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!

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!

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:

Actually, I’ll give a reward of 10k to whoever creates the best Fire Jon Barry website. Contest runs from now till April 15th.
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) February 1, 2014

Also - will be paid in bitcoin.
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) February 1, 2014

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

Thanks for the lulz, Redditor dustball! Keep those toes warm and beware the NSA!

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!