Glad you were able to make the bounty program work for you!  I'm curious about whether you have a sense of the viability of CUZ relative to token economics.  I find this subject fascinating and am especially interested in understanding how some tokens are able to sustain and grow value in the marketplace and others are not.  I suspect that this depends on whether scarcity and demand factors have been properly integrated into their economic plan.  Any comments that might enlighten me on this would be most appreciated.

It really boils down to balance, doesn't it?  Most people can see the positive impact of self-driving cars:  eliminate most accidents, allow people to use the time they would have used for driving for some other purpose, etc.  But do you want a robot to hold your child and sing him/her to sleep and subplant that essential human connection?  Probably not.  We will need to get better at assessing the long-term cost-benefits of technology in our lives.  Right now, many people don't really understand or care about what they are giving up in order to acquire convenience or efficiency.  People need purpose and meaning in their lives or life has no point.  Technology cannot give us those; they must come from within.

You've done a good analysis.  My complements!  I largely agree with you that Trump's different approach than that of his predecessors seems to be yielding results.  However, I remain cautious, because Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, also was Mr. Happy-face in the mid 1990s while he was convincing Clinton to participate in an agreement that ultimately got us into the situation we're in today.  Despite harboring some skepticism, I think there could be a way forward that essentially plays on Kim's greed.  He may be a complete psychopath, but he's not stupid.  He can see that China's path has yielded a lot more material wealth for the Chinese elite than North Korea enjoys.  Kim may wish to secure his regime by increasing the wealth of the North Korean elite.  Kim can trade the dismantling of his nuclear program for massive investment from South Korea, the USA and others.  He may do that, but he is clever and he may have an entirely different objective.  We shall find out in the next few weeks if there's cause for optimism.

Good question.  I have had clients and customers with these questions in the past.  Some of the laws in these jurisdictions have changed quite a lot in last few years, so make sure you base your decisions only on the latest and most accurate information.  For example, Liechtenstein for many years had absolute confidentiality in its corporate records, but my understanding is that has changed drastically, because Liechtenstein has been anxious to get its name of the tax blacklists of other European countries.  Definitely, don't presume confidentiality where there is in fact none or much less than there used to be or where tax treatment in general may no longer be optimal or attractive.

There are several countries/territories not on on your list that you should perhaps add, including Gibraltar, Bulgaria and Andorra:

For example, there is no VAT, withholding or turnover tax in Gibraltar.

The standard corporation tax rate for Gibraltar sourced income is 10% and there is no tax on investment income, dividends, or capital gains. Companies are taxed on profits for the financial year on income accrued or derived in Gibraltar. Profits of foreign companies are taxed at the same rate as resident companies.

Bulgaria has only a 5% tax on distributed income.

Good luck with your research!

This question is even more interesting to ponder now, 10 months after it was initially posted.  As we all know, the recent charm offensive by North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong-Un, is an interesting development to ponder.  Why is it happening now, when just a little more than six months ago, President Trump and Kim were trading very undiplomatic barbs with each other and the relationship seemed to be fast-tracked to a destination that most people would prefer to not contemplate -- war on  the Korean peninsula that could escalate to the nuclear level.  Now, they are in the process of preparing for the first ever summit between a US president and the leader of North Korea.

Why the change?  It's hard to put one's finger on it, but I think there are several possibilities:

1)  Trump's rhetoric actually scared Kim, his senior leadership and, quite possibly, the North's main sponsor, the Chinese, into believing that the world was indeed careening to nuclear or conventional war in the Koreas, with possible spillover into China and that a drastic change of course is necessary;
2)  Kim finally has accepted that the economic mess he presides over is on the verge of collapse, cutting short his rule and his life at the hands of an angry North Korean elite;
3)  Kim believes he is in a strong position to bargain with the USA for an outcome that favors the North, in general, and Kim's objectives, in particular; or
4)  The Chinese have convinced Kim that he has a lot more to gain from instituting a form of crony state capitalism similar to China's and working with South Korea and the USA, rather than against them.

Just some thoughts.  Any other perspectives out there?

Thanks for your post, Will.  Your results were very encouraging, but I was wondering if you could provide some additional quantitative data.  For example, you mentioned that 10 merchants have set up coupons for bitcoin users.  You cite a couple of examples, but it would be really interesting if you could supply some additional detail on the other discounts or coupons being offered and correlate those offers with results.  In other words, has your analysis indicated whether there is a threshold amount of discount needed to entice purchasers?  I would like to see a graph of data showing the relationship between the level of incentives and the volume of customer purchases.  The more quantitative data the stronger the arguments for using crypto get.

Mine is not so much a question as a comment.  I think your goal is a good one, plus I truly like your idea of getting crypto on the map more in Latin America. I have spent a lot of time in in Chile and Argentina in the 1990s and I have the impression that one way to increase the acceptance of crypto is to suggest that crypto be taken by some of the hospitality vendors, such as hotels and restaurants.  This should be an attractive option for them, especially in the slower times of the year when everyone is looking for additional revenue sources.  Once the vendors start experiencing the upside of crypto world (significant additional revenue), they will become megaphones for spreading the word to other players in the crypto and regular economies!

Great idea! Nice hats!  I'll drop the link into some of my social media posts.  If more of us do that, the more likely that additional conversations will occur and that awareness builds.  Be part of the wave of crypto!

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Yes, immutability may sound a bit nightmarish, but only in some programming contexts.  In other contexts, however, immutability is a good thing, such a smart contract, where terms are there for everyone to see and understand.  There are fewer opportunities for misunderstanding when terms are there for all to see.
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