Friday, June 6, 2014

Facebook Approves First Cryptocurrency Tipping Apps


| Published on June 6, 2014 at 11:27 BST | Altcoins, Dogecoin, Lifestyle, News
Facebook has approved two new cryptocurrency tipping apps, according to the small team of dogecoin enthusiasts that developed them.
Lead developer Alejandro Caballero announced on reddit that the social networking giant has approved both his Doge Tipping App, which is restricted to dogecoin, and his Multicoin Tipping App, which got the official nod just this morning.
The latter allows 14 altcoins to be used to reward posts on Facebook in a very real sense, rather than merely giving them the standard ‘like’. The full list reads: dogecoin, digibytes, einsteinium, fedoracoin, mintcoin, reddcoin, quark, worldcoin, vertcoin, karmacoin, earthcoin, trollcoin, HTMLcoin and donationcoin.
This is not the first time digital currencies have appeared on Facebook. CoinDesk reported last month on QuickCoin’s wallet app that allows users to send bitcoin to anyone on their contacts list as simply as messaging. However, the new apps look to be the first dedicated tipping services on the platform.

‘Double hit’

“When we submitted the doge-only app, the Multicoin Tipping App was also submitted. But we needed to change several things to have it finally approved, which happened a few minutes ago,” said Caballero.
He described the approvals as a “double hit” and said the team is now bringing new coins to the big field “in the most pure spirit of shibing” – a reference to the Shiba Inu dog breed mascot of the dogecoin community.
The dogecoin community responded in kind, with abundant Comic Sans praise and a few dogecoin tips for Caballero and his team.

Limitations still exist

Using the world’s biggest social network as a payments platform is not a new concept, but getting approval and weaving around Facebook’s restrictions has proven tricky.
Although Facebook has now approved the apps, there are a few limitations users should be aware of. Notably, the apps can only be used to make tips in an approved group, but groups can be added and practically any Facebook user can be tipped.
Caballero explains:
“Tipping through the apps work from Facebook Groups, but once you joined one of them, you can send tips to every person existing in Facebook, from your friends list or not. We add groups on request. This way of working is the reason the apps where approved, because they promote social interaction without messing with user’s preferences or security.”
Caballero’s team has big plans aside from Facebook and is currently working on a universal tipping platform for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Xenforo, PHPBB and others.
Dogecoin is already a popular medium for tipping popular content producers, but has been restricted largely to platforms like reddit. The new Facebook apps could see the phenomenon take off with a much larger audience.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Rapper 50 Cent Accepts Bitcoin for New Album ‘Animal Ambition’

| Published on June 3, 2014 at 17:05 BST | BitPay, Companies, Events
Business mogul and hip-hop star Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has joined the growing number of musicians and entrepreneurs who are embracing bitcoin by accepting the digital currency as payment for his new album, ‘Animal Ambition’.
50 Cent’s Shopify store will accept bitcoin payments for the new release, with BitPay acting as the payments processor. Shopify first integrated payments for its network of merchants in November 2013.
50 cent
The development brings a prominent face to the bitcoin community. In addition to being a successful rap artist and producer, Jackson is a notable entrepreneur, having invested in Glaceau – the makers of Vitaminwater – in a deal that would eventually propel his net worth toward $140m.
Tony Gallippi, BitPay’s executive chairman, hailed the announcement by saying:
“We are excited to see high profile independent artists use bitcoin and 50 Cent’s trail as an innovator is outstanding.”
Jackson has also sold more than 30 million records to date, with hit albums including ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’’, ‘Curtis’ and ‘Before I Self Destruct’.
The release follows Jackson’s decision to leave longtime label Interscope Records in February to work with distributor Caroline, part of the Independent Services division of Capital Records.

Bitcoin’s latest entrepreneur

Most famous for his investment in Glaceua, which later sold to beverage conglomerate Coca-Cola for $4.1bn, 50 Cent has also engaged in other notable investments over the years.
In 2013, he took another chance on the beverage market, launching Street King energy shots, which currently holds the number two market share in the $2bn annual industry.
Given Jackson’s noted activism as an investor, it’s possible that the move signifies the rap star’s larger interest in digital currencies. For example, by accepting bitcoin as payment for copies of ‘Animal Ambition’, the venture provides Jackson with an interesting way of accruing BTC.
BitPay’s relationship with Shopify allows merchants to receive dollars, bitcoins or a combination of the two. It isn’t clear which direction Jackson plans on taking the store in this regard.
CoinDesk reached out to Jackson’s representatives for more details, but was unable to receive immediate comment.

More artists embracing bitcoin

animal ambition
Jackson isn’t the only music artist to embrace bitcoin for record sales.
In December 2013, Snoop Dogg (also known as recently as Snoop Lion) expressed interest in taking bitcoin for his next record, though to date he hasn’t taken an formal steps toward this decision. At the time, he hinted that the record would be “available in bitcoin and delivered in a drone”. Later, Snoop had a public exchange with Coinbase via Twitter about the idea, saying that “I want to make it happen”.
Former Spice Girl Mel B followed suit later that month, expressing interest in the digital currency for her then-upcoming single. She remarked that she was excited about the possibilities contained in consumer-leaning innovations like bitcoin, saying:
“I love how new technology makes our lives easier, and to me that’s exciting. Bitcoin unites my fans around the world using one currency. They can just pay using bitcoins!”
At the time, Donald Glover, a comedian who goes by the hip-hop moniker Childish Gambino, also suggested that he might accept bitcoin for his upcoming music project.
Beyond payments, other hip hop groups have experimented with the digital currency as a means of generating income. In March, Ain’t No Love launched their second EP, ‘Tears of Joy’, and paired the release with a bitcoin-friendly torrent publication on the FrostWire platform.
Disclaimer: CoinDesk founder Shakil Khan is an investor in BitPay.
Image credit: cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Bitbillions : Isn’t That Just Dandi?

Isn’t That Just Dandi?

When I was a teenager, I had an amazing chemistry teacher. He not only taught us chemistry in a way that was so engaging you couldn’t help but learn it, but he also taught us many lessons about life. One of the things he said, over and over and over, was “there are 3 types of people in the world: those that make things happen, those that sit and watch things happen, and those that wonder what happened”. I don’t know why, but that mantra stuck with me for life. It drove me to always strive for the first class of people.
Here at GBBG we are working hard, every day, to be in that first class of people. No, actually, we ARE in that first class. We are making things happen. Nothing will be more evident of this fact more than the release of the Dandi family of products in the future. Some of you will be with us making things happen. You will know before, during, and after what Dandi is all about. Others will watch it happen before their eyes, and they will either jump on board or struggle to keep up. But for many, it will be a surprise shocker that came totally out of left field.
The question I often have is this. How many GBBG members will be in that first class of people with us?
We worked very hard in April to transition from a basic, amateurish website into a more professional environment. I truly hope our members are pleased with the results. The new site is elegant, functional, and professional, in my personal opinion. But don’t get too relaxed yet. There is much more to come. This is just a step toward our big picture vision. There will be more and more improvements as we migrate from free (WordPress) through cheap (Hybrid Template Environment) to highly advance, proprietary systems.
We plan to spend the remainder of May completing the content of our current website, resolving any remaining glitches, and getting all functions (such as mybitcoinrewards drawings) operational again. By the 1st of June, we should be in a position to begin focusing on our next major phase in our master plan. In this phase we will lay the foundation for Dandi and complete the Matrix.
Recently, I held a webinar called “The Top Secret Project”, where I revealed some basic details about Dandi. I would like to take the opportunity now to summarize Dandi in written form for our members who do not understand spoken English.
Very soon, the Dandi family of products and services will emerge. Over the next few years, this organization will strive to eradicate the current concepts of currency, banking, payments, and remittance. Eventually, a global, decentralized banking system will be established to offer people throughout the world a banking alternative that is free of government control, free of corruption, and free of central manipulation.
What is currency? Currency is the physical (and increasingly digital) manner of defining value. No matter where you live on earth, you understand the value of certain currency. A resident of the USA can easily comprehend the value of a $20 bill. People in India can instinctively “feel” the value of a pile of Rupees. In essence, the value of any denomination of currency is what we can do with it. And, unfortunately, for most people, it is the amount of time we must trade for that denomination of “value” in paper or metal.
Currency can only exist in physical or digital form. More importantly, it cannot exist in both at the same time. We live in a world where currency morphs in and out of physical and digital form constantly. If we pay a vendor for something using cold hard cash, we are operating with physical currency. When we buy something online with PayPal or our credit card, we are operating with digital currency.
As time passes, we increasingly migrate from physical currency to digital. This is by design. Digital currency is easier to trace, control, and manipulate by the powers that wish to do so. Digital currency is essentially free to produce. It is air. It is digits on a computer screen. It doesn’t physically move or required the constant recycling and resupply of physical currency. And, in the current, centralized system, it erodes power from the masses.
The current banking system controls, manipulates, and traces nearly every transfer of value on earth. They no longer generate earnings from the secure storage and lending of currency. Now, they generate earnings from the use of currency. Because of this, the ultimate goal of the current banking establishment is that all humans conduct all currency transactions digitally, through their centralized system. It is in their best interest that all humans are paid by digital currency (direct deposit), and conduct all transactions with digital currency (debit cards).
We are becoming a smaller world every day. It is common place that people conduct currency transactions with businesses and individuals on the other side of the planet, in real-time, 24 hours per day. This trend is increasing, and will continue to increase. Business is now naturally global. And this is a major opportunity the current banking system has leveraged for profit.
Is an hour of time less investment for a person in China than a person in Australia?
Does a person in Mexico exert less energy building a house than a person in Denmark?
Is an egg in Taipei substantially different from an egg in Dallas, Texas?
Is a $10 bill substantially different in value than £6?
I think the answer to all the above is “no”.
So, if Amazon.com has a product for sale for $10 on their website and a person in India wants to purchase it, they understand naturally the value of the item is around 585 Rupees. In order for them to purchase the item, they must exchange Rupees to Dollars, and pay a fee for this. And the funny irony is that they most likely do this online, with their online (digital) bank account. They don’t physically swap Rupees for Dollars, their bank just switches some digits around on their screen. And they pay a fee for this.
Why?
Why does a person in Germany have to convert Euros to Australian Dollars to conduct business in Australia, or to have spending money while on vacation in Australia?
Aren’t 2 AUD and 1.35 Euro the same exact thing? Aren’t they just a way to express value? If so, why do we pay a fee to transfer value for value?
What if the world had a single currency? What if there were one currency that represented the exact same value physically, and digitally, in every location on earth? What if a person could earn a currency in Ghana and spend it in Canada as if they earned it in Canada? We think that would be pretty Dandi (we know it is actually spelled dandy).
What if there were a Dandicoin that was all currency at one time? What if there were a Dandicoin that could move in and out of physical and digital form with ease? What if a person in South Dakota could acquire some physical Dandicoins and transfer them instantly and without fees to a person in Russia? What if that person in Russia could then physically hand some of them to a vendor on the street and walk away with some meat and vegetables? We think that would be pretty Dandi.
There is a major flaw with the current digital currency/payment industry. This flaw runs rampant in every product/service we have reviewed, whether it relates to PayPal, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Doggecoin, etc. In our opinion, everyone is thinking about currency in only one form: digital.
Currency must be able to move in and out of physical and digital form freely. Currently, if I want some bitcoins, I must exchange some physical (fiat) currency into a digital form (my online bank account). Then, I transfer this digital currency (wire) to a Bitcoin service or exchange. They then swap my digital version of my fiat currency for a digital denomination of Bitcoin. All the while, I incur fees and spend TIME.
Once my fiat currency is finally converted to bitcoins, and they are in my Bitcoin wallet, I can use them to buy things. Or, sit on them hoping they will increase in value. Now, say I am walking down the street and I see a person selling puppies on the street corner. My daughter wants a puppy so I ask the person how much. We negotiate a price and I ask if they will accept Bitcoin. What if they don’t know anything about Bitcoin? What if they don’t have a computer, phone, or electronic device? How can I pay them?
Say I have a Bitcoin debit card. Can I just hand my Bitcoin card to the person and walk away with the puppy? No. They need to have some device to take the payment from my Bitcoin card.
THIS is the problem. Every solution being presented to the Bitcoin economy is purely digital. I convert my physical money to digital money, and then the ONLY way to use it is digitally. I cannot convert it INSTANTLY or EASILY back into physical form. Current digital currency services and products are not designed to allow value to flow easily, and instantly, back and forth from physical and digital form. And, even if we adapted current mechanisms (standard banks and ATMs) to work with bitcoins, there would be fees and TIME involved in the conversion processes.
Dandi will solve this. At GBBG we are working on a combination of products and services that will allow value (currency denominations) to flow easily and instantly in and out of physical and digital form. More importantly, this process will happen WITHOUT requiring banks, credit cards, debit cards, computers, ATM machines, or other things “traditionally” required to move currency.
Our solution will allow a person to buy a hamburger ANYWHERE on earth with the same ease and speed as paying with cold hard cash. The vendor will not require a special device or terminal to accept the payment. All they will need is at least one working eyeball. Yes, they will be able to see with their own eyes the value transferred, and validate it instantly as if you handed them physical cash currency.
Our solution will allow a person to transfer value to another person on the other side of the world with the same ease and speed as handing them cold hard cash. More importantly, this process will happen WITHOUT requiring a bank account, credit card, debit card, digital wallet or payment processor, computer, or any special device or service (or app). If two people can communicate with each other in any form, they can transfer the value instantly.
In order to accomplish the first phase of this grand vision, we must establish a global network of distribution. GBBG is working on a device that will allow value (currency denominations) to move freely and instantly in and out of physical and digital form. This device will revolutionize money. It will entirely change the way people conduct currency transactions. And, if this gets mass adoption, we think it will cause the majority of people on earth to wonder why they have a bank account. Or a credit/debit card for that matter.
In June we will begin to crowdfund this project. People all over the world will be able to donate to the development fund. In return, they will receive value useful in the system, once it is live. We will also begin pre-selling distributorships. We want to build a network of 2,500 distributors globally BEFORE we roll out the devices. These distributors will have the opportunity of a lifetime. They will be the focal point for acquiring a device that will revolutionize money!
Over the next 3 to 5 years, we think Dandicard, Dandicoin, and Dandiwallet will become major influences. We intend to provide a better solution to currency. We intend to provide a better solution for remittance and payment processing. We intend to replace banking for the majority of people on earth. This is a huge aspiration. But we already have over 100,000 people on our team. And this is just the tip of the iceberg!
David Ruebush
Co-Founder
Global Bitbillions Group Incorporated