Mar 22
Companies that distribute and exchange Bitcoin will now be subject to the same rules as Western Union. The hope is to crackdown on Bitcoin-related crime. More »
Mar 20
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.
We worship money. It can be exchanged for life-sustaining stuff, makes us powerful and drives us to make new things. It also drives us to do some very strange stuff, but that’s a subject for another day and place. You may not bow to the altar of the dollar, but you certainly recognize the need to have some in order to survive.
While we adore money as a society, its time may be limited as a currency, and the internet may be to blame. Money wasn’t always king. Before we traded cash, we exchanged gold, cows, clamshells, rice, copper, tea leaves and even bat guano. At some point in those currencies’ lives, people determined that there were other things worth more and moved on to trade those.
Filed under: Internet
Mar 15
I’m not sure, but the reason why most early video games had coins or gems for currency was because of graphical limitations. It’s easier to present a recognizable coin than paper money. But if Link was real I’m sure he’d rather have these neat banknotes instead of Rupees. Especially if one of them has a drawing of him on it.
These lovely bills were made by deviantART member G33k1nd159153, who says that he makes stuff for fun and incidentally would like to “get paid to have that kind of fun someday.”
Well G33k1nd159153, perhaps your fake money will be your ticket to getting real money. Your link to the bank, so to speak. Sorry. Check out G33k1nd159153′s deviantART page to see the images in high resolution.
[via Sprite Stitch]
Dec 24
The next time you’re tempted with jealousy over the brightly colored currency of other countries, just take one peek at how ridiculous our beloved dollar bill would be in technicolor. It looks like what the Joker plays Monopoly with. More »
Oct 26
Apple adds Rubles and other currencies to App Store, bumps minimum price to €0.89 in Europe
Posted in: Today's Chili 
After announcing slightly under par financials, Apple has added more ways it can be paid for apps, though it also bumped the minimum freight to get one across Europe. The new lowest price users in France, Germany, Italy and other nations “over there” can pay for an app is now €0.89, a euro-dime bump from before — apparently due to the weak euro and local tax hikes. On the other hand, Cupertino also added more currencies accepted at its store: South African Rand, Turkish Lira, Russian Rubles, Indian Rupees, Isreali New Shekel’s, Saudi Arabian Riyal, Indonesian Rupish and UAE Dirham can all now be used to pay. Apple has tinkered with its prices before in varying amounts overseas depending on the nation, so you may want to check your own country’s App Store for the news — bad or good.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Mobile
Apple adds Rubles and other currencies to App Store, bumps minimum price to €0.89 in Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 28
It’s probably not that much of a stretch to assume that one-percenters steady wobbly tables with rolled up wads of hundred dollar bills. Right? You use what you have on hand. And for the rest of us who only aspire to one day control a vast majority of the world’s wealth, there’s these fake PVC bank notes which basically do the same thing. More »
Aug 22
Well, BitInstant is insistent that it will launch a BitCoin debit card, but MasterCard is claiming it will not be part of the plans. After a mock up of the plastic made the rounds featuring the company’s logo, the financial powerhouse felt it necessary to reach out to us, clarifying its non-involvement.
“MasterCard has no relationship with BitInstant. There are issuers who allow the conversion of Bitcoins to US dollars and other currencies, delivered on prepaid cards. However, we’re not aware of this particular programme from BitInstant.”
Of course, if you read the transcript of Charlie Shrem’s chat announcing the plans, he never actually names MasterCard. The logo was likely meant as a placeholder — one that some outlets took a little too literally.
Interestingly, this doesn’t actually mean that MasterCard won’t be involved… just that the company isn’t at this point in the process. BitInstant released its own statement, just hours after the card house contacted us, saying that it has been working with MasterCard affiliates, but had yet to submit to the financial firm directly.
“The card program is moving forward and the arrangement with MasterCard will be handled in due time at the proper stage of the process by the partners who work directly with that company.”
So, what have we learned today? Not a whole heck of a lot actually, other than the fact that putting out a debit card is a complicated business. You’ll just have to stay tuned to see how this shakes out.
Filed under: Internet
MasterCard denies BitCoin card rumors, BitInstant says it’s still on track originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aug 20
BitInstant founder says BitCoin debit card to launch within next two months
Posted in: Today's Chili
A BitCoin debit card could be in your very near future thanks to the efforts of trader-backed BitInstant. That fund transfer outfit, dedicated solely to the digital currency, has partnered with an undisclosed international bank to launch a branded debit card within six to eight weeks. News of the development first surfaced yesterday during an online chat with company co-founder, Charlie Shrem, in which he confirmed the cards would cost users $10 apiece to purchase and carry a 1% bitcoin transfer fee, as well as $1.50 ATM withdrawal fee. To further streamline the exchange process, users will be able to make quick transfers under $1000 by scanning a QR code overlay on front or by accessing the personal BitCoin address listed on back — all possible with a single confirmation. Initially, the cards will be denominated solely for USD, GBP and EUR, but more foreign currencies could soon be added in the lead up to its official debut. For now, those are the only bits Shrem was willing to share, as further details on this plastic alternative will be forthcoming prior to official launch. Until then, there’s always AMEX.
Filed under: Internet
BitInstant founder says BitCoin debit card to launch within next two months originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 23:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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