The Best of the Rest 4

For the latest weekly installment of the “Best of the Rest”, some words of wisdom from Gavin and Gates, a reminder about the BitLicense deadline for next week, and an endorsement of The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin.

Gavin Andresen weighed in today on “Blocksize Economics”, the economic argument for keeping the 1MB block size limit intact. In short, Gavin is worried about both a transaction fee and centralization “death spiral” that could result from changing the block size, and comments on the impact this decision will have on block chain security. This, and the corresponding technical argument, which he lays out in his scaleability roadmap, are both must reads.

https://bitcoinfoundation.org/2014/10/blocksize-economics/

Just days remain to get those comments in to NYDFS regarding the BitLicense. I would take a look at the resources that the NY Needs Bitcoin team has put together, keep in mind Lawsky’s recent public retractions regarding regulation of software (apparently not much of a concern any longer), and focus on the weak points of the remaining provisions (start-up on-ramp, treatment of multi-sig, etc.)

http://nyneedsbitcoin.com/

Bill Gates spoke about financial services for the “other 6 Billion” at Sibos just a couple of weeks ago at the conference’s closing plenary, noting that his Foundation prioritizes financial inclusion initiatives behind only health. He also believes that the next generation of digital payments and currencies will emerge faster in developing countries than places like the US, and says “just waiting for trickle-down is not good enough.” Watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knlPedDg6hE

And lastly, take some time to watch The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin. I held off on promoting it until I had actually seen it, and I finally watched it late last night when I couldn’t sleep. It lives up to the hype. Entertaining and comprehensive overview of Bitcoin’s early evolution, and it included interviews from all of the major players in the ecosystem through 2013. If I had to give a supporting actor nod, I’d say Erik Voorhees came across as the most impressive interviewee for this particular cut. It’s five bucks to rent, and it’s worth it.

http://bitcoindoc.com/

Upcoming Events

Money 20/20 (November 2–5 in Las Vegas)

Money20/20 is the world’s largest event enabling payments and financial services innovation for ‘anywhere, anytime’ connected commerce at the intersection of mobile, retail, marketing services, data and technology. With 6,500+ attendees, including more than 500 CEOs, from over 2,250 companies and 50 countries, Money20/20 is critical to realizing the vision of disruptive ways in which consumers and businesses manage, spend and borrow money. The next Money20/20 will be held on Nov. 2–5, 2014 in Las Vegas, and will be preceded by the Money20/20 Hackathon, which runs Nov. 1–2. Register here!

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Have a position you’re dying to fill? You can pay to post it here, in the Bit’s new jobs section.

Senior Folks: Check out HoneyBadgr, which introduces top talent to early stage and venture-backed Bitcoin startups. They are a team of ex-Googlers residing at Boost VC in Silicon Valley, with a mission to help grow the Bitcoin ecosystem on a global scale.

Student Bitcoiners: Circle, the Boston-based digital currency venture, is looking for campus reps across the country to participate in a social media marketing program this fall! Each rep will receive a Circle account with $250 in Bitcoin to spend over the course of the semester. Reps are required to post at least five stories about using Circle and Bitcoin to their Facebook accounts (and/or other blogging platforms like Tumblr) and to cross promote these via Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social channels. To apply, send your resume to reps@circle.com click onthis link to be redirected to the brief application.

Today’s Tid Bits

BitFlyer Bitcoin Exchange Gets $236,000 to Expand Overseas
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-16/bitflyer-bitcoin-exchange-gets-236-000-to-expand-overseas-1-.html
BitFlyer, a Japanese bitcoin exchange has raised 25 million yen ($236,000) from Barry Silbert’s New York-based Bitcoin Opportunity Corp to expand operations. By the end of the year, the Tokyo-based exchange plans to begin offering its services outside of Japan, to places like Singapore. Currently, the site allows anyone with a Japanese bank account to buy and sell bitcoins.

California Attorney Investigating Potential Class-Action Suit Against KnCMiner
http://www.coindesk.com/us-attorney-investigating-potential-class-action-suit-kncminer/
Charlotte C Lin, a California based attorney, announced that her firm is investigating unlawful activities charges related to the sale and distribution of KnCMiner’s Titan and Neptune mining products. The specific charges include breach of contract, false advertisement and public misrepresentation. Nanok Bie, director of marketing and public relations at KnMiner claimed that the potential class action suit will not succeed, saying, “there is no basis for legal action.”

Court Delays Ross Ulbricht Silk Road Trial Until January 2015
http://www.coindesk.com/ross-ulbricht-silk-road-trial-january/
Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht has pled not guilty to charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, hacking, and criminal enterprise; his trial will now not take place until next year. The trial, which was originally scheduled for November 10th, has been pushed back until early January of 2015. Prosecutors will attempt to argue that Ulbricht was the mastermind behind the Silk Road marketplace; while the defense claims he was the target of an unfair legal inquisition.
Bitcoin Accepted Exclusively for Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl Ticket Pre-Sale
http://newsbtc.com/2014/10/15/bitcoin-accepted-exclusively-bitcoin-st-petersburg-bowl-ticket-pre-sale/
In partnership with ESPN, BitPay has launched the official website for the St. Petesrburg Bowl, “StPetersburgBowl.com.” The site revealed that the bowl game will be conducting a ticket pre-sale for the game, exclusively for those who will be paying in bitcoin. The ticket pre-sale will give those in the cryptocurrency community an opportunity to purchase tickets in bitcoin two weeks before the general sale takes place. Additionally, through a partnership with Traveling Coin, BitPay will also be launching BitcoinBowlPackages.com a site that will offer consumers a ticket/hotel/transportation bundle with their digital currency for the bowl game.

‘The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin’ Hits #1 Spot in iTunes Documentaries
http://newsbtc.com/2014/10/15/rise-rise-bitcoin-hits-1-spot-itunes-documentaries/
‘The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin,’ which was released on Saturday, has already claimed the #1 spot for documentaries in iTunes. The documentary focuses on a 35-year-old programmer and early mining enthusiast, Daniel who teaches you the basics of bitcoin, and guides you through the bitcoin ecosystem. Around $3000 (or about 7 bitcoins) has been donated to the individuals behind the film.

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