Speed Bumps on the Road to Virtual CashMONEY is accumulated, traded and transferred online every day, but can there be a form of currency that exists only online and yet has real-world value?
Gavin Andresen, who is the lead developer of the open-source software that operates the currency, said in an interview from his home in Amherst, Mass.: I expected it to have lots of speed bumps along the way but I didnt expect there to be so many speed bumps in a row.
Ive sold 24 collars, 13 leashes and 1 pair of Disco Knickers with Bitcoin over the last few months, she wrote in an e-mail. The first order I had was for 42 BTC, which was worth about $40 at the time, but now those coins would be worth around $680! Originally I had a fixed Bitcoin price, but now I do a conversion based on the exchange rate.
This is a censorship-proof currency that allows transactions to happen, he said. Right now what are those sort of transactions? Gambling, buying drugs that is what is going to jumpstart it.
Two page article at
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/business/media/04link.htmlI would not say this is necessarily a positive spin for Bitcoin, but the smarter reader I think can take a lot out of this piece.