Isn't Elon Musk suggesting ACTUAL space travel and Richard Branson also? But I guess VR is a cheaper alternative... and less motion sickness I imagine

An enormous plot of land in the Nevada desert — bigger than nearby Reno — has been the subject of local intrigue since a company with no history, Blockchains L.L.C., bought it for $170 million in cash this year. The man who owns the company, a lawyer and cryptocurrency millionaire named Jeffrey Berns, put on a helmet and climbed into a Polaris off-road vehicle last week to give a tour of the sprawling property and dispel a bit of the mystery.

He imagines a sort of experimental community spread over about a hundred square miles, where houses, schools, commercial districts and production studios will be built. The centerpiece of this giant project will be the blockchain, a new kind of database that was introduced by Bitcoin. After his driver stopped the Polaris on a high desert plateau, surrounded by blooming rabbit brush and a grazing herd of wild horses, Mr. Berns, who is 56, pointed to the highlights of his dream community. “You see that first range of mountains,” he said, pointing south. “Those mountains are the border of our South Valley. That’s where we’re going to build the high-tech park,” a research campus that would cover hundreds of acres. There are also plans for a college and an e-gaming arena.

Source : https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/technology/nevada-bitcoin-blockchain-society.html

I hadn't thought of the interest this poses to international students, but it's very true - and I imagine a lot easier to transfer funds in a lot of ways

Clovr recently surveyed 1,023 registered U.S. voters to learn how the American public views the possibility of political candidates accepting cryptocurrency donations for campaign financing. A majority of 60 percent said cryptocurrency donations should be treated the same as fiat, with only 21 percent disagreeing.

Regarding the topic of security, 54 percent of respondents in the Clovr survey answered that cryptocurrencies were safe enough for political donations. Breaking it down by party affiliation, 63 percent of Republicans agreed cryptocurrency was secure enough to be used for political purposes, with 52 percent of Democrats and 45 percent of independents saying the same. Additionally, 73 percent of those polled who claimed to be knowledgeable about cryptocurrencies believed security was not an issue.

What do people think about this? Do you think this is a good representation of the majority of U.S. voters? Or is 1,000 or so people just not enough?

Full article : https://news.bitcoin.com/survey-60-of-us-voters-want-cryptocurrency-political-donations-to-be-legal/

Thanks for sharing, number 1 is especially interesting.... I wish it was me in number 1!

I don't believe so - Paypal and Bitcoin, currently, are marketed at 2 different groups of people and offer two 'different' purposes. Maybe, in time, they will bump into each other and perhaps one take over the other but, the for the time being, I don't believe that Bitcoin will spell the end for Paypal

The head of an Indian nonprofit trade organization said cryptocurrency is “illegal,” and urged businesses to obey the law, local news daily the Hindu reported Thursday, Oct. 25.

Debjani Ghosh, the president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), was cited by the Hindu saying that cryptocurrencies are illegal from NASSCOM’s perspective. NASSCOM is a nonprofit trade association of over 2,000 member companies for the Indian IT and business process outsourcing industries.

“It is [the] law of the land and hence, we have to work with it,” Ghosh claimed about cryptocurrency’s ‘illegal’ status. She added, “If we do not agree, we have to go back to the government and speak about why cryptocurrencies aren’t correct.” However, Ghosh noted that the “illegal” status of crypto is the result of the government’s failure to keep up with innovation:

“The genesis of this problem, however, lies in the failure of policy making not keeping pace with rapid technological changes. NASSCOM’s focus would be to say, how do you synergize technological development and policy making. I think that will be our focus.”

Cryptocurrency is currently legal in India, but in July the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned the country’s banks from servicing businesses involved in exchanging or processing digital assets. At the time, RBI cited risks to financial stability and the security of investors as being the main reasons behind the ban.

Following the crackdown, commentators were quick to note that, while banking activities for crypto business were suspended, it was not a ban on crypto in India outright. The country’s supreme court continues to uphold the ban even after hearing a raft of petitions.

Since July, the ban has had severe repercussions for the industry. Exchanges in particular have faced difficult conditions, with major platform Zebpay halting operations and relocating to crypto-friendly Malta.

Ghosh’s comments come after police clamped down this week on a project from crypto exchange Unocoin, arresting its co-founders after they installed a Bitcoin ATM in a Bangalore shopping mall.

Various media outlets have cited authorities who reportedly explained that the ATM “had not taken any permission from the state government and is dealing in cryptocurrency outside the remit of the law.” According to a police official quoted by the Times of India, the central bank considers cryptocurrency “illegal.”

Article : https://cointelegraph.com/news/cryptocurrency-illegal-in-india-says-trade-organization-head

Yes! True Detective is amazing. The Snowman is ok too, not the best but not bad

Change the types of food that you eat and how often you eat - also, start an exercise/weights program which will help with gaining weight, when combined with your changed eating habits!

I don't believe it is a 'currency' class, however I do believe it has its place in the future. As to what that place is, I am unsure, but it will still be around in some way, shape or form

Two of the largest cryptocurrency companies, Coinbase and Circle, are joining forces to establish more ground rules in the quickly evolving asset class. The start-ups announced a joint-venture known as the "CENTRE Consortium" on Tuesday, which they say aims at speeding up adoption of cryptocurrencies backed by actual government currencies like the U.S. dollar.

"Coinbase and Circle share a common vision of an open global financial system built on crypto rails and blockchain infrastructure, and realizing this vision requires industry leaders to collaborate to build interoperable protocols and standards," Circle co-founders Jeremy Allaire and Sean Neville said in a news release Tuesday. Circle launched its own U.S. dollar version of what's known as a "stablecoin" in May. The fintech company, valued at $3 billion in its most recent funding round, has made a series of deals and announcements in a long-term bet that despite bitcoin's price slump, the crypto economy is here to stay. The "USD Coin" was one of those bets, and as of Tuesday it will trade on Coinbase's popular cryptocurrency exchange. This is the first time Coinbase has supported a stablecoin, which it said is "fundamentally different" from other cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin's price has fluctuated wildly since its rise to nearly $20,000 last year, making it almost impossible to use as a viable payment alternative. A stablecoin like Circle's USD Coin, in comparison, is meant to represent a single U.S. dollar. It is a 1:1 representation of the greenback, just built on the ethereum blockchain. Each USD Coin is collateralized by a corresponding U.S. dollar, held in accounts subject to regular public reporting of reserves, Circle said.

What are people's thoughts on this? Will it achieve what it's founders claim it will?

Information taken from the article "Cryptocurrency giants Coinbase and Circle form joint venture to boost adoption of dollar-backed digital coins" found here : https://www.c[Suspicious link removed]m/2018/10/23/cryptocurrency-giants-coinbase-and-circle-form-a-joint-venture-to-boost-adoption-of-dollar-backed-stable-coins.html

I think VR is great - is has so much potential across a lot of areas but besides that, it can be a great tool to just have fun! I do get motion sick though from it :/

Changing things up every day - that is my daily routine! I used to be a stickler for a strict routine and then realized it was bordering on unhealthy, so now I change things up every day. Granted, I work from home so it is easier to change things up more often, but the variety ensures I keep motivated and I'm not looking at the same 4 walls every day. I always make sure I do something nice for myself though every day - even if it's just making a cup of tea and sitting for 5 minutes listening to some music, it is important to keep me sane!

Agreed - these things take time, effort and patience. You can't just expect someone else to give you all the answers and you will make money - you have to take responsibility for your own investments!

I believe there will be a few currencies, not just Bitcoin - kind of like the way in which different currencies are used all over the world at the moment (USD, AUD, EU etc). People like the variety

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for Bitcoin documentaries? I was reading an article over the weekend which suggested The Bitcoin Story, Ulterior States (I Am Satoshi Documentary), The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin, Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It, Life on Bitcoin and Banking on Bitcoin - has anyone seen any of these? Are they worthwhile? Or are there better documentaries around? Open to crypto documentaries too, not just Bitcoin. Thanks!

I wanted to be a vet or a doctor and I am neither.... but I do love what I do anyway!

Every investment holds risk, it just depends as to the level of risk

I definitely think blockchain will offer many benefits into the future - even if you just look at the medical industry and the positive steps blockchain is providing, that is proof in itself

Smartphones definitely - but blockchain, crypto and the president are definitely up there too!