rishimoko

> All this Bitcoin crap is officially ruining Hacker News.

Yes, discussion about technology, math, physics, crypto, P2P and the markets they're creating have no place here on Hacker News.

> I can choose whichever Government / Central bank fits me the best.

Bitcoin actually provides a new choice: government or no-government. People that want government/cb currency are free to choose it. People that want no-government money can choose Bitcoin.

> It is regulating your conduct as an American taxpayer

It can't regulate conduct it can't see.

The difference being they can't see you getting paid in bitcoins. They can see you getting paid through banks.

They have no regulatory power regarding Bitcoin because they have no way to enforce it.

As Bitcoin has no country or jurisdiction of origin, I fail to see how Bitcoin can be classified as foreign.

I also fail to see how the IRS has any regulatory power over a currency not defined by US tax law.

I'm guessing Clay is in his 20's? If so, I'm approaching 52 years old and I loved this book equally as much in 1966 or thereabouts. If you're reading this, you made my day by reminding me of it.

> "Coding democratized how we can solve our own problems, regardless of age."

Well said. I'd add that very few old men are innovators, especially when it comes to CS or the like.

What I'm glad to see is more folks in this generation learning how to create their own channels, sell what they make and not depend on larger entities for their survival.

> If the company you store your wallet with is hacked you lose everything, if your laptop is stolen or your dropbox account is hacked... it's as safe as keeping cash in your apartment. If your bank fucks up your money is (almost always) insured.

What unthinking person leaves his bitcoins with a third party or on a computer? Would you leave your RL wallet with a stranger? Would you leave something easily stolen in public?

Store bitcoins in a paper wallet until you need to use them. They'll never get lost or stolen unless one is just as careless with the paper as they might be with their live keys.

; )

The Euro is an experimental currency. Don't invest time or money in it that you can't afford to lose. Hackers can break into your account and steal your Euros in the middle of the night if you don't secure your wallet so never store your Euros with a third party.

To the point, trusting Coinbase for a successful bitcoin purchase can be touch and go.

There must be some shifting in the geekforce. I just switched back to Firefox a couple of weeks ago on OSX 10.7. Flawless, which is more than I can say for Chrome or Safari.