) #theBITmovie
Follow the Journey 30 Days. 40 Cities. All Bitcoin. Follow the journey - http://www.thebitmovie.com http://www.facebook.com/thebitmovie http://www.twitter.com/thebitmovie http://www.instagram.com/thebitmovie ...

By: the BITmovie

See the original post:

Bitcoin Documentary: Day 10 Recap (Washington, DC) #theBITmovie - Video

Proposal To Form China’s First Bitcoin Advocacy Group To …

Posted on by

Established in 2012, the Bitcoin Foundation has quite a few titles It is a top trade organization, an unofficial organisation to represent the interests of Bitcoin, a Bitcoin lobbying group and one of the worlds leading advocacy groups for the cybercurrency, to name a few. Although not everyone in the Bitcoin community agrees as to what the Foundations role is, there is little doubt that it is one of the most high-profile nonprofit organizations in the space, with some of the most recognizable Bitcoin luminaries serving on the board.

In a move reminiscent of the Bitcoin Foundations original establishment, a man named Ryan Xu has called for the formation of a China-focused bitcoin advocacy group.

Originally posted on Yibite.com, the Chinese bitcoin news website on 8th November, Xus proposal generated a moderate amount of social media comments in its immediate aftermath. Though judging by peoples response, the interest was not strong, such a proposal nonetheless raises questions as to whether China needs its own bitcoin advocacy group, and whether such an organization would be viable in the current regulatory environment.

In his 930-character long proposal for a Bitcoin Development Foundation (BDF), Xu outlines five issues that it seeks to tackle:

1. The China bitcoin Industry is still in an early stage, companies in the space need support; 2. The Chinese bitcoin community lacks solidarity. There needs to be more people who are dedicated to the development of the community; 3. The Chinese bitcoin community has little voice in the mainstream media, which is dominated by negative news and commentary. 4. There was little communication between the Chinese bitcoin community and relevant organizations. Communication with government and businesses needs to be strengthened; 5. The Chinese bitcoin community lacks communication with the rest of the world. It needs to be kept up to date with developments in the international bitcoin community, and learn more from their experience.

Although these general issues are widely acknowledged, there is a lack of consensus as to whether a new Bitcoin Foundation is the answer.

Relationship with Bitcoin Foundation

In an email exchange with Xu on November 26, he introduced himself as Chief Strategy Officer of Bitcoin Group, an Australia-based bitcoin company. Yet he is probably better known in the Chinese Bitcoin community for his alias (Martian), and for being a prolific bitcoin commentator who frequently publishes opinion pieces on the Chinese language bitcoin media.

Original post:

Proposal To Form China's First Bitcoin Advocacy Group To ...

Proposal To Form China's First Bitcoin Advocacy Group To Test Government Attitude

Posted on by

Established in 2012, the Bitcoin Foundation has quite a few titles It is a top trade organization, an unofficial organisation to represent the interests of Bitcoin, a Bitcoin lobbying group and one of the worlds leading advocacy groups for the cybercurrency, to name a few. Although not everyone in the Bitcoin community agrees as to what the Foundations role is, there is little doubt that it is one of the most high-profile nonprofit organizations in the space, with some of the most recognizable Bitcoin luminaries serving on the board.

In a move reminiscent of the Bitcoin Foundations original establishment, a man named Ryan Xu has called for the formation of a China-focused bitcoin advocacy group.

Originally posted on Yibite.com, the Chinese bitcoin news website on 8th November, Xus proposal generated a moderate amount of social media comments in its immediate aftermath. Though judging by peoples response, the interest was not strong, such a proposal nonetheless raises questions as to whether China needs its own bitcoin advocacy group, and whether such an organization would be viable in the current regulatory environment.

In his 930-character long proposal for a Bitcoin Development Foundation (BDF), Xu outlines five issues that it seeks to tackle:

1. The China bitcoin Industry is still in an early stage, companies in the space need support; 2. The Chinese bitcoin community lacks solidarity. There needs to be more people who are dedicated to the development of the community; 3. The Chinese bitcoin community has little voice in the mainstream media, which is dominated by negative news and commentary. 4. There was little communication between the Chinese bitcoin community and relevant organizations. Communication with government and businesses needs to be strengthened; 5. The Chinese bitcoin community lacks communication with the rest of the world. It needs to be kept up to date with developments in the international bitcoin community, and learn more from their experience.

Although these general issues are widely acknowledged, there is a lack of consensus as to whether a new Bitcoin Foundation is the answer.

Relationship with Bitcoin Foundation

In an email exchange with Xu on November 26, he introduced himself as Chief Strategy Officer of Bitcoin Group, an Australia-based bitcoin company. Yet he is probably better known in the Chinese Bitcoin community for his alias (Martian), and for being a prolific bitcoin commentator who frequently publishes opinion pieces on the Chinese language bitcoin media.

Go here to see the original:

Proposal To Form China's First Bitcoin Advocacy Group To Test Government Attitude

The real benefit of paying with bitcoin

Posted on by

Why do I say this? Well from the very beginning of time, humans have traded goods with one another, and have used money as proxies for these goods, as a simpler form of exchange. That money has taken the form of gold and silver, sea shells, promissory notes and State issued legal currency, to name but a few. In all these cases the money has been forged, cheated, stolen and its value decimated by inflationary tactics. Kings did it to pay off war debt, people clipped bits of gold coins, weighing scales were tampered with, the Federal Reserve was invented to control it etc. There is not a single instance until bitcoin, of a truly trustworthy form of money, one whose value was constrained not by the laws and weaknesses of man, but by the universal laws of mathematics.

Read MoreThe elephant in the room this holiday season

So bitcoin is really radical. It allows a secure system of exchanging value between people, and indeed machines, who have never met, that can be trusted, verified and never forged. Yes, we have heard of many instances of bitcoin hackers and thieves, but these are not security issues with the core bitcoin network per se, rather weakness in the storage of the keys used to secure a bitcoin wallet. Just like a bank vault with the combination lock code taped to the front door not being secure; bitcoin secured by keys left lying around where they are easily stolen are not safe from theft either.

So with bitcoin, we have a secure, programmable form of money that can be used for global transactions, that cannot be forged, that is fully audit-able, that is actually software that can be built into anything and everything. Once this is understood, once this is grasped, the magnitude of the possibilities it enables is truly staggering. That's what has all these venture capitalists salivating and that's what has thousands of the smartest programmers in the world working feverishly to unlock the potential of. It's a magnitude of change and possibly similar in scope and scale to the Internet itself, and it's just the beginning.

Read MoreIs Apple Pay a bitcoin killer?

Bitcoin has another interesting property that is worth mentioning. It's a bearer instrument. That means, just like a dollar bill, the person that holds it and presents it as payment is the de-facto owner. Why is this an important property? Well, we live in a world where we are expected to disclose our identity and financial future to companies that are just not qualified to secure it, just to shop online or eat in a restaurant. We have all seen this recently with the hacking thefts at Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase and Target to name just a few. Credit-card fraud and identity theft actually cost us over $5 billion a year, and ruin many lives and dreams. Bitcoin solves this problem, once and for all, because using it, we, as consumers, do not have to risk our financial future when we do things like our Christmas shopping. Bitcoin payments are anonymous at least as far as merchants are concerned. The data trail that bitcoin leaves behind is indeed traceable using the blockchain, with the right tools. It can be used to fight crime and terrorism, it can be used to identify us, but importantly it cannot be used to steal our identity, or to steal our money, or to impact our credit rating. So it's a much more palatable and secure approach to payments than credit cards can ever be.

So, when we ask the question, what needs to happen for the mass adoption of bitcoin to occur; the answer is just time. In time, the money the venture capitalists are investing and the code the developers are writing will bring forth systems and solutions to problems that are just not feasible or practical without Bitcoin. Just like the browser makes the Internet accessible to everyone, these systems and solutions will make bitcoin accessible to everyone and will change the way we interact, trade, spend and receive money. Whether that's peer-to-peer lending, peer-to-peer finance, distributed capital formation, secure voting, or solutions to transparency in finance and derivates. The technology has so much potential, and it just cannot be un-invented. Its adoption really is inevitable.

Read MoreBitcoin set to take on the financial world: book

Commentary by Trevor Murphy, the CTO of BitStash, a company that securely stores bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Murphy was a co-founder of TradingEdge in 1997. He was responsible for the design and development of the first electronic fixed-income trading platform, BondLink, which ultimately processed billions of dollars in daily transactions, and was acquired by Market Axess (MKTX) in 2001. Murphy has been involved in numerous other start-up companies and provides consulting services to venture capitalists, financial services and Fortune 500 companies. Follow him on Twitter @bitstashCTO.

WATCH: CNBC's 'Bitcoin Uprising'

Read more here:

The real benefit of paying with bitcoin

Falcon Global Capital Closes Bitcoin Fund Because of Slow Demand

Posted on by

Falcon Global Capital closed its bitcoin fund because of slow demand, said co-founder Brett Stapper.

The fund, which began in February, had attracted about 25 clients, who contributed from $25,000 to $10 million each to invest in the virtual currency, Stapper said in an interview. While many more called to inquire about bitcoin, they didnt invest, in part because bitcoins price slipped more than 50 percent this year, according to CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index.

Falcon refunded the money to its clients in November, and has decided to refocus on consulting about bitcoin and how it works, Stapper said. The company is expanding its team of four staff members to 10 people based in San Diego and New York to advise institutions, corporations and governments, he said.

Everyone is having some difficulties in raising funds, Stapper said.

Bitcoin price index funds are losing their appeal because many consumers can now easily acquire bitcoins directly from websites, and there are also many price index funds competing for clients attention, he said.

A number of bitcoin funds and investment-management firms - - including Falcon, Binary Financial and The Bitcoin Investment Trust -- popped up in the last 1-1/2 years, as bitcoins price rose from about $13 to about $1,000 last year. Tyler Winklevoss and Cameron Winklevoss, co-founders of Winklevoss Capital Management, are working to introduce a bitcoin exchange-traded fund.

The technology is really, really exciting, Stapper said. But, he says, whether or not bitcoin is worth investing in at this point is unclear.

To contact the reporter on this story: Olga Kharif in Portland at okharif@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sarah Rabil at srabil@bloomberg.net James Callan, Andrew Pollack

Press spacebar to pause and continue. Press esc to stop.

Originally posted here:

Falcon Global Capital Closes Bitcoin Fund Because of Slow Demand

Bitcoin hacking raises security concerns

Posted on by

Concerns are rising over the security of the digital currency bitcoin following hacking cases that allegedly took place for the first time in South Korea at local online bitcoin exchange Bitcore.

A man surnamed Kim in the southeastern port city of Pohang filed a complaint with the Pohang Cyber Police Agency on Nov. 14, claiming that 15 of his bitcoins worth around 6.2 million won (based on the value of a bitcoin as of Monday) were stolen by an anonymous person operating from Bitcore on Nov. 11.

Another user of the bitcoin trading website posted comments on an online community forum saying his bitcoins were stolen the same night.

"When I tried to access the mobile site of Bitcore on my smartphone at around 10:30 to 11 p.m., I saw nothing but an error message in English," Kim told The Korea Herald.

The next day when Kim was able to log in to the website, he found out that his bitcoins had been transferred to another bitcoin trader's account without his consent.

Traders receive a verification code on their smartphone when they try to sell their bitcoins, but Kim said he had not received any security code for the illicit transaction.

After the incident, Bitcore officials tried to track down the IP address belonging to the account that received Kim's bitcoins, but the anonymous nature of the bitcoin system kept them from verifying the owners account details. No compensation has yet been made for the alleged theft cases, nor has an advisory notice for possible hacking attempts been put up on the website, upsetting the users of the online exchange.

The police confirmed that it received Kim's complaint, but said it had not launched an investigation into the hacking due to other ongoing investigations.

Kim who mostly makes deals via his smartphone, Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Grand One, said he had done nothing unusual with his smartphone nor noticed any suspicious activity on his handset before the digital currency was transferred.

"This case could be just a small individual incident, but there could be other hacking cases on a bigger scale down the road if no action is taken," Kim said.

See the original post here:

Bitcoin hacking raises security concerns

Comets easily handle Spartans in boys hoops

Posted on by

S. ABINGTON TWP. Abington Heights defeated Wyoming Valley West, 76-31, in a nonleague boys basketball game Monday night.

The Comets started the game on a 12-0 run before Tyler Yankosky scored the Spartans first basket with 2:31 left in the first quarter. Abington Heights then scored the next six points to lead 18-2 after the first quarter.

Abington Heights (2-0) scored the first 15 points of the second quarter before Draig Cooley-Ruff hit a shot for Valley West.

The Comets defense forced the Spartans into 16 first half turnovers and led 48-12 at the break.

Our team is so inexperienced right now, Wyoming Valley West head coach George Reimiller said. We have a whole bunch of young kids and some veteran players, but they dont want to play as a team. When we dont play as a team, you see what happens.

Tim Toro led Abington Heights with 14 points and seven rebounds. Clay Basalyga chipped in with nine points, six rebounds, six assists, and six steals.

We were in a trapping defense and our coach always stresses communication on defense so we were all talking and playing with a lot of energy, Basalyga said. It really worked for us today.

Sean Judge led Wyoming Valley West (0-2) with 10 points and three steals.

Meyers 76, Coughlin 66

Shahee Aurelus poured in a game-high 34 points on 11 field goals and 11 free throws to lead the Mohawks, who used a 19-6 run in the third quarter to overcome a deficit.

Read the rest here:

Comets easily handle Spartans in boys hoops

Community Expects Comets to Stay in Utica

Posted on by

This section displays the last 50 news articles that were published.

Ever since the Comets came to Utica last year, there's been speculation the city is only a temporary home. But despite a recent spark to those rumors, many community members don't believe the hype. Alana LaFlore has more on why people are optimistic the hockey team is here to stay.

UTICA, N.Y. -- Utica is in the midst of a huge revitalization and many attribute some of that recent success to the Comets.

"We have a lot of restaurants popping up, because everybody goes out either before or after the games," said Pamela Matt, executive director of the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce. "Businesses are popping up all over downtown, the hotels are benefiting, there's a lot of energy."

But that faith in the American Hockey League team was questioned when a Minnesota newspaper recently said the AHL was still working on a west coast move for many teams - possibly including the Comets.

"It would have a huge negative impact. It would feel like a major setback because we have made such strides," said Matt. "I'm from Pittsburgh and having a sports team really does have an economic development impact and a community pride impact."

Earlier this year, the Comets president said a move wasn't likely, citing their six-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks' president caught a game at the Aud recently, and made it clear that an AHL expansion to the west coast wouldn't include the Comets.

"We minimize our travel days because we're in the heart of the American Hockey League which I think is important," said Trevor Linden, president of the Vancouver Canucks. "The atmosphere is tremendous."

The Utica location means more time for practice and time to build a connection with the community.

Read the rest here:

Community Expects Comets to Stay in Utica

Comets, Lasher score victories over Mohawks, Indians

Posted on by

MASON CITY | Nate Lasher entered last years state wrestling tournament unranked. He walked out of Wells Fargo Arena with a sixth-place medal.

And despite the time constraints of being a four-sport athlete at Charles City, Lasher knew he had to find ways to improve on the mat.

He has, and in the process hes turned into one of the most reliable wrestlers for first-year coach Kevin Wedeking.

On Tuesday, Lasher knew the fate of Charles Citys dual was in his hands. He delivered, recording a fall at 120 pounds in the nights final match to secure a 42-33 win over Mason CIty.

When you put in a lot of work in the offseason, you kind of get a new level of confidence in yourself, Lasher said. Which is big for a wrestler.

The Comets, who disposed of Forest City 64-15 as well Tuesday, trailed the Mohawks 27-20 after Hunter Miller recorded a 45-second fall for Mason City at 195 pounds.

Charles City, though, responded to win four of the final five bouts via bonus points to secure the victory.

I kind of like the pressure situations, Lasher said. You have to be confident in a match like that.

From Mason Citys perspective, Isaac Bartel grew up watching older brothers Jared and Andy work their way on to the podium at the state wrestling tournament.

Theres one thing the younger Bartel learned from his siblings.

Follow this link:

Comets, Lasher score victories over Mohawks, Indians

H.S. boys basketball countdown: No. 9 Hackensack

Posted on by

December 9, 2014, 11:04 PM Last updated: Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 11:04 PM

Boys basketball

No. 9 Hackensack

Last seasons record: 9-16. Final ranking: Not ranked

Best assets: Last season was an aberration for Hackensack as it sought to rebuild after its first sectional title in 20 years. These Comets are more talented and should challenge for the Big North Freedom Division title. They return two key veterans in 6-foot-6 junior F Edward Emedoh and sophomore G Ahmed Bailey. A third starter will be junior Michael Richardson, a transfer from Teaneck who is immediately eligible because of a change of address, coach Aaron Taylor said. The other two starters are freshmen: point guard Atiba Taylor and Bassel Saliba.

Biggest concerns: Did you notice the projected starting five doesnt include a senior? The Comets have several 12th-graders, including guards Prince Taylor and Christian Roberts, but a majority of minutes will go to underclassmen. Adding backcourt depth are two more returnees, junior Tommy Smith and sophomore Terrell Bonner. The Comets need to mesh quickly to contend for the Freedom title and make a run in the Bergen and state tournaments.

The rest is here:

H.S. boys basketball countdown: No. 9 Hackensack

Workington Comets 2015 speedway ticket prices

Posted on by

Last updated at 16:25, Tuesday, 09 December 2014

Workington Comets have released ticket price details for 2015.

One-two: Comets' Simon Lamber, blue, and Joe Jacobs hit the front in the second heat ahead of Edinburgh's Aaron Fox, white, and Max Clegg

Season tickets are 265 for adults, 190 for OAPs and students, and 65 for children aged 5-15. Alternatively, family packages are 330 for one adult and two children or 595 for two adults and three children.

They will include a minimum of 19 meetings, including 12 Premier League, three League Cup, one Knockout Cup and three Challenge fixtures and will also include any further progression in these competitions, meaning a maximum of 29 meetings. BSPA shared events, testimonial meetings or international challenges are not included.

Existing ticket holders who applied by post last year will receive applications in the post. Application forms can be posted or emailed to the club and will also be available via the online shop soon. The application does not require a photo this year.

Club Comets season tickets which include free parking and other benefits throughout the season are 340 for adults or 225 for OAPs and students.

Admission prices for individual meetings are 15 for adults, 11 for OAPs and students, and 4 for children between the ages of 5-15. Family packages are 19 for one adult and two children or 34 for two adults and three children.

Every entry will include the complimentary colour race card.

First published at 16:20, Tuesday, 09 December 2014 Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk

Continued here:

Workington Comets 2015 speedway ticket prices

Support for psoriasis community in new website

Posted on by

At mypsoriasis.co.nz youll find suggestions for everything from how to handle kids awkward questions to dealing with an over-protective family.

Often, the stress of keeping feelings bottled up can make psoriasis symptoms worse, so the more help you can get the better youll be able to manage it. Remember, youre not alone. Theres a whole psoriasis community there to support you.

The information youll find at mypsoriasis.co.nz recognises symptoms can affect many decisions and aspects of your life and that it can take an emotional toll because of its long-term and visual nature. Youll be able to download the booklet Refusing to hide the insiders guide to psoriasis which is full of useful information to help you better understand and manage your psoriasis.

Youll also find loads of expert information from dermatologists, nurses and psychologists, along with personal stories of people just like you who share their experience of and strategies for living with the psoriasis.

As you probably already know, psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. The bodys immune system is mistakenly reacting to some of your own bodys cells, resulting in accelerated skin cell growth.

Normal skin cells replace themselves every 28 to 30 days, but skin cells affected by psoriasis mature in just 3 to 4 days and pile up instead of falling away on their own. The resulting build-up forms the silvery, scaly, red patches called plaque psoriasis.

While genetics play a role in psoriasis, scientists believe exposure to environmental triggers may propel the disease into action. For example, you may experience a worsening of your symptoms in the winter and improvement in the summer. Other triggers may include injury, stress, certain medicines and some types of infections.

Your best tool is information, plenty of which can be found at mypsoriasis.co.nz.

For example, did you know psoriasis affects more than just skin? Around 30 percent of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis that can also affect the joints, causing them to become stiff, painful and swollen. More information about psoriasis can be found mypsoriasis.co.nz.

As for how to handle those curious kids questions? How about: I have extra-happy skin. My skin cells are so happy they jump off after only a few days! Brilliant!

Link:

Support for psoriasis community in new website