Despite two consecutive drops in the Bitcoin mining difficulty this month, the network is set to see out 2014 and enter 2015 with renewed growth in the hash rate. Continue reading
Author Archives: cazalla
The SWIFT Institute Calls For Research Into Risks Faced By Third Party Payment Providers
The SWIFT Institute, an organisation founded in April 2012 which receives funding and secretariat services from global giant SWIFT, is calling for proposals for research into the risks – money laundering, terrorist financing, gambling, fraud and phishing – third party payment providers using virtual currencies such as Bitcoin face. The selected proposal will be awarded a EUR 15,000 grant with completed research and a working paper to be submitted by August 2015. Continue reading
While Some Ponzi Schemes Implode, Other Fraudsters Double Down
As this year draws to a close, so too have a few of the ponzi operators masquerading as cloud miners in the Bitcoin and altcoin space. Given the concept of cloud mining lends itself to being an ideal means for scammers to conduct fractional reserve mining or straight up ponzi schemes involving no mining at all, you can expect to see such shenanigans continue in 2015. Three 'cloud miners' which appear to have gone belly up this past week are Hashie.co, LTC Gear and Hash Profit. Continue reading
Governor For Reserve Bank Of India Talks Bitcoin: Is Worrisome, Security Issues
Raghuram Rajan, who is the Governor for the Reserve Bank of India, spoke with Indian students in an hour long discussion put together by NDTV and hosted by Dr Prannoy Roy. Fielding questions from the audience, one student asked Rajan for his opinion on Bitcoin to which Rajan stated the security is an issue and that some features of Bitcoin are worrisome. Continue reading
Bitnplay Aims To Raise 400 BTC For A Bitcoin Based Poker Site
Seals with Clubs, Breakout Gaming, Michael Mizrachi's Get Lucky Poker and to a lesser extent NXT's Pangea Poker are just some of the names attempting to establish themselves as Bitcoin based online poker venues. Into this mix comes a new site named Bitnplay who hope that their Bitcoin only online poker site will be enough to entice players away from competitors when they launch February 1st 2015. Continue reading
Satoshi Nakamoto Institute Launch Podcast
Daniel Krawisz and Michael Goldstein of the Satoshi Nakamoto Institute today broadcast the first episode of their new podcast titled "The Crypto-Mises Podcast". Episode one covers app coins and why they are a bad investment and includes a response to Vitalek Buterin's article "On Bitcoin Maximalism, and Currency and Platform Network Effects."
The new podcast comes off the back of the duo's informative round table discussion series.
Four Bitcoin Based Projects From MIT Students
From MIT 6.858 comes four Final Projects which are using Bitcoin. They are:
- Dryer21 – A bitcoin mixing service.
- CheckBits – A guarantor system for retail payments so that customer information such as a Bitcoin address can be obfuscated.
- TorCoin – An altcoin used to achieve consensus on the Tor network.
- Merkelized Abstract Syntax Trees.
Jim Harper Departs The Bitcon Fundation
Patrick Murck has confirmed the departure of Jim Harper from the Bitcon Fundation. Harper, who joined the foundation in March of this year, set to work building a bridge between Bitcoin and governments of the world. As it turns out, spinning your wheels or as Murck puts it – trail blazing – is too costly an endeavour and the foundation will now shift its focus from lobbying and back to Core development. Continue reading
Charlie Shrem On His Two Year Prison Sentence: "Justice Has Been Served"
Charlie Shrem, who plead guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business as part of a plea deal struck with prosecutors from the office of Preet Bharara back in September of this year, has been sentenced to two years in prison for his crimes.
Tweeting about his sentence, Shrem said: Continue reading
MtGox Bankruptcy Trustee Answers Some Questions
MtGox and Bankruptcy Trustee Nobuaki Kobayashi have answered some questions put to them by creditors at the second creditors meeting held on November 26th 2014.
In short:
- Proof of claims will be accepted beginning April 2015.
- Payments to TIBANNE have been reduced where possible.
- Financial reports for MtGox's first and second fiscal year have been released but it's not known if they are accurate.
- Bitcoin addresses will continue to be withheld.
Below is the English text from the predominately Japanese document.