Thursday, June 26, 2014

Sunday, June 22, 2014

I tried to buy from a bitcoin ATM. It did not go well.



1. Cell phone number. 
2. FOUR palm scans. 
3. Five minute wait before I'm "approved" to buy bitcoin. Wait - I have to APPLY to buy bitcoin?!? 
Pff: Let's just say I didn't wait the five minutes...

(taken at The D Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas, NV)

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Perfect example of what bitcoin can do for you

From a Reddit post about traveling with bitcoin:

"They were stunned that someone in Miami just paid for my drinks instantly while I was in Paris."

Click here to join in the discussion!

Friday, May 30, 2014

The Case for Bitcoin at the World Series of Poker

Won't fit a suitcase, will fit a BTC wallet (photo: Joe Giron/WSOP)
Each year at this time, thousands of poker enthusiasts descend upon the Las Vegas Valley  to participate in the storied World Series of Poker (WSOP), often bringing with them untold sums of cash in order to participate. The buy-ins to these events scale up from the $500 Casino Employees Event to the uber-high roller $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop. Even just for the limitless cash games running alongside the WSOP, the cash on hand with players boggles the mind.

So it comes as little surprise that reports came on the first day of the Series that players at the Rio have had their hotel rooms robbed of cash and valuables. While hotel theft of valuables is an issue across the hospitality industry, the loss of large sums of cash can be directly avoided by poker players at the Series if the WSOP high command would do one, little thing...

Adopt bitcoin. 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

It's HAPPENING!

Today I restarted the Bitcoin Paranoid app on my Android (of course: Apple fears what it cannot control) phone. Why should this matter to you? Because IT'S HAPPENING!!


After all this time, it looks like The Bitcoin is about to start The Rally - and I don't want to miss a single, breathless, exciting moment of it. Remarkably resilient (and dormant) these last few months while we've seen the demise of Mt. Gox and several bitcoin community related scandals/disappointments, bitcoin looks ready to grow into its worldwide fascination.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Monday, May 5, 2014

Join in the discussion on Reddit sparked by this tweet below:


Friday, April 11, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 4/11/14: China, a bitcoin debit card & more

Your quick, select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this


China, it's not me, it's YOU (image: Irismightlikepink)
* Anyone else sick of China yet? I know I am. They're worse than that flake you tried to date in undergrad: Do you like us or not already?!? First bitcoin is banned, then it isn't. At this point, we really don't care - and wish the exchanges would stop (over)reacting to every little vacillation of the Chinese government. Your food and Wall is great, China, but we're just not that into you anymore.




* Please be real: A bitcoin-fueled debit card said to work with 90% of US ATMs? Just what we need to get the bitcoin millionaires to goose liquidity in the bitcoin economy.



Fiat: You now have my permission...to die
* An investor group wants to buy the tarnished Mt. Gox exchange for a symbolic 1 BTC. I'm not even sure "I'd buy that for a dollar!"


* Just a personal note here: With bitcoin hovering in the $400 price range, I'm all over this buying opportunity. If you believe in the long-term prospects of bitcoin, even just as a payment processing protocol, you should be, too (in my non-investment grade, unqualified opinion). We're just four months into 2014 and we've already seen tens of millions of investment dollars poured into bitcoin companies to make the cryptocurrency more accessible. As a wise man once said, "Now is not the time for fear..."


Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin: 4/1/14 -

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

photo: Square.com

* Square now takes bitcoin. Yet another blow struck for small businesses everywhere!



* Ever wanted to support your favorite Twitter personality but didn't know how? There's a (Coinbase) app for that: Bitfluence. Feel free to send a "test payment" to your favorite blog/Twitter account...


* Coinbase announced the arrival of its app store. Although the offerings are a bit sparse at launch, current offerings include a handy trading app for the bitcoin paranoid and a Reddit BitTip one.













* Wanna get away? Thanks to our friends at BiTHouse, you can get an Inside Bitcoins conference pass for 10% OFF. Just use the code BITHOUSE and get those tix for NYC now.







Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 3/29/14: Circle, WA Landslide relief & more

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this


* Looks like bitcoin is coming full Circle. The mysterious, well-funded bitcoin-focused financial company has teased a bitcoin exchange-like service and wallet. Now in beta, good luck getting to test it out: It's by invite only.


* As a proud native Seattleite/Washingtonian, it hurt to hear about the landslide victims in the northern city of Darrington, WA. For you generous bitcoiners out there, they are ready to accept your donations and support in BTC.
They need your assistance; every mBTC helps (photo: KOMONews.com)







* Blacks In Bitcoin has partnered with BiTHouse to help spread the gospel of bitcoin and technology to underrepresented/minority communities. Watch this space on how you can become more involved, follow them on Twitter, or just visit them at http://www.thebithouse.org/.





* Wanna get away? Thanks to our friends at BiTHouse, you can get an Inside Bitcoins conference pass for 10% OFF. Just use the code BITHOUSE and get those tix for NYC now.







Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 2/16/14: Mt. Gox Knocked, House of Cards & more

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

* Finally, the general public does what I've been saying to do for months: Ignore Mt. Gox. After their PR meltdown last weekend in halting all withdrawals, it's time to ring the death knell for the one-time bitcoin exchange bellwether turned blight on the industry.
It's been real, Mt. Gox...


* More knocks on Gox: The Washington Post takes a swing at the much maligned bitcoin exchange, and why its demise is a good thing for bitcoin.


* New York is preparing to move forward with issuing "BitLicenses" for bitcoin-based businesses. The degree of regulation is yet to be seen, although this is a step toward legitimizing bitcoin in government's eyes.


* Very small but still significant as bitcoin gets (sigh - yet another unfavorable) mentioned in the second episode of the hottest show on "TV," Netflix's "House of Cards."




Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Friday, January 31, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 2/1/14: Chicago Sun-Times micropayments, China & an NBA bitcoin bounty

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

* Want a snapshot of bitcoin legality around the world? Forbes has a quick rundown for you. Wait - the French love Jerry Lewis but hate on bitcoin? Quelle bizarre!


* Looks like the Chicago Sun-Times is going to be the first major city American paywall micropayments.
newspaper to experiment with


* Can't keep a good cryptocurrency down: Hong Kong gets a bitcoin exchange, hoping to entice mainland Chinese buyers spooked by the unclear Chinese central bank anti-bitcoin stance.


* Appears that professional NBA sportsbettor Haralabos Voulgaris is fed up with former NBA player/current ESPN color commentator Jon Barry. The challenge he laid at the feet of his 38,000+ followers:



The race is on! Read his Twitter feed from 9:36 to 10:05 PM Pacific Time Friday night to get the full details; he sounds serious. Now if only I knew how to code...

Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

What Bitcoin Mining Really Looks Like

http://i.imgur.com/1srrQRV.jpg
Thanks for the lulz, Redditor dustball! Keep those toes warm and beware the NSA!

Monday, January 27, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 1/27/14: TigerDirect, Bitcoin browser wallet app, China blocks cash & more

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

* TigerDirect now accepts bitcoin. This is a big deal because if you've ever searched for electronics on the internet, you came across one of TigerDirect's dirt-cheap deals. Shoot, even the laptop from which I'm typing this to you was bought on TigerDirect. This is kind of a big deal, you know.


* It's official because they said so: Bitcoin is now a word in the dictionary.


* Got a great idea to help improve bitcoin and/or the community? The Bitcoin Foundation wants to hear it - and fund your project.


* This will blow your socks off: A simple, in-browser app for Google Chrome that allows you to manage a bitcoin wallet! Check out the 3 minute demo below.




* Looks like you'll be able to safely and easily buy bitcoin for cash in 2014. ZipZap is starting off in the UK first, though.


* Not to sound alarmist or anything but China's prohibiting cash transfers for its three busiest days of the year. Yeah, let's just stop ATMs from spitting out cash around New Year's. Or, better yet, let's all just flock to bitcoin!


Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Friday, January 24, 2014

If You Heard This All The Time, It Would Annoy You, Too


You want us in bitcoin, you need us in bitcoin
"Why do we need a 'Blacks In Bitcoin'?"

I would counter, we cannot afford not to have a Blacks In Bitcoin.

In announcing my presence to one of the most popular forces in the bitcoin community, Reddit's r/Bitcoin, I get the typical response that leads this post from someone whom I presume is in bitcoin but perhaps not black. While the bulk of my response can be found in the thread here, I believe the answer to that question requires more exploration.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 1/22/14: Vegas (baby), Seattle Seahawks & more

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

* For whatever reason, industries like entertainment tend to be on the cutting edge of technology. So it should be no surprise that two Las Vegas casinos now accept bitcoin. While you won't be able to scan a QR code to play craps just yet, you can buy some nifty things at the gift shop or pay for you room right now. This also proves that if you ask for bitcoin, it will come!


* One day, announcements like this will be ordinary, but looks like Toronto has its first bitcoin ATM.


* For the truly paranoid, er, security conscious, ConcealBitcoin.com can show you how to hide your bitcoin wallet.dat file inside an image.


* My hometown Seattle Seahawks now accept bitcoin. As if getting to the SuperBowl weren't good enough news! #GoHawks!


Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Top 13 Cities For Bitcoin

Ever wondered which cities are bonkers for bitcoin? Here are some of the top ones, below.
 
13.  Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands)

If we're going bitcoin businesses per capita, the Canary Islands puts most other locales to shame. With over 5 businesses in Santa Cruz de Tenerife alone, you can fashion yourself a custom souvenir keychain without reaching for your wallet.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 1/20/14: ATMs, Trezor, Richard Sherman & more

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

* Robocoin CEO explains how his bitcoin ATM is bringing BTC to the masses.


* Received this in my email today from Trezor:
For those wanting a simple, plug and play, super-secure bitcoin wallet, looks like the wait is almost over! To boot, they're adding a secure web wallet for Trezor users as well.


* Have you seen our recent addition to Bitcoining While Black, Richard Sherman? Less than 72 hours after we feted him, "the best cornerback" in the NFL became the talk of Twitter for his post-game bravado. Here's a long-read about the humble beginnings that begot an intelligent, unstoppable confidence.
Pay for your tuition in BTC


* Wall Street Journal's "Moneybeat" blog shows the variety of things/experiences you can buy with bitcoin. Only mentionable because, for a change, the finance sector-friendly paper isn't bashing BTC and all its possibilities.





Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!


Friday, January 17, 2014

Bitcoining While Black: Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman


Photo: instagram.com/seahawks

Guess who announced on his Facebook page today that he's taking bitcoin for his website's store? Just your run-of-the-mill, Stanford-educated, All-Pro, NFC Championship-playing defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks, Richard Sherman!


Hey, Federal Reserve:


http://store.richardsherman25.com/products/you-mad-bro-snapback-cap-navy


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 1/16/14

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

* The U.S. courts basically killed net neutrality, effectively giving big Internet companies the right to cut deals with big media companies to throttle the Internet to their advantage through pricing and access. Just check out these Reddit comments to get a picture of a future of companies picking Internet winners and losers. Very sad. Hope there are more appeals left to straighten this out.


*Further adding to my sadness as a Seattle Supersonics fan, the Sacramento Kings become the first pro sports team to accept bitcoin. Now I've got more reasons to care about them besides former UW stud Isaiah Thomas (can you tell I'm from Seattle??).


*Oh look: Apple's longstanding bitcoin hatin' is because they want all the money for themselves. I'm sure nobody saw this coming...


* Not sure what they're doing over there at Circle, but they're certainly winning the executive arms race before their release as some sort of bitcoin financial services company.


Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Briefly Bitcoin - 1/14/14

Your select guide of bitcoin interest since the last time I posted this

* I will be on Al Jazeera English's "The Stream" today from 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM Pacific Time, talking bitcoin. The show's not available in the U.S. but you can watch online if you have a VPN via stream.aljazeera.com.


* Stopped by Coinmarketcap.com today for the first time in a while. The altcoin market is getting weirder and weirder (RonPaulCoin, throw it up!)...


* Overstock.com's certainly shaken up the retail world with its recent acceptance of bitcoin as a payment option. In fact, the Overstock.com CEO is calling out Amazon. This writer thinks Walmart would be wise to be next, while Business Insider shows a breakdown of Overstock.com's sales via heat map below:


* Hmm - an NSA-proof Twitter? I WANT.


* Apparently, NBC's "The Blacklist" mentioned bitcoin on last night's episode. Time for me to schedule this post and go watch.

Got anything cool and bitcoin-y to share? Leave it in the comments below or email me at blacksinbitcoin@gmail.com!

Top 10 Reasons Why Bitcoin Is Magic Internet Money

Bitcoin believer or bitcoin hater? You are sure to recognize several of these popular arguments...

Sadly, the joke's on US
1. It's not backed by anything. It's "magic Internet money."

Quick question: What is the United States Dollar, currently the world's reserve currency, backed by? Answer: Nothing.

The USD hasn't been backed by the gold standard since the '70s.

Many like to point out that the dollar is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. You mean that same government with the ginormous deficit that shut itself down for no good reason last year?

Well, the US still has the greatest military force in the world. It's backed by that. And this is still true. But if you're depending upon the threat of physical violence to back up the concept of what currency actually is - just a more efficient way to barter/exchange things of value - then your concept is pretty weak.

The real secret behind money is that it's worth whatever we say it's worth. The value of anything is what two people in a transaction agree it to be. What makes bitcoin so special is that this value is being drastically re-evaluated every day in a more peer-to-peer way than we've seen in the central bank era.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

I Come Across This A Lot

I mention bitcoin.

Either a puzzled look wafts over the person's face (never heard of it) or a smirking, dismissive look ("magic Internet money") takes hold. Either way, this person does not own any bitcoin due to ignorance: simply not knowing enough about it.

What hurts me most is that this person I'm speaking to... is black.

Thursday, January 9, 2014