DATA Series: Interview of Patrick Murck, General Council of The Bitcoin Foundation

Patrick is originally from Washington DC, the city hosting the data conference, but is currently living in the Pacific Northwest. He has been part of the Bitcoin movement in 2011 and really became known in the community after fall of Bitcoinica in 2012. Here’s the cover of Bitcoin Magazine around that time. Ruben Alexander: What made you want to become a lawyer? Patrick Murck: That’s a great question. I was tricked into it.(laughs) (laughs) My wife...

Read More

DogeParty: Calling All Shibes

by John Scianna on April 4, 2014 { } Much Party.When: Friday, April 4th, 2014 7:00pm-1:00amWhere: Meltdown Comics & Collectibles7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90046Who: Shibes only Admission: FreeSpelunk.in has decided to take the party to the west coast. This Friday, April 4th, Meltdown Comics & Collectibles will be hosting a one-of-a-kind DogeParty.Yes, this is an actual party starting at 7:00pm and running to about 1:00am...

Read More

What Might Ulbricht’s Defense Mean for Charlie Shrem?

Ross Ulbricht, alleged Silk Road HBIC, is claiming that new federal bitcoin laws classifying bitcoin as assets and not money invalidate the money laundering charges he faces. In short, he argues that you can’t launder money if you’re not using it.Earlier this year, Robert Faiella, 52, and Charlie Shrem, 24, were arrested on federal money laundering charges for their bitcoin activity on Silk Road. It would stand to reason that if Ulbricht did not...

Read More

Canadian Government to End ‘MintChip’ Digital Currency Program

The Canadian government has announced that it will end its MintChip electronic payment system, and that it will look to sell the business to the private sector.Announced in 2012, MintChip was not a digital currency akin to bitcoin, but rather a digital payment mechanism meant to function as an electronic cash that could be transferred between users.Still, it was widely viewed as an alternative to bitcoin that was famously criticised by Bitcoin Foundation...

Read More

BTC China Dismisses PBOC Fears in Open Letter

Shanghai-based exchange BTC China has published a statement reassuring Chinese investors that its operations will resume as normal despite looming regulatory uncertainty.The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is widely expected to issue a public notice later this month, which would effectively put an end to bitcoin-related money transfers in China. The rumoured notice is expected to go official on 15th April.However, since nothing is official yet, there...

Read More

Tipping Platform Patreon ‘Exploring Bitcoin Integration’

Online tipping and funding platform Patreon is planning to accept bitcoin “hopefully soon”, allowing fans to make regular micropayments to their favorite online artists. Founded in 2013, Patreon has to date raised more than $2m in seed funding, and is one of a host of recent startups looking to help content creators recoup revenue otherwise lost to online middlemen like YouTube.The announcement comes courtesy of an email the company sent to reddit...

Read More

The Great South African Bubble

A recent article in Forbes caused a stir. The piece was entitle “A Guide to South Africa’s Economic Bubble and Coming Crisis”. The article lays out the economic case that current South African economic growth is illusory: fuelled by ‘hot money’ and a resulting credit bubble that is ready to pop.It is argued that a global economic environment of low interest rates has resulted in the necessary economic distortions to drive this massive credit bubble.Interest...

Read More

Bitcoin Breaks the Fourth Wall of Liberty

The most pressing problem evangelical bitcoiners and libertarians face is one of communication. Occasionally on purpose, but more often by accident, they erect four walls and create a barrier between their world and the rest of the world. They struggle to project their glorious message beyond a four-sided prison. In order to engage the audience, they must learn to communicate directly via a medium the audience can relate to and understand. In short,...

Read More

Safello Introduces Europe-wide Bitcoin Trading

Swedish bitcoin exchange Safello is making a strong move to establish itself as Europe’s leading bitcoin exchange with direct payments now available from 86 European banks in 11 countries.Safello is using the instant Sofort payment system, meaning there will be no need to wait for an international bank transfer to be cleared in Safello’s accounts.“The only way many people were able to buy bitcoin before was via an international bank transfer. But...

Read More

I Sign, You Sign, We All Sign: Explanation of Multi-signature Transactions

Everyone is concerned about the security of their bitcoins, and we are constantly reading stories of one or another persons getting their bitcoins stolen. Of course, following bitcoin best practices should reduce your chances of being victimized. Advice such as is described at: http://ift.tt/1ih4OIs is a good start.One big step forward in the improvement of bitcoin security is a little known, rarely used feature called “multi-signature”. The bitcoin...

Read More

University of Nicosia Launches Free ‘Introduction to Digital Currencies’ Online Course

Cyprus’ University of Nicosia announced today it has opened a six week, free and open enrolment online course called ‘Introduction to Digital Currencies’, aimed at anyone wishing to gain a greater understanding of the fundamentals of bitcoin and digital currency in general.The MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is due to start on 15th May, with other sessions offered starting every month after that based on demand, plus accelerated formats for the...

Read More