technology

Why You Should Care About Bitcoin

"Bitcoin has massive implications for markets that the current financial services industry has ignored or struggled to penetrate. Online commerce all but requires preexisting access to a credit card or bank account, yet according to the GSMA 1.7 billion people have a mobile phone and no alternative to the cash economy. As digital cash, Bitcoin appeals directly to consumers as an accessible payment alternative without the risk and fees associated with existing credit and debit networks. Rapid growth of startup payment networks like M-PESA in Kenya (founded in 2007 and now processing 30%(!) of the country’s GDP) are a great early indicator for both market demand and adoption." Continue reading →

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The Deadly Origins of the Next Disruptive Technology

"So what does the e-cig market look like? It’s certainly changed in the past year. In April 2012, one of the big cigarette companies threw its hat in the ring. This was Lorillard, maker of Newport and other cigarette brands. They spent $135 million on the purchase of blu e-cigarettes. They’ve seen a lot of success with the brand. Sales have grown from $8 million in in the second quarter of 2012 to $57 million in the second quarter 2013. This is a gain of more than 600%. Lorillard claims they hold around 40% of the total e-cig market share. With big players acquiring companies, it is clear to me that e-cigs are not a fad. They are the real deal. And as they say, a rising tide lifts all boats." Continue reading →

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Long Shot: Inside the Scope of Smart Weapons

"The company made headlines in early 2013 when it unveiled the precision guided firearm(PGF). Think of it as a long-range, laser-guided robo rifle—as much Linux-based computer as traditional firearm. The PGF's closed-loop system comprises not just the gun itself, a custom Surgeon rifle, but also custom ammunition and, notably, a proprietary (and WiFi-enabled) scope. The technology packed into TrackingPoint's initial PGF package is so advanced that we'd heard it could have an inexperienced shooter, maybe even someone who hasn't ever fired a gun, putting lead on targets at over 1,000 away in mere minutes. Not lifetimes. Not years. Minutes." Continue reading →

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First Open Source Airplane Could Cost Just $15,000

"There’s an open source airplane being developed in Canada, and now its designers are turning to crowdsourced funding to finish the project. The goal of Maker Plane is to develop a small, two-seat airplane that qualifies as a light sport aircraft and is affordable, safe, and easy to fly. But unlike other home-built aircraft, where companies or individuals charge for their plans or kits, Maker Plane will give its design away for free. The group behind the project consists of pilots and engineers who are designing the airplane, allowing it to be built using the kind of personal manufacturing equipment somebody in the maker community might already have at home or can easily purchase." Continue reading →

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Dark Wallet: A Radical Way To Bitcoin

"In the Bitcoin world, where banks no longer serve as intermediaries between people and their money, bank accounts have been replaced by online 'wallets' that people can use to virtually store and send bitcoins. Wilson and Taaki’s project is a simple wallet designed to be easier to use for people who aren’t tech-savvy; they hope that in turn accelerates the currency’s rate of adoption around the world. The wallet will be open-source and free to use. Eventually, Wilson and Taaki hope to create a vast stable of Bitcoin-related tools. The goal, for Wilson, is similar to what he tried to do with the Liberator: use technology to remove government intervention from his life, and from the lives of like-minded people." Continue reading →

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3D-printed gun maker to launch Bitcoin wallet next

"We haven't heard the last of Cody Wilson, the creator of the controversial 3D printed gun that prompted an intervention by the US State Department. For the past two months, the anarchistic 25-year-old has been working on a piece of software designed to help people circumvent the government using the semi-anonymous virtual currency Bitcoin. Wilson's new product, made with Bitcoin entrepreneur Amir Taaki, is tentatively called Dark Wallet. Bitcoin users rely on digital 'wallets' to store their coins, but many wallets are confusing to use. Dark Wallet, which Wilson hopes to launch by February of 2014, will be a browser plug-in that is free, easy to install, and accessible even to non-technical users." Continue reading →

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Regulation Opens Door to FinTech Startup Opportunities

"Complying with existing regulations and coping with future regulatory changes represent the biggest opportunity for startups to break into the potentially lucrative world of FinTech (Financial Technology), according to two seasoned FinTech players who spoke at The Wall Street Journal Tech Cafe in London. 'The easiest way to start a business to work within the finance sector is to look for a regulation that is coming down the pipe and develop a solution for that thing,' said Kirk Wylie, co-founder of OpenGamma, an open-source analytics and risk management platform for the financial services industry. 'Anywhere you see new regulation is always a way for startups to make money.'" Continue reading →

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Dwolla CEO Ben Milne: Why charge 25 cents for an $11 million transaction

"Dwolla got its start from a simple idea: that credit card fees are too expensive for merchants and consumers. CEO and cofounder Ben Milne took his frustration really far, building an entirely new payment network to get around credit cards and PayPal. Rather than charge a percentage, Dwolla is free for transactions under $10 and just 25 cents for anything over that amount. Over a billion dollars has changed hands through Dwolla in 2013 alone, and the company has the backing of top investors including Union Square Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Plus, why it's keeping its headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa." Continue reading →

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Jeffrey Tucker: Fun and Fascinating Bitcoin

"The emerging cryptographic monetary standard entirely bypasses the age of fiat money and the age of central banking. It takes money out of the realm of public policy and central planning and places it in the hands of the people actually using it. Of all the features of Bitcoin, this one is perhaps the most beautiful. It has emerged from within the social order and was not imposed from above. How long will it take before the full implications reveal themselves? It took email some 20 years to go from obscure to common. Digital phone technology needed about the same swath of time. Bitcoin, however, could be different. Information travels farther and faster than ever before." Continue reading →

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