Crypto Currency

The Dissident Dad – Explaining Money to Your Children

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Screen Shot 2014-12-18 at 10.44.15 AMMoney is a very important part of all our lives. The understanding of money, how it works, and how we treat it can dramatically improve or diminish our quality of life.

Based on my writings and videos on YouTube, you might think my definition of money is gold and silver, but it’s not. Money is simply a medium of exchange. It can be represented by everything from gold to horse manure. Okay, maybe not horse manure, but it’s not a far stretch with the most popular form of money today being central bank notes loaned out into existence.

The state would love to have you believe that money can only originate from itself, yet people have organically started to use bitcoins and other crypto-currencies as a medium of exchange. Nevertheless, our culture continues to worship fiat currency as if it is the only type of money. I can’t change the fact that at this moment in time the U.S. dollar is the measuring stick for goods and services when it comes to prices. Trying to disprove and dispute this fact was something I struggled with early on when I used to teach my children that only gold and silver were money.

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PayPal Gets Serious About Bitcoin – Is the Price About to Move?

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Screen Shot 2014-09-23 at 12.57.06 PMI haven’t written much about Bitcoin as of late. While the positive fundamental news has continued to pour in with regard to adoption and venture capital investment, watching the price action has felt like watching paint peel off a wall.

When friends have asked me about the price action as of late, I only note the bizarre discrepancy between the fundamentals and price. One reason for this seems to be muted buying interest, coupled with miners who have already invested heavily in mining equipment, selling their reward blocks immediately in order to recoup some of their capital investment and offset energy costs. In addition, while banks have stated they are holding off with regard to Bitcoin until there is more regulatory certainty, it appears clear to me that the big banks are doing everything they can to stall Bitcoin adoption. This was confirmed last week when banks cracked down on the exponentially growing Bitcoin ecosystem in the Isle of Man.

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As Wall Street Looks to Copy Bitcoin, The Department of Defense Studies it as a “Terrorist Threat”

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Two very interesting Bitcoin related articles have emerged over the past week and demonstrate the total irrationality that surrounds the status quo’s understanding of this revolutionary and liberating technology. Let’s start with the Department of Defense story, the headlines of which most of you have probably seen by now.

A division of the U.S. military known as the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO), which studies threats to national security (i.e., the status quo’s grip on power) has listed Bitcoin amongst a number of potential terrorist threats. Of course, as I and many others have noted repeatedly, anything which threatens the prevailing criminal status quo will be merely labeled a “terrorist threat” in order to neutralize it. Just in case you aren’t yet convinced of how insane the folks at CTTSO are, “also on the CTTSO’s list of terrorism research topics were Android, Motorola, social media and virtual reality.” What has happened to this country…

From International Business Times:

After attracting attention from law enforcement, financial regulators and old-school Wall Street investors, bitcoin is now on the U.S. military’s radar as a possible terrorist threat.

Friday was the deadline for submissions to a counterterrorism program seeking vendors to help the military understand state-of-the-art technologies that may pose threats to national security, and “bitcoin” and “virtual currencies” are listed among them.

The program is being conducted by the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, a division of the Department of Defense that identifies and develops counterterrorism abilities and investigates irregular warfare and evolving threats.

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Guest Post: Why is the Bitcoin Price So Weak?

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It’s been a wild 2014 so far for Bitcoin. On the one hand, there has been some very bad news in the space. We’ve had the Mt. Gox disaster and the potential overhang those stolen coins have on the market, as well as rumors of an effective Chinese ban (we still don’t have confirmation of anything).

On the other hand, there has been a lot positive news as well. We have seen some of the most brilliant venture capitalists in the world continue to put a great deal of time and money into crypto-currency related enterprises, as well as continued merchant adoption, with the biggest news being Overstock.

One of the leaders in the Bitcoin space, helping people spend their BTC at a wide range of traditional stores ranging from Target and Whole Foods Market, to the recent addition of Wal Mart is Gyft, led by its CEO Vinny Lingham. I’ve known for some time now how intelligent and entrepreneurial Vinny is, but as of today I have also discovered he is a strong writer.

With his permission I am republishing his excellent piece, Finding Equilibrium: Searching for the true value of a Bitcoin, below.

I agree with pretty much all of Vinny’s main points. I have been on record saying the recent surge and plunge is eerily similar to the 2013 surge and plunge. If that pattern repeats, we should see the next big move this summer. Vinny thinks the price may flatline for longer than that before moving strongly again.

Enjoy.

Finding Equilibrium: Searching for the true value of a Bitcoin.
by Vinny Lingham

Bitcoin has a number of headwinds which is keeping the price in check. I’m expecting it to stabilize around the $400 mark for at least the next quarter (although predictions in the Bitcoin space are very hard to do past a couple of weeks).

As Bitcoin stabilizes below $500 for the first time since it’s eye-popping run to over $1,000 in November 2013, many crypto pundits are scratching their heads and trying to make sense of the current weakness — especially given the excitement & innovation that we are seeing within the global Bitcoin community. Venture capital has also been pouring into Bitcoin startups at a rabid pace (north of $100m so far this past year). However, over the past couple of days, I’ve had numerous friends contact me asking the same question : “What’s happening with Bitcoin?”.

Bitcoin is currently trying to finding an equilibrium point — at least at the current volume levels — given all the recent disruptions to the ecosystem (including the recent MtGox collapse). Equilibrium would be defined for me as the point of stability in price where there is symetric volume and consistent growth on a daily basis between buyers and sellers (utopian, but right now there is asymmetric growth which is not being quantified — so traders are having a problem predicting where it would go).

History shows that it needs to find a very stable price point for a few months before it can really retest any previous highs. External factors like Russia, Ukraine, China, etc will contribute to Bitcoin volatility and changes in the supply/demand curve globally.

I spent some time at the CoinSummit conference in San Francisco last week and my panel discussion, “Bitcoin transactions — what are the barriers for merchant and consumer adoption?” was well received by the community.

Its very clear that Bitcoin has amazing potential but the fact remains that we are still in the very early stages of it’s evolution — which many have likened to the Internet in 1993. Mainstream consumer adoption is just not there yet. We’re waiting for the “Netscape moment” for Bitcoin.

I also don’t believe Bitcoin is suitable as currency — I think it’s a commodity that can be traded for goods and services. It may become a currency in time, but it just isn’t one right now. It’s a scarce, digital commodity — and the trading that takes place on exchanges really reflects the market sentiment around the value of this digital commodity.

In the not too distant future, entrepreneurs & technologists will use the actual Bitcoins themselves in new and interesting ways (think smart contracts, etc.) —how many will be ultimately needed is unknown, and that’s what creates the imbalance in price. Right now it’s all speculation as to what that future value of a Bitcoin will equate to. This is what makes the Blockchain far more interesting than the actual Bitcoin — but I’ll leave that for a future post.

I have some alternative views (i.e. not stuff the mainstream press totally gets), as to why Bitcoin is trading below $500 right now, but I want to point out that I am a Bitcoin bull for the long term. I even predicted at the Silicon Valley Bitcoin Conference in May 2013, it would reach over $1,000 in 2013 when it was trading at $100 to audible sniggers and laughs from a very Bitcoin friendly audience.

That said, conversely, here are the key reasons why I think the Bitcoin price may not organically reach $1,000 again this year, without an external event shifting the supply/demand curve for Bitcoin. It is difficult to predict anything further out than a single quarter in the Bitcoin world, so instead of making bold predictions I would rather focus on highlighting some issues that are suppressing the Bitcoin right now.

TechCrunch published a story yesterday about the recent IRS rulings around Bitcoin — which classifies it as an asset, not a currency (which effectively makes transactions using it taxable). To be frank, anyone who thought that Bitcoin would not be subject to taxes in some form is living in a dream world.

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Only 3 Weeks Left Until the Inside Bitcoins Conference in NYC

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The Inside Bitcoins conference in NYC last summer was one of the highlights of 2013 for me. I was able to meet some of the smartest, determined and friendly people in the Bitcoin space, as well as significantly advance my understanding of the still young crypto-currency. Fortunately, this conference will be back in less than … Read more

New York Banking Regulator Benjamin Lawsky Thinks Mt. Gox Collapse Could Help Bitcoin

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Many people have been speculating all day as to why Bitcoin is up so much. The guesses have ranged from oligarchs worried about governments freezing their global bank accounts, to the UK moving away from a Bitcoin trading tax. While both those things may have played a role, I think the primary driver might be be comments from Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of New York’s Department of Financial Services, on the sidelines of a banking conference today.

I’m not sure what time these comments were made, but it appears Lawsky wants to make sure New York state ends up being a global center for Bitcoin trading. This seems like a big deal to me.

From the UK’s Telegraph:

The collapse of the bitcoin exchange Mt Gox is part of a struggle for survival that could ultimately strengthen the virtual currency industry, New York’s banking regulator has said.

“It’s on the one hand a setback, on the other hand it will cause further improvements in this industry and some more regulatory involvement,” Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of New York’s Department of Financial Services, told Reuters.

“It’s part of [a] shaking out,” he said on the sidelines of a banking conference in the US.

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U.S. Senator Wants to Ban Bitcoin – To be Followed by Book Burnings and Witch Hunts

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Before the U.S. gets too far behind the curve on this important topic, I urge the regulators to work together, act quickly, and prohibit this dangerous currency from harming hard-working Americans. – Senator Joe Manchin, in his letter calling for a ban on Bitcoin Whenever you hear a politician say he or she wants to do … Read more

America’s First Bitcoin ATM Debuts in Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Thanks to regulations, the USSA has been behind the global curve with regard to the installation of Bitcoin ATMs. After all, Canada’s first machine was installed back in November, and it recorded $100,000 worth of transactions within the first week. Hopefully that trend is about to change, as Lamassu’s BTC machine is now operating in a cigar bar called Imbibe in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, two Bitcoin ATMs from Robocoin are also set to be installed in Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas shortly (from what I know, I prefer Lamassu’s machines since they do not employ biometrics).

From Coindesk:

After months of rumors and speculation, the first bitcoin ATM in the United States is now in operation.

The machine, manufactured by Lammasu, is located in a cigar bar called Imbibe in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is being operated by Enchanted Bitcoin, run by Eric Stromberg.

New Mexico happens to be one of only two US states that do not require a money transmitter business (MSB) license to operate. The other is South Carolina.

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Wall Street Gets Bitcoin Fever – Wedbush Securities to Accept BTC for Research

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In what is probably the single most important positive headline since Overstock’s announcement that it would accept Bitcoin, Wedbush Securities has just announced it has become the first U.S institutional brokerage to accept bitcoin as payment for its research coverage. They will be partnering with Coinbase. So while JP Morgan has its head up its ass writing … Read more

Feeling a Little Insecure? JP Morgan Issues a Report Critical of Bitcoin

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Now this is special. John Normand, JP Morgan’s head of global FX strategy has just issued a report on Bitcoin to educate his “sophisticated” clientele on why they must avoid the revolutionary payment protocol and currency Bitcoin. Coindesk has done some excellent reporting on the matter. They write:

Released on 11th February, a new report by US-based multinational financial services company JPMorgan issued a sharp critique of bitcoin and other digital currencies.

The eight-page report, authored by the company’s head of global FX strategy, John Normand, aimed to present the “risks and opportunities” posed by bitcoin.

Normand writes:

“As a medium of exchange, unit of account and store of value, it is vastly inferior to fiat currencies.

Since governments are quite unlikely to accord it the status of legal tender, bitcoin or other virtual currencies would not reach the scale and scope to render them worthwhile for widespread commerce, payments or investment.”

Normand explains:

“Recall that currencies don’t become widely used spontaneously or through a grassroots campaign. They become widely used nationally because a government declares them legal tender, and they become widely used internationally because they are legal tender in a significant economic area with large, unrestricted capital markets.”

Yes slaves, don’t try anything new. Sure, Bitcoin has gone from nothing to a $8 billion valuation in five years, nothing to see here. Obey. Your government loves you. Only politicians and Central Banksters are sophisticated enough to create money and handle it. Don’t get any big ideas. Think small, that’s where we want you serfs.

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