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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Here you go bruce:
https://youtu.be/kkTyxnhZ16w?t=43m37s
That's the video you previously shared. Start it at 43:37 while he's doing a Q&A, and specifically says, "if someone already has your files, then yeah, you're relying on the encryption".
Ok, let's start with that. Now if people have been capable of hacking into systems of say, Target, Home Depot, Bank of America, US State Department, US Department of Defence, and so on -- it stands to reason at some point they're going to get into AirBitz's network. Can we agree there?
So at some point, hackers are going to get access to those files, which are protected with AES256 encryption, and open source technology meaning the hackers can easily see the secret key used, plus the # of iterations. They'll be able to easily brute force those keys, which means anyone using a password less than say 8 characters is most likely going to have their funds stolen, and that's a lot of people.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
From the Founder of Airbitz:
Quote:
Private keys are not being passed around a network encrypted by only your password.
They are encrypted by a fully random 256 bit key. That key is then encrypted by a strongly hashed login and password and stored on the user's device and backed up to our server.
And since there isn't an association between the hashed username and password and the encrypted data, a hacker would have to brute force thousands of hashed logins and passwords hoping to find a wallet of any value.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiles
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mancs
So if I'd bought bitcoin at up to $1250 at the end of 2013, early 2014, would I be in profit at $416 today?
Exactly. The original handful of early birds to Bitcoin could have made a killing .... buying in at 6 cents and selling out at $1200. Happens all time with new startups in the penny stock markets.
The Bloomberg journalist Olga Kharif who specialises in stories about Bitcoin has recently written a story What's in store for Bitcoin in 2016. It ends:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Olga Kharif
More bitcoin startups could merge or go out of business, Silbert predicted. One cause for that will probably be the lower-than-anticipated pace of consumer bitcoin adoption. Sharp swings in the digital money's value against the dollar and other currencies will continue to turn off users and make bitcoin impractical for everyday purchases.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
If I had bought at the peak of ┬г1242 some two years ago and sold today I would have a loss of 63%. I appreciate that 6 cents to $448 in the last 5 or so would be better. I think I need to start a currency. Mancinars anyone?
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Yeah. Reporters have proven themselves completely ignorant about bitcoin the vast majority of the time..... even when just attempting to report "facts" and news. Looking to them for their personal "predictions" is laughable. They've reported that, "Bitcoin is Dead" .......countless .......*countless* times over the years. We always joke, "look... bitcoin is dead. ... again." ......just before it comes back and sees another huge price surge.
Doing a google NEWS search for the phrase "bitcoin is dead" yields 143 official news articles all over the web.... in just the past 1 year.... ! Obviously, all bs, lies, and idiocy.
Bitcoin will reach ┬г1242 one day soon.... but it hasn't yet. Ever.
The price of a bitcoin reached an all-time high of US$1124.76 on 29 November 2013, up from just US$13.36 on 5 January at the start of the year; the price subsequently dropped into the $200-$300 range.
If you look only at one exceptional spike in the value.... You're focusing on the static from the phonograph needle.... and completely ignoring the *music* ! I don't personally know *anyone* who bought, or sold, at that high price peak. It was a fluke.
Way back when Bitcoin was at about $1.40 per, I became famous for predicting that bitcoin value will just go, "Up up up!"
So yes..... The clear 'Big Picture' is a steady climb ( with spikes and lows along the way ).... but a steady overall long term climb.... from $0.06 to the $454.45 it is at the moment I'm writing this.
The truth is..... This climb will continue until bitcoin reaches at least $100,000 per bitcoin. And that is assuming the USD stays at its current value. Of course, the USD has *lost* 96% of its value since 1913. And this trend will continue too. In fact, the USD will soon lose value *much* faster than it has historically.
My former doorman used to hang on my every word of advice, but unlike the vast majority of people, he actually took action and did what I advised him to do. Now he's a retired millionaire.
Anyway, arguing against the future of bitcoin.... is like arguing that, "The Internet is just a fad." And using pets.com or the dot-com-bubble as your "proof". You're guaranteed to be on the wrong side of history. ....on the laughable side.
I sincerely hope that some of you here will become millionaires in the next few years.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
I highly doubt bitcoin is going to reach $100k any time soon. That would mean a market cap of say $16 trillion by that time. That's the same as the entire US GDP. The world's GDP is round $107 trillion, so I'm pretty sure bitcoin isn't going to take over more than 10% of that.
I love bitcoin too, but at least be realistic about it.
Yes, it's a really cool technology. Yes, it's here to stay, and yes, adoption will continue to increase as times goes on. I don't even have a problem seeing it around $2000, especially if / when more economic crises hit the world. But to think it's going to go to $100k just isn't logical.
Having said that, we all better hope the price of bitcoin doubles by mid-2016, or else the network is fucked. Miners are already working on fairly tight margins, so once the block rewards halve, we all better hope the price increases enough to keep them in business.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Yeah, I know. That's what everyone was telling me when bitcoin was $1.40
That figure of $100,000 does not come from me, by the way. It comes from a famous economist writing in Forbes. Others have suggested that it will go as high as $1,000,000 per bitcoin.
But, remember several things...
We tend to "measure" the value of bitcoin in terms of USD. Meanwhile, the value of one USD continues to plummet, and it will continue to plummet faster and faster in the coming years. So it's a bit like measuring the height of the glass elevator you're in..... based only on your relative height as compared to the glass elevator next to yours. Meanwhile, the elevator next to you is going down. You will think you are going up.... even if you're not... because that one is going down. My Point: The real true value of Bitcoin will continue to go up up up.... But if it continues to be expresses in terms of USD.... It's "numeric expression of value" ( the number of USD its worth ) will go up exponentially.... as the value of one USD falls even faster than the Bitcoin goes up. That's one reason why these predictions of bitcoin value (expressed in USD) are so numerically high. It's the *combination* of the bitcoin skyrocketing in value + the USD plummeting in value.... at the same time.
So you can laugh or ridicule.... or you can get rich if you stay in for the long term ( more than a one year investment! ).... But anyone who doesn't buy at least $100 worth of bitcoin NOW.... will be kicking themselves before too long. And those who do, will be wondering why the hell they didn't buy more.
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Ok, it's definitely not going up to $1,000,000. That would require the entire world's economy, plus more. I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen.
But yeah, I'm in it for the long-term too. I only need about 60,000/month to live, so just pull out the little I need, and leave the rest sitting there. I don't see how I could spend more than that here. Well, I guess I could get a BF, and then living costs jump to around 150,000/month, haha. :)
I'm not a speculator though, but have no problem seeing the price increasing. Not to the levels you say, but nonetheless, adoption will continue and the price will slowly increase over the long-term.
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( You're "pretty sure" of a lotta things.... ;) )
Anyway....
Some of you might have seen me sitting at the terrace restaurant at the Ambiance.... "working" on my laptop there.... around April of 2012.... It was just before my birthday. I had stayed in Pattaya up until Valentine's Day ( as Rush made reference to in his email I posted on another thread )... then I went back to Thailand around April 18. I remember that I had flown to Bangkok about a week earlier than I told my ( then ) thai bf from pattaya..... so I could play around with my *other* thai bf for a week in Chiang Mai! :ymdevil: But my bf in New York asked him, "How is it seeing Bruce there again?" ( He forgot that he was not supposed to say anything. :-ss ) Anyway, I remember very clearly that the price of bitcoin was $12 that day. It had just been $2 only four months before that. I was feeling great! Time to go off a few boys! :D
Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_o ... ue_history
Up to the moment price now: http://preev.com/btc/usd/source:bitfinex ( USD $465.50 )
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdnmatt
So only mobile apps are considered "wallets" in your eyes?
So are you used to taking your laptop to a coffee shop to pay for the coffee..... or do you take your entire desktop PC, router, etc with you to the coffee shop....? :-s
To quote a great man,
"A wallet fits in your pocket."
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Anyone who takes one glance at the CHART on this page ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_o ... ue_history ) and cannot spot the TREND.... is blind. :-?
Just sayin....
From a value of *zero* per bitcoin..... to $469 per bitcoin..... in less than 7 years.
By the way, It's very important to realize bitcoin do NOT need to be purchased in 1 whole bitcoin amounts. You can buy $1000 worth, or $100 worth, or $10 worth, or $1 worth, or $0.10 worth.
As you can see from this interactive calculator..... You can buy USD $0.10 worth of bitcoin. You will then have 0.0002141 bitcoin. This is normal. ( see http://preev.com/btc/usd/source:bitfinex )
To buy, or sell, bitcoin in Thailand..... I highly recommend this site: http://coins.co.th They are awesome people, and awesome service. ( Or, I am happy to buy or sell bitcoin with you guys for cash at any time too. )
So, the offer still stands....
Anyone here who installs the free Airbitz Wallet app and sends me a Receive Request, I will send them $20 for free. ( see https://airbitz.co/bitcoin-wallet/ )
:-$
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Come on, do you really want another technical debate with me? I really don't see the reason for that, and I'm tired of discussing this with someone with no technical knowledge of bitcoin or online security. I've hinted many times that I know what I'm talking about, with hopes you'd follow me up in the discussion. You didn't though, because you can't. You posted a couple responses that AirBitz provided you regarding technicalities, but that was it.
Even the responses from AirBitz you posted didn't inspire me much. I'll stick with what I said -- they made some fundamental flaws during the concept / development phase of their app. I understand what they're trying to do, but nonetheless, it's common sense to anyone such as myself that you simply don't do that. Instead, do things like have a wallet app with a backup feature allowing you to backup your private keys to a USB card. That's very private financial data, so don't pass that data around on a P2P network, even if encrypted.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
It's approximately a million times less secure to pass those unencrypted private keys over to a computer/laptop..... then on to a USB drive...
Sending it over to your laptop.... then on to a USB drive.... all which are very likely *compromised* with viruses.... is something only a fool would do.
In addition to that, it adds a whole lot of complexity that the average user would simply never never do...
94% of users will not perform even the simplest of backups... ever. ( ref https://www.backblaze.com/blog/94-of-co ... data-loss/ )
And..... It doesn't give you an off-site backup either. One burglary or fire, and all your money is gone.
:ymsick:
Extremely strong encryption is the most important thing.
That, and the fact that it never leaves your mobile device unencrypted.
And that the backup is stored off-site, and in a totally decentralized way.... so that even if a company disappears, your backup doesn't.
And that It all happens instantly and automatically... so that it actually gets done.
These are the most important things.
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Quote:
How does Electrum make money?
I don't believe it has to. It's a free open source project. No company behind it.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
For those who want to gamble on the Bitcoin phenomenon (realistically it's the digital equivalent of gold, but for for hi-tech wankers) you should check out Nadex
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by kommentariat
For those who want to gamble on the Bitcoin phenomenon (realistically it's the digital equivalent of gold, but for for hi-tech wankers) you should check out
Nadex
For the record, this is not bitcoin. This is more dangerous than day trading.
I've never heard of that web site before, but after reading about it just now, it's selling *options* on binary market pairs. That is not bitcoin and I highly recommend against that type of gambling..... and that type of *short term* investing. Your odds would be better at a casino.... where at least they have free drinks and girls and boys in feathers and sequins. ( see the comments at the bottom of http://www.reviewopedia.com/nadex-com-reviews )
Investing in bitcoin is very complicated. You must learn lots of jargon. Here are the steps:
(1) Install the Airbitz Wallet to hold your bitcoins safely.
(2) Buy some bitcoin using cash. It can be $1 or $100,000 ( or change the $ to ┬г or тВм or THB --- any amount )
(3) Hold onto them for at least a year.
See? Very complicated.
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6 Attachment(s)
Re: Alternatives to Western Union
I've been contacted by PM by a few people here already.
For example, one who contacted me said (( and I've blanked out the name of the global corporation he works for, but 100% of you would recognize its name )),
"I've been reading your discussion about bitcoin with great interest. I work for _________________ in the IT department specializing in our internal payment systems for invoice and payroll payments. The topic of bitcoin has been coming up more and more in our meetings and I need to learn about it quickly."
He installed Airbitz and I sent him $20. It took nearly 10 seconds altogether. But it was his first time. He'll get faster at it.... ;)
Even enormous global organizations like his..... are now discovering the benefits of Zero fees, worldwide money transfers, that happen as fast as sending an email.... and involve no banks.
Even a 12 year old with a newspaper route.... Or a 10 year old with a lemonade stand..... can set *himself* up to accept bitcoin with no permission or help needed from anybody.
You might think it's only global corporations like Microsoft, Dell, Expedia, WordPress, Overstock, and PayPal...... that accept bitcoin. Yes, these companies all DO accept bitcoin. But it's also gay sex massage shops in Bangkok too.... like The Prince and Baan Tewa. And gay restaurants, like Eat Me Restaurant. As well as little kids' lemonaide stands all over the world. Bitcoin is simply the global cash.... of the 21st century.
Check out the map at http://coinmap.org
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Bruce ... you come across as a middle level Amway salesman. RA RA RA ... gettin' the kids involved.
What's next, mass cheering sections at the Bitcoin rally in Albuquerque.
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1 Attachment(s)
Re: Alternatives to Western Union
I didn't get the kids involved. They got themselves involved. I don't know those people. I found them with a simple Google photo search. I'm just regurgitating the news.... to get you "kids" up to speed..... with the 21st century. ;;)
Click on this photo to see it full size.....
Of course, I try to support all businesses that accept bitcoin.
:-*
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce_nyc
Quote:
Originally Posted by kommentariat
For those who want to gamble on the Bitcoin phenomenon (realistically it's the digital equivalent of gold, but for for hi-tech wankers) you should check out
Nadex
For the record, this is not bitcoin. This is more dangerous than day trading.
I know as an American you struggle with the English language so I'll repeat my opening statement "For those who want to gamble on the Bitcoin phenomenon ..."
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
I was agreeing that it is definitely gambling....
But it is definitely *not* "the bitcoin phenomenon". It has nothing at all to do with bitcoin.
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Quote:
Bitcoin offers solutions to some of the absurdities of the traditional banking system. For example, a virtual currency like Bitcoin could dramatically speed up and reduce the cost of sending money abroad. ItтАЩs ridiculous that it can take four banks (all taking a cut) over a week to send dollars from a UK company to a Chinese producer. Implementing this change alone could save the real economy billions of pounds in card fees and transaction costs every year.
And itтАЩs not just the big guys that would benefit. It could transform the prospects of millions of small businesses. The reduced cost and simplicity of a digital currency could circumvent laborious bank processes and give small merchants quick, fairly-priced access to online and mobile payments.
--- Kristo Kaarman, TransferWise co-founder
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
PayPal Founder Peter Thiel ( who by the way is gay and is a *very* close friend of a good friend of mine )..... quite agrees with me.
He says, "Bitcoin is the future of money." ( but I was saying that publicly years before he did )
That's why businesses which accept PayPal *also* automatically accept bitcoin.
Watch this video from February of this year, https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/paypal- ... e-bitcoin/
( By the way, at the time of this video, Peter did not yet know about Airbitz. At that time, Airbitz was brand new and hadn't become famous yet. So, from Peter's perspective, what he was saying was *exactly* correct.... Prior to Airbitz, bitcoin *was* extremely difficult for non-technical average people to use. They were forced to use horrible ancient wallet software like Electrum, or Mycelium, or Core, or worse apps.... which are a nightmare compared to Airbitz' ease of use. )
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Quote:
"US dollars and other paper currencies are credits issued by a single nation. Their strength lies in the strength of the nation that controls them.
BitcoinтАЩs strength lies in its mathematical design. Its open nature eliminates the need for trust.
When nations print more money, their currencies get weaker. In bitcoin, nobody can just decide to increase the amount, including the creator of bitcoin. Bitcoin is more like gold than cash."
--- George Coffie
Quote:
"Bitcoin is not a currency for a government; it is a global currency for the people. "
--- Wences Casares (Xapo's CEO) said in TechCrunch
Quote:
"One of the things I notice over time is how people who at first said Bitcoin could never work now begin to say things like "Bitcoin might work on small scale". Andreas Antonopoulos made a great point about how a lot of the counter arguments about the limitations of Bitcoin are really only valid about it's core code as it stood back in 2009, but they don't take into account all of the supplementary technologies that are being built around and for Bitcoin like the 2.0 protocols and escrow services and such and it's these supplementary technologies which will help make Bitcoin capable of scaling as a global currency and can ultimately prove against the majority of the things people think it can't do."
--- Kevin Caza
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How is any of Brucie's tripe related to 'gay Thailand' in any conceivable way.
If there ever was a topic which begged being broken up and the Bitcoin nonsense part relegated to - at the very least - the 'Everything Else' Forum, this is it.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Obviously,
Bitcoin is THE best alternative to Western Union for instantly sending money to Thailand with virtually zero fees..... which is the original topic.
( Also, I was not the one who brought up the subject of bitcoin.... In all these years, I never mentioned that topic here.... until others did. )
To Send Money To Thailand:
(1) Install the Airbitz wallet to hold your bitcoins... at https://airbitz.co/bitcoin-wallet
(2) Go to https://www.buybitcoinworldwide.com to figure out the best company to buy your bitcoin from locally with zero or near zero fees.
(3) Once you have your bitcoins inside your Airbitz wallet, open a free account at https://coins.co.th
(4) Immediately do a Sell on coins.co.th and have them send it as THB to your boyfriend's Thai bank account.... or to any ATM in Thailand (with no need for any ATM card).
(5) Done. (Total Fees should be about US $0.03 *regardless* of the amount of money you are sending .....plus the 30 baht that the Thai bank will charge.)
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Absolute bullshit. You are nothing but a quintessential snake oil salesman, in the same fashion as the horse and buggy days of the American 19th century. You are using this board as a flogging tool ... your version of a horse-and-buggy so to speak. The only difference is that a message board can talk back, unlike a horse.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
A side note....
I observed this "law of nature" a long time ago.... and pointed it out to people.
The smarter, and more technical, a person/engineer is.... the more *excited* they are when they learn about how bitcoin works.
Thus....
You can always tell the intelligence and expertise of a person by how excited they are about the future of bitcoin and blockchain technology.
All the greatest minds on earth are *raving* about it.
But don't listen to me... Use google..... read, and learn.
Bill Gates says bitcoin is the future of money. ( sources: http://www.whatisacryptocurrency.com/bi ... ocurrency/ and: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238103 and: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCAtt1AxDR4 )
Joe Blow unpaid journalist/blogger says bitcoin is a scam.
You decide who to listen to...
Or just keep using your horse and buggy every time you want to travel to the market.
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A great little documentary....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zKuoqZLyKg
Roger Ver is a close friend of mine. I am the one who first gave him the nickname, "Bitcoin Jesus". :D It stuck.
I've been with Roger into his parking garage elevator and in his car. I stay at his condo when I am in Tokyo.
As you can see, bitcoin was at $267.50 on that day they filmed this. It's $433.50 today. ( http://preev.com/btc/usd/source:bitfinex )
Most of the other people interviewed in this documentary are friends of mine too.
[youtube:383rg201]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zKuoqZLyKg[/youtube:383rg201]
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce_nyc
You decide who to listen to...
Thank you for your delicious condescension. But, trust me, it will never be you.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Geez bruce, for someone not invested in AirBitz, you sure seem like you are.
I'll stick with what I said -- don't use AirBitz. I understand they were just trying to make things more user-friendly for people, but that's a fundamental design flaw. Would you like your credit card details encrypted, then passed around to dozens of servers, while not knowing who even owns those servers? Well, that's what AirBitz did, except it's even worse because there is no bank to call when your money gets stolen.
Again, for desktop I can recommend https://electrum.org/ -- I don't use it myself, but it is well time tested and proven, majority of my clients use it, and I've never heard of a problem. I use my own wallet software, but that's of no use to anyone here, as it's developed for merchants and requires things like a dedicated server.
For mobile, I really don't know, as it just so happens you can't buy much in Khon Kaen with bitcoin. :) I believe the most popular mobile wallet out there is https://mycelium.com/ -- I've never used it myself, don't personally know anyone who's used it, but have heard nothing but good things about it.
Smiles, I can somewhat understand the relevance. When someone's boy special they met on holiday in Thailand has their buffalo accidentally die, there's a chance they'll ask for bitcoin instead of Western Union. If it hasn't happened yet, it most likely will within the next couple years.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce_nyc
You can always tell the intelligence and expertise of a person by how excited they are about the future of bitcoin and blockchain technology.
All the greatest minds on earth are *raving* about it.
No. Actually, fanatics such as yourself give bitcoin a bad name. The "great minds" as you call it actually understand the protocol, understand the long-term technical challenges the bitcoin network faces (there's quite a few), and are realistic about the possibilities. Kind of like that Asian guy in the AirBitz video you posted. He seemed pretty down to earth and intelligent. I'll still say they made a massive design flaw, but I understand why, and at least he seems to know what he's talking about.
I have no problem seeing bitcoin continuing to gain adoption, but you have to realize, this is currently a 6 year old experiment and there are some fundamental technical challenges ahead. I'm sure the core dev team will overcome them, but I'm not going to act like a little 12 year old girl cheerleader.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce_nyc
' ... All the greatest minds on earth are *raving* about it ...
Obviously Brucie has himself in mind, but is attempting heavy-handed coy-ness, so as not to appear overly self-obsessed.
Quote:
Smiles, I can somewhat understand the relevance. When someone's boy special they met on holiday in Thailand has their buffalo accidentally die, there's a chance they'll ask for bitcoin instead of Western Union. If it hasn't happened yet, it most likely will within the next couple years.
Cndmatt, I have absolutely no idea what you talking about. Perhaps leave out the overdone Thailand cliches [i.e. 'boy special' and 'buffalos'] and your point may become at least halfways lucid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[PS ... this thread, unlike the rather dreary title, is fast becoming a quite fascinating delve into human psychology.] :o)
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smiles
Cndmatt, I have absolutely no idea what you talking about. Perhaps leave out the overdone Thailand cliches [i.e. 'boy special' and 'buffalos'] and your point may become at least halfways lucid.
I mentioned it already in this thread. Bitcoin has become extremely popular with prostitutes throughout North America and Europe already, so no reason to believe that isn't going to extend to Thailand in the near future, if it hasn't already. 27 million tourists come here every year, and some of them fall in love with a hooker. Then when they go home, they find themselves visiting Western Union once or twice a month.
Again, if it hasn't happened already, within the next couple years you can expect those prosititues to be asking for bitcoin instead of Western Union.
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Matt, you admit that you've never even used a bitcoin wallet before.... and barely even know the names of any.
Mycelium and Electrum are both ancient technology and both are absolutely horrible. They are unsafe for a myriad of reasons I won't even get into. And they are crazy difficult for normal people to use.
I say that about Mycelium too, in spite of the fact that the two lead developers of Mycelium are my friends.... and one happens to be gay. But I do tell them that, to their face. They eventually acknowledge and admit that I am right. Their app cannot come close to the levels of security... *and* ease of use... of Airbitz.
By the way, "that Asian guy in the video" that you think is so "smart and knows what he's talking about".... if you had even bothered to read the description of what you were looking at.... you would realize.... the HE happens to be the genius founder and CEO of Airbitz, my friend, Paul Puey.. Yes, you're right about one thing. He is *brilliant*. He and his company are leading the way in the field of bitcoin, blockchain, and even internet security. ( Oh, and by the way, he is American. Born and raised in California. geeez )
Yes, I am a *very* enthusiastic FAN of many many businesses and technologies that I have zero personal interest in, involvement with, or gain from. I could make a list of 300 companies, services, and technologies that I love love love... and that I don't have any connecting interest in.... other than being a big fan. I love SGT. Ask Surfcrest how much he pays me to say that. I love and promote Ambiance Hotel ( tho I did much more when Marcus and Michael were there ). Ask Daniel how much he pays me to say that. I love A-Bomb. Ask Aod how much he pays me to say that. I love PaleoRobbie healthy meal delivery in Bangkok (which accepted bitcoin long before I had come along, by the way). Ask Robby how much he pays me to say that.
Also, I don't become a fan of, and promote, businesses that are owned by my friends. It's the exact opposite. If I really love a business sooooo much, I usually naturally become friends with the owner. And.... If I really don't like a business.... I won't say good things about it... even if the owner is my friend. Sorry. I tell the truth.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdnmatt
Bitcoin has become extremely popular with prostitutes throughout North America and Europe already, so no reason to believe that isn't going to extend to Thailand in the near future, if it hasn't already. 27 million tourists come here every year, and some of them fall in love with a hooker. Then when they go home, they find themselves visiting Western Union once or twice a month. Again, if it hasn't happened already, within the next couple years you can expect those prosititues to be asking for bitcoin instead of Western Union.
Finally, you say something I can agree with.
Of course, it's not only popular with prostitutes. It's also accepted by the world's largest travel company, Expedia, Microsoft, Dell, PayPal, Overstock, Wordpress, and millions more. Not to mention the millions of small and medium sized businesses that accept bitcoin too.
By the way, http://coins.ph has a new app very similar to grinr and hornet... for finding individuals very nearby wherever you are.... to exchange bitcoin for baht, or baht for bitcoin... ( or any local currency ). Very very cool.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce_nyc
If I really love a business sooooo much, I usually naturally become friends with the owner.... I tell the truth.
Careful Brucie, it sounds like you are starting to believe your own bullshit. But don't worry; nobody else does.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Mt. Gox, Flexcoin, Poloniex, bitstamp, BTER-according to wiki all places where bitcoins were stolen, hacked, evaporated. Keep a tight hold of your digital wallet.
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mancs
Mt. Gox, Flexcoin, Poloniex, bitstamp, BTER-according to wiki all places where bitcoins were stolen, hacked, evaporated. Keep a tight hold of your digital wallet.
Absolutely. And there are a lot more than that. Also, most of those places that claimed, "We've been hacked! So sorry." And, "Yeah! We've been hacked too!"
.....were/are lying. The owner of the website just saw a million dollars or more sitting there under his own control and he.... lost it.... and decided to steal it. So you'll see.... one after the other.... I called them copycat "We got hacked too!" scams.
This is why I am fanatical about security and loss prevention in general. In addition to my advice to never keep any money in any type of web site ( use a bitcoin exchange and get all your money back out quickly ). Users must also be protected from their own dumb mistakes too... like using one of those desktop wallets, and/or never backing it up, or backing it up incorrectly, or getting it all stolen by a virus, or the entire laptop gets stolen, etc, etc....
But always remember.... When a stagecoach gets robbed, you can't really blame the gold itself. ( You have to blame the fools who decided it was a good idea to move it on a stagecoach. )
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Re: Alternatives to Western Union
By the way, if you're only going to use bitcoin for sending money internationally, then you're probably only going to keep it in the form of bitcoin for a few moments. In that case, as long as you use the safest technology ( Airbitz ), and you use a strong long extremely unique password, and you don't forget your password..... You couldn't be safer. The money will go from being $ / ┬г / тВм in your bank.... to being THB cash your bf can get out of any ATM in Thailand.... in a few moments.
My advice has always been....
If using bitcoin for sending money -- keep it in the form of bitcoin only for the few moments that that takes
If buying bitcoin as an investment -- hold onto it for a minimum of one year
( This week, for example, your net worth would have gone up by only 45.81%. But some weeks are more. Some weeks are less. My bf has the "bitcoin ticker widget" on his phone. He knows *exactly* what days are the best days to suggest going shopping. :-B )