Monthly Archives: November 2014

Bitcoin: New York State Continues Its Path To Regulating Virtual Currency

Posted: November 8, 2014 at 1:45 am

New York is moving forward with its plan to regulate bitcoin, which it says will protect consumers and prevent illegal activity. But businesses and startups that have formed around the cryptocurrency are worried about how much that regulation will impact their bottom line.

New York calls its plan to deal with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin "BitLicense," and the head of the states Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) says that it has attempted to address the concerns brought up in the first phase of public comments, which often concerned the compliance costs of regulation on new or fledgling virtual currency enterprises.

There has to be a way for startups to start up and play by the rules without getting crushed by huge compliance costs, Benjamin Lawsky, head of the states Department of Financial Services, said Sunday at a conference in Las Vegas.

Members of the existing bitcoin industry argue that the NYSDFS has not explained the problems that many of the new rules are meant to address. Other rules, they say, are impossible to comply with.

The current proposal includes a stipulation that people must be able to identify the exact source of any funds they receive. Anonymous transfers would then need to be rejected by the recipient, according to the suggested rules.

Which is kind of fascinating, because the way bitcoin works, you cant stop someone from sending funds to you, said David Ripley, chief executive of Glidera, a bitcoin marketplace and digital wallet service. And you cant always identify them.

If the state was willing to more clearly explain to businesses the goals of each proposed regulation, companies would then be able to better comply, Ripley said. To that end, Lawsky said the state would consider a transitional BitLicense that allowed small businesses and start-ups more flexibility. The NYSDFS would then weigh potential consumer risks as well as the companys size and scope.

We are also considering designating a small group of specialized examiners... to deal with startups and their license applications, Lawsky said, to help them better understand the challenges startups face, and help the state tailor its rules to their situations.

The Federal governments Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, has already provided guidance on how bitcoin operators should operate while complying with U.S. law. Some critics of the plan argue that additional regulations at the state level are unnecessary.

The NYSDFS is now taking comments from interested parties as it enters the second 45-day phase of its plan to regulate bitcoin, with new rules it has said should be in effect by January of 2015.

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International Space Station for Tue, 4th November 2014 – Video

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International Space Station for Tue, 4th November 2014
This is a image taken from the live feed from the International Space Station.

By: dingo001

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International Space Station for Tue, 4th November 2014 - Video

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RMR: Unmanned Rocket Explodes – Video

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RMR: Unmanned Rocket Explodes
Mission to International Space Station held BC students #39; science experiment.

By: MercerReport

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RMR: Unmanned Rocket Explodes - Video

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ESAHangout with Samantha Cristoforetti – Video

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ESAHangout with Samantha Cristoforetti
ESA astronaut +Samantha Cristoforetti joins us from Star City, just one day before she departs to Baikonur Cosmodrome. From there she will launch to the International Space Station on 23 November...

By: European Space Agency, ESA

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ESAHangout with Samantha Cristoforetti - Video

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Space Station Love – Video

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Space Station Love
Space Station Love The Humpers 1996 Epitaph Released on: 2008-07-26 Auto-generated by YouTube.

By: Various Artists - Topic

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Space Station Love - Video

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Astronaut offers floating peek inside International Space Station – Video

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Astronaut offers floating peek inside International Space Station
A tour of the International Space Station reveals small personal touches like Russian Orthodox religious icons affixed to one wall. Rough Cut (no reporter narration). Subscribe: http://smarturl.it...

By: Reuters

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Astronaut offers floating peek inside International Space Station - Video

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Space Station 13 Episode 37: Danger Danger! High Voltage! – Video

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Space Station 13 Episode 37: Danger Danger! High Voltage!
I #39;m a traitor CE and things get dangerous!

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Space Station 13 Episode 37: Danger Danger! High Voltage! - Video

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When Astronaunts Play With Water and a GoPro in Space – Video

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When Astronaunts Play With Water and a GoPro in Space
Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) -- During Expedition 40 in the summer of 2014, NASA astronauts Steve Swanson and Reid Wiseman -- along with European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst -- explored ...

By: Bloomberg News

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When Astronaunts Play With Water and a GoPro in Space - Video

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Weekly Space Hangout – November 7, 2014: Ship Updates & Solar System Formation – Video

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Weekly Space Hangout - November 7, 2014: Ship Updates Solar System Formation
Host: Fraser Cain (@fcain) Guests: Morgan Rehnberg (cosmicchatter.org / @cosmic_chatter) Brian Koberlein (@briankoberlein) Nicole Gugliucci (cosmoquest.org / @noisyastronomer) This Week #39;s...

By: Fraser Cain

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Weekly Space Hangout - November 7, 2014: Ship Updates & Solar System Formation - Video

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Eanes experiment going to International Space Station

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Next year, one group of Eanes students will boldly go where no student in their school has gone before.

About 300 middle-schoolers in the school district are vying to send one groups science experiment to the International Space Station to assess the role gravity plays in a particular chemical or biological system. One small, contained experiment from Eanes is expected to have a spot on a U.S. commercial spacecraft trip in the spring.

By participating in the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program, the brainchild of a non-profit and a private company established in 2010 as privatized U.S. space exploration was gaining traction, the Eanes school district joins nine other Texas school districts and 99 districts in America and Canada that have participated in the program so far. The opportunity isnt free Eanes paid $21,500 for the program through district funds.

Eanes officials have launched a community fundraising campaign to participate in future flights. The Eanes fundraising campaign for the project will begin 5:30 p.m. Nov. 13, when students put their projects on display at Westlake High School. The event will also feature a mobile planetarium and a presentation from retired astronaut Marsha Ivins. Individuals or companies interested in supporting the Eanes program should contact Jerri LaMirand at jlamirand@eanesisd.net

While West Ridge Middle School eighth-grader Aubrey Ireland said she has done plenty of science experiments in school labs before, this project is the first time she really feels like a scientist.

In past science classes, theyve always told us about being scientists, but they never let us take charge ourselves, Ireland said. Its kind of like learning a language. You can never learn from a textbook like you can just doing it yourself.

She is part of a team of four girls designing an experiment that will test how fern spores grow when theyre weightless. Ireland, 13, said she loves that the work is hands-on when it comes to researching a project idea, designing the device that will go up, and writing the proposal. The students do all this work themselves.

Its a major undertaking that some found intimidating at first, Eanes students said. But as they researched the concept of weightlessness in space, brainstormed ideas, looked at the programs past experiments and reached out to professional scientists, their excitement grew.

Its a real opportunity to see the research side of science, said Hill Country Middle School teacher Elisabeth Flohr. Its one thing to do activities and labs and blow stuff up, and its another thing to do experiments.

When an unmanned spacecraft exploded in midair Oct. 29, some Eanes students took a personal interest in the news because other districts experiments with the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program were aboard, including students projects from San Antonio and outside Dallas. Hill Country teacher Woodroe Kisers students were asking a lot of questions in class about the rocket failure, Flohr said.

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Eanes experiment going to International Space Station

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