As long as someone is willing to accept bitcoin, you can carry out a transaction with them...its actually easier than using a credit card or a debit card.
The buyer simply provides the seller with a transaction id...no fees, no cards, no special hand held terminal devices, no cash registers, no banks and no governments.
If you want to buy or sell bitcoin it takes about 10 days because now you need to deal with a bank transfer.
Your wallet file is nothing more than a bankbook and reflects its participation in what is known as the blockchain. Like all things bitcoin, this "bankbook" is completely anonymous...without it you cant get your money.
The block chain is a record of every transaction in bitcoin history...currently its around 13GB.
This bankbook (wallet file) and bank ledger (blockchain) should only be stored offline...any idiot who stores it online is an idiot.
With this being said, storing small amounts of bitcoin in an online wallet is useful if one wants to use bitcoin the same way people use cash or credit cards.
Think:
Offline - Bank Account
Online - Wallet in your back pocket
For anyone who has had a layover on an international flight it is pretty obvious that countries don't trust each other any-more when one views current airport security practices.
The process on every single layover is as follows:
1. Get off air-plane
2. Leave no-mans-land and enter the country (Customs and Border Control)
3. Pick up your baggage
4. Check your baggage
5. Go through security back into no-mans-land
6. Get on the air-plane
Pretty sad...it was so bad when I left the EU last time that I had to show my passport just to leave.
...so sad about the rural folks and how they should just do without.
Probably the same people who are bragging about current bandwidth levels in larger centers and how one day mp3's and divx's will make CD's and DVD's obsolete.
...that just does what it was designed to do without the service providers interference?!?! Just give me the functionality that I paid for without locking it out or making me pay extra for?!?!
Slashdot Mirror
The only thing that has intrinsic value to me is water, food , shelter and bullets...all the rest of the smoke and mirrors out there is BS
If there is a currency out there that takes banks and governments out of the equations "thank god"
Ummmmm....the model of we can participate in money laundering schemes a lot easier now....just as simple as that
Using bitcoin is actually easier than using fiat currency...exchanging bitcoin for other currencies...not so much.
True...normal currency is legal tender and its what the government insists on being paid with.
I am still curious in what way you feel that normal currency is guaranteed?
Its interesting how you would use the phrase "guaranteed by the same mechanisms as your normal currency"
In what way do you feel that normal currency is guaranteed?
Spending fractions of a bitcoin is extremely common.
Once you actually posses bitcoin, banks and photo id are irrelevant.
As long as someone is willing to accept bitcoin, you can carry out a transaction with them...its actually easier than using a credit card or a debit card.
The buyer simply provides the seller with a transaction id...no fees, no cards, no special hand held terminal devices, no cash registers, no banks and no governments.
If you want to buy or sell bitcoin it takes about 10 days because now you need to deal with a bank transfer.
Your wallet file is nothing more than a bankbook and reflects its participation in what is known as the blockchain. Like all things bitcoin, this "bankbook" is completely anonymous...without it you cant get your money.
The block chain is a record of every transaction in bitcoin history...currently its around 13GB.
This bankbook (wallet file) and bank ledger (blockchain) should only be stored offline...any idiot who stores it online is an idiot.
With this being said, storing small amounts of bitcoin in an online wallet is useful if one wants to use bitcoin the same way people use cash or credit cards.
Think:
Offline - Bank Account
Online - Wallet in your back pocket
For anyone who has had a layover on an international flight it is pretty obvious that countries don't trust each other any-more when one views current airport security practices.
The process on every single layover is as follows:
1. Get off air-plane
2. Leave no-mans-land and enter the country (Customs and Border Control)
3. Pick up your baggage
4. Check your baggage
5. Go through security back into no-mans-land
6. Get on the air-plane
Pretty sad...it was so bad when I left the EU last time that I had to show my passport just to leave.
Just my 2 cents.
Hedghog
...a couple of IDE cards, 3x250GB IDE drives, barebones console install of Linux, software raid, Samba and mix well.
Instant 500GB raid5 file server...it's been working great for 3 years now.
Just make sure you one drive on each port...all masters, no slave drives!!!
The same recipe should work for SATA as well.
Hedghog
...of the human machine interface.
With this in mind, Computer Science is just as much about understanding people as it is about understanding technology.
Sometimes we seem to forget that Computer Science is actually a blend of the humanities and the sciences.
Hedghog
Wonders never cease.
...one math problem at a time.
It was extremely difficult for me but after tackling more than the average number of problems it finally started sinking in.
Just my 2 cents
Hedghog
...then he invented the O/S...then he invented the internet...then he invented windows...now he has invented linux...very interesting indeed.
Hedghog
Total Annihilation!!!
Everyone knows we have been working towards this inevitable war on the horizon
Not sure about anyone else but I am ready
Hedghog
How about contact lists, music, pictures...alot of people, myself included, have quite extensive lists of contact information on their phones.
Hedghog
Some of us keep quite comprehensive contact lists on our phone.
Hedghog
...I beleive that last case in Finland involving file-sharing was thrown out basically making it legal there. Hedghog
Except if you live on Baffin Island...gps watches are too bulky so I wear a Seiko Quartz Alpinist...loses maybe 10 seconds a year.
Hedghog
Unless you live on Baffin Island...then you need a Seiko Quartz Alpinist.
Loses about 10 seconds a year.
Hedghog
...so sad about the rural folks and how they should just do without.
Probably the same people who are bragging about current bandwidth levels in larger centers and how one day mp3's and divx's will make CD's and DVD's obsolete.
Hedghog
Let management and the corporate lan for that matter, poll real time and process data from a historical reporting server.
...with either component or hdmi inputs.
...that just does what it was designed to do without the service providers interference?!?! Just give me the functionality that I paid for without locking it out or making me pay extra for?!?!
It's just that simple
Just get a Quad-Band GSM phone...works on any GSM network.