Bitcoin

BitPremier Sells Luxury Goods For Bitcoin

"We've found a guy who claims to be putting his Trump Soho condo up for sale. And he will only take payment in Bitcoin. Later today, he will advertise the property exclusively on BitPremier, the first-ever online Bitcoin exchange exclusively for luxury goods. The site launches today. We recently spoke by phone with BitPremier founder Alan Silbert, who also serves as a VP for GE Capital, about the goals for BitPremier. He said purchasing options for people who own lots of Bitcoin have thus far been limited. Along with the choice condo, the site will also launch with a Bahamas villa, a Leroy Neiman artwork, and a high-end watch. A Ferrari and Mercedes are also imminent." Continue reading →

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Reporting from Bitcoin Conference 2013

"All attending the first Bitcoin 2013 conference in Silicon Valley are considering it a success. There are more than 1,000 attendees and the entrance fee to the event is $350.00. At one booth, Bitcoins were being sold for cash with no ID checks. Walk up to the booth lay down your money and buy your bitcoins. The money was piling up. The less 'corporate,' the more renegade seemed to be the operators and the more willing these operators seemed to be willing to challenge the government. One corporate type said to me that virtual currencies are in their infancy and that lawsuits, fighting and jail time for some will occur before the crypto-currency world becomes more defined." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin mining – public companies

"Bitcoin mining companies have several advantages over running a mining operation yourself. The most significant one is that you don’t have to worry about setting up and maintaining mining hardware. Many of these companies have built-in plans to increase their speed as the network difficulty rises, reducing the risk of a quickly diminishing payout. Additionally, selling shares is significantly more liquid than selling mining hardware if you decide not to be in the mining business anymore. The counter-point to these advantages is that you will be paying a management fee of several percent that will come out of profits." Continue reading →

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The World’s First $1 Million Bitcoin Mining Auction

"A bitcoin mining company just sold more than $1,000,000 worth of hardware. ASICMiner is a publicly traded bitcoin company that both operates and sells bitcoin mining hardware. In their latest auction they successfully sold 180 ASIC mining blades for 49.99 bitcoins (BTC) each. Friedcat, the CEO, announced two weeks ago that they would be selling usb-powered mining devices for 1.99 BTC each. There is clearly a lot of demand for bitcoin mining hardware. The question in any gold rush is who will do better: the people mining, or the people selling the shovels? ASICMiner decided they can do both." Continue reading →

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‘Bitcoin threatens economic monopoly, bolsters free speech’

"Bitcoin threatens both the financial elite’s monopoly over the economy and the online web of payment systems which have been used as a tool to crack down on free speech on the Internet, Amir Taaki, a bitcoin software developer, told RT. The US government has never hidden the fact that it is closely watching the virtual currency, which international regulators have thus far failed to keep a lid on. But while banks and governments have treated the Bitcoin payment system as an 'existential threat' to current financial system, Taaki argues that the virtual currency epitomizes real free trade and is a necessary tool to maximize the benefits of a free and open market." Continue reading →

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Winklevoss twins on Bitcoin: Time to work with the Feds

"The Winklevoss twins, who transformed a lucrative Facebook payout into a venture capital fund, say it's now time for bitcoin companies to work with governments rather than against them. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twin Harvard graduates famously portrayed in the 2010 film The Social Network, showed up at the Bitcoin 2013 conference to talk up the future of the Internet's favorite alternative currency -- as long as it escapes a government crackdown. 'I don't think anyone wants a fight -- I think everyone here wants to build bitcoin, to work with regulators,' Cameron Winklevoss told over 1,000 conference attendees. 'Cooperation is really the way forward.'" Continue reading →

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Bitcoin facing bank backlash in Canada too

"Virtex, based in Calgary, is an online market that matches Bitcoin buyers with sellers, with about $13-million of trades under its belt. But earlier this month Royal Bank of Canada quietly informed Mr. David that it would no longer do business with his company. 'They shut down our account without any reason,' said Mr. David, an ebullient entrepreneur with a background in technology companies. 'They just said we have the right to refuse service to whomever we wish.' For whatever reason, many in Canada's small but fast growing Bitcoin community are suddenly dealing with the same problem: The banks are shutting down the accounts of businesses that deal in it." Continue reading →

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Dutch firm Eliantie offers staff holiday pay in bitcoins

"An ICT recruitment firm based in the Netherlands is offering its employees holiday pay in the form of bitcoins, according to Dutch news sources. Eliantie announced in a press release today that staff members will receive their vacation pay in bitcoins, the news site NU reported. The company has reportedly been mining bitcoins since 2010, and has now amassed enough of the digital currency to begin using it for holiday pay. Eliantie employees were initially reluctant to accept bitcoins, reported the Dutch-language publication Automation Guide. Following several informational meetings, however, 'they are almost all convinced of the benefits,' it reported." Continue reading →

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