Today's town hall (prep)meeting is about Butterfly Labs http://www.butterflylabs.com/

This thread serves to gather questions that you have about the company, it's products, it's owners, it's staff, whatever you desire.
I am sure BFL will answer selectively, but we have an acceptance from BFL Josh (or Inaba) to answer these questions via a media type that has not yet been decided.

It has come about specifically from the quotes below, but could serve a wider purpose as i'm sure Inaba must feel like a parrot sometimes.
If people ask repeat questions, send them here.

Quote from: Inaba on September 19, 2012, 03:30:56 AM

Sonny Vleisides is associated with BFL and it's the same Sonny listed in the case documents. He was involved in off shore gaming in the capacity of selling and providing software engineering to companies that did the actual offshore gaming (there is even a US patent application for the process). The industry came under attack (as we all remember) around that time, and Mr. Vleisides was caught up in the process as well as a good portion of the industry based in Costa Rica.

Although this may be cause for concern to some, the fact is that we're a robust company with 22 employees. One of them has a colorful background in offshore libertarianism. If I thought there was even the possibility of something unsavory going on within BFL, you can rest assured I would a) not be part of it and b) would let everyone know it.

The reality is, we are legitimate, we have released revolutionary products and we are going to release more revolutionary products. I was made aware of this back story prior to my employment and I evaluated it and concluded that it was immaterial to the business at hand and thus joined BFL. There was nothing hidden from me and Sonny has always answered questions and been completely open about his past, but I think we can all agree that it's not something you just announce to the world.

Quote

From the extradition warrant.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/106417808/Affidavit-for-Extradition-Warrant

5. A joint investigation involving the IRS-CID and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), revealed that from at least 1990 through July 2006, SONNY VLEISIDES, James Ray Houston, Dennis Emmett, William Cloud, Henry Walther, Scott Henry Walther, and others committed a massive international lottery scam using the following company names: Shamrock Agency, German Swiss Group, World Expert Fund, Mutual Medical Insurance Co, Old Amsterdam Trust Co, Euro American Fax Co, European Union Commission, EU American Payment Co, Global Search Network, North American Foreign Payments Services, Wor'dwide Verification Service, and others. VLEISIDES ran the scheme along with Houston and Emmett. VLEISIDES, Houston and Emmett, who were all located in Costa Rica, worked with mailing houses which, at the direction of VLEISIDES, Houston, and Emmett, sent out tens of thousands of mailings to victims in the United States, many of whom were elderly. The mailings contained false statement
s, half truths, and omissions, and induced the victims to participate in various international lotteries, falsely stating that if the victims participated, they were guaranteed to win or had a very good chance to win. The mailings directed the victims to send their money to Ireland, at d the Netherlands, among other locations, where William Cloud had set up addresses with commercial mail receiving agencies and individuals to forward the money, eventually, back to the United States. After receipt at the commercial mail receiving agencies, the victims' money was sent to Henry Walther, who, along with his son Scott Henry Walther, deposited the money into various bank accounts and then distributed it as directed by VLEISIDES, Houston, and Emmett. Some of the money was spent on furthering the criminal activity. Some of the money was paid out to victims in small-dollar checks that the co-schemers misrepresented to be lottery winnings. The rest of the money was paid out to the co-s
chemers and others for their own use. VLEISIDES and the other defendants did not buy any lottery tickets, and the vast majority of the victims lost the money they sent. The total loss from the scheme is in excess of $19 million.

Quote from: Inaba on September 20, 2012, 12:24:02 AM

For the town hall, what about IRC or is that too esoteric for a lot of people? And when? I will absolutely make this happen ASAP if we can agree on a time and place.

If we could keep it civil that would be great. Short to-the-point questions will be posted below and answered by BFL using the media that is decided upon.
We don't need any Internet sleuths looking for more information. The link above provides enough.

2 replies below this are reserved. One for BFL to say whatever they wish as an intro, the other for questions. Questions will not be quoted. PM your question if you wish to remain anon.

In case this matters to anybody: I am not associated with BFL in any way other than being a first time customer with one ASIC SC order. I once asked for a paid sig but was ignored! It's all about the btcjamins baby!!!