A great technology began to take root in 2009 and is now starting to take off in the form of cryptocurrency, like the popular Bitcoin. For the first time in world history (and correct me if Im wrong here) people are able to exchange value in a common currency without a central banking authority! What some might call a decentralized, trustless(ish) transaction.

Every transaction in the network is verified by it's inclusion in the 'blockchain', or public ledger of transactions. Many coins are created or mined by computers who compete to solve an algorithmic problem with a predetermined difficulty. Most cryptocurrencies are limited to a specific number of coins that will be created over time making them deflationary by nature.

And currency is only the first, most obvious application for an encrypted public ledger! Other applications include an open, verifiable vote; decentralized autonomous corporations (DAC); shares distribution and smart contracts built to execute on command. How about a decentralized blockchain for making a claim, UCC style?!

There are already hundreds of coins and applications coming out with more everyday in this burgeoning field. Blockchain technology is here and set to change money, commerce and value exchange as we know it. Central banking is finally archaic.

Maybe you have questions? Maybe you have the next great idea?! Maybe you have thoughts on how the existing (and considerable) technologies might be applied to our public and private financial solutions? Let's discuss!

Do you know Etherium? You might be interested. Etherium will redefine 'revenue' and decentralize value exchange. Just think about what that means for a minute. It's BIG.

"Ethereum can be used to codify, decentralize, secure and trade just about anything: voting, domain names, financial exchanges, crowdfunding, company governance, contracts and agreements of most kind, intellectual property, and even smart property thanks to hardware integration."



What is Etherium?:

Great topic!

As most of our members are probably aware, GTEN accepts donations in cryptocurrency. We currently accept and hold small positions in Bitcoin, Litecoin and Darkcoin, and we have a policy of accepting just about any legitimate cryptocurrency.

I believe cryptocurrencies are an important step away from governmental control and jurisdiction. They're extremely useful for private express trusts that wish to avoid minimum contacts into a federal forum jurisdiction.

For a quick introduction to how cryptocurrencies work, I suggest reading the original Bitcoin white paper by Satoshi Nakamoto (pseudonym). It's available on the internet, including here: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

MAXCOIN by MAX KEISER
http://www.maxcoin.co.uk/

Maxcoins fundamentals are sound, and the network is technically healthy compared to most coins that have virtually zero hashrate. It’s highly traded with a very wide initial distribution. There are people buying large amounts of Maxcoin right now for pennies. And their positions are increasing daily. There is plenty of room in the emerging cryptocurrency markets for innovative competitors to the existing established blockchains. More crypto is good, not bad for the world. If there was more crypto and less fiat, the world would be a much better place.
- Mike Murphy

We are following DRK, darkcoin at the moment. It is an interesting currency as it can provide true anonymity in its trading.

Why should Maxcoin be preferred to Bitcoin, Litecoin or Darkcoin? Or, what advantages and unique attributes are we looking at here?

I looked at the site link but am unclear what the opportunity is or how it's an improvement of blockchain technology. Thanks.

It's definitely started out strong and is coming up fast considering it only been out for few months now! Will it keep pace with the mainstream contenders in Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ripple and NXT? Looks like it recently overtook Dogecoin.

Is 'true anonymity' enough of a feature advantage over the 'pretty dang anonymous' status of most cryptocurrencies? After all, any wallet address within a blockchain is only a string of characters and the best and most popular Bitcoin wallets will at least generate unique send addresses for each transaction. It's not that difficult to retain anonymity in any case, it seems.

BitShares seems like one the GTEN trustors might be interested in too. A proof of stake system for distributing power among holders of shares in specific decentralized, autonomous, open and transparent companies that provide information. This puts the value in the idea, whatever it might be!

a frequently asked questions list:

https://bitcoin.org/en/faq#can-bitcoin-be-regulated

I'm finding this very exciting and after reading some and listening some, I am on board and setting up a wallet as soon as I'm done writing this.

Thanks for initiating a thread on this topic...I look forward to adding to it more as my experiences develop.

Siobhan

So, I spent several days downloading the bitcoin blockchain as part of creation of my wallet. The downloading had taken so much space up on the C drive that I started uninstalling software that was not necessity to this computer. That helped, but I could see the download was far from finished. I had to cancel the download or risk all my disk space being used up and a possible computer crash from overload which has happened once before.

I'm now looking at electrum.org and some other sites. Electrum does not download the blockchain but has other features by which you can create a wallet and buy and sell in bitcoin.

Any suggestions are welcomed as I am new to the bitcoin world.

Ended up using www.blockchain.info to create my wallets. Bitcoin is now happily being accepted. Now, time to get some bitcoins. This is fun :)

I think that's one of the best choices right now. Easy to use, double verification and easily downloadable to paper. I also like Counter Wallet which has some neat added features for token assets from other users.

Good choice!

Brandon Adams elaborates on the importance of understanding digital privacy, private currency and private digital exchange. An introduction to the next Masters in Commerce session, it appears.

Wondering about the the possibilities of Bitcoin? Turn the knobs and switches of this cool live model to see what's in the future for the price of BTC!

Bitcoin Price Speculator Live Model

Here's a video explaining some of the details and factors considered...

This court ruling might be of interest here:


Bitcoin Is Not Money, Miami Judge Rules
by Robert Hackett @rhhackett
July 25, 2016

http://fortune.com/2016/07/25/bitcoin-money-laundering-miami-judge/

I have read recently (can't find it now) that TPTB are attempting and succeeding in making bitcoin a purchased "product" and will be taxed. It won't be seen as "money" but will be expected to be accounted for like any other business purchase and taxed as an asset.

Comments?

While such a ruling does apply to the jurisdiction being ruled over, I do not see any relevance to private exchanges of value there. Put another way, only you have the choice to disclose your private business to public agencies. If anything, this may only relate in the use of public money like Federal Reserve Notes to purchase Bitcoin or the like. Make sense?

It seems to me that Bitcoin is a perfect example of how to strip the power from TPTB, the powers that be, and make them more the powers that would be if they could be. Bitcoin is international and growing in use in many jurisdictions. It is a viable currency in Indonesia, for example. You can pay your utility bills in Bali with Bitcoin. Because it isn't the fiat currency of any jurisdiction, and because it's nearly impossible to track by the IRS and equivalents when certain precautions are taken by the holder of Bitcoin, I think it's a frustration to TPTB more than a viable source of tax revenue. They're trying to tax it, but not particularly succeeding.

That PDF really helps one grasp the blockchain methodology. Still learning, but one now sees the safety and potential uses of blockchain tech.

Many thanks!

The Bitcoin white paper is worth reading. You can just google for it.

Word I hear from a tech guru friend who tracks Bitcoin carefully is that it's experiencing growing pains right now. It's already in greater use than it was ever meant to be, so there's a serious lag in the block chain. I'm not sure how this tech issue plays out. She believes it'll get sorted, but I guess there are a lot of techies scratching their heads over this issue at the moment. She's one of them.

Although cryptocurrencies are an improvement over government-regulated currencies, they're essentially backed by nothing tangible.

Are there services that offer Bitcoin accounts backed by precious metals such as gold?

I wonder if there are ways to mitigate this risk and to pair the liquidity of Bitcoin with the stability of precious metals such as silver.

Bitcoin is inherently unrelated to precious metals. I suggest reading the Bitcoin white paper, which you can find online, to fully understand its nature. Bitcoins are "mined" electronically, whereas gold is mined physically.

I know what Bitcoin is and am aware of how it differs from precious metals. Although the upward trend is for Bitcoin's value to appreciate, the current and short-term volatility may be concerning to some.

There are products that do combine gold and Bitcoin such as Vaultoro and BitGold (GoldMoney). This way, you can get the best of both worlds while avoiding fiat currencies.

We're presently developing a crypto-currency that will be backed by precious metals. This is my present focus, and I've already written the white paper. We will pre-announce to GTEN.org members ahead of the ICO launch date. Stay tuned! No, I don't have anything to share just yet. ;-)

Fantastic! This is what I have been hoping to see someday.

Christian, have you learned about Hashgraph, and more importantly, Hedera on it for this plan? Hedera and gossip protocol is so superior to the traditional blockchain protocol, you should be made aware.

Also wondering if putting an ICO within a private trust structure will bypass all the crazy and inconsistent “regulations “ and KYC requirements that are stifling the growth of crypto today. Have you any input on that?

Thanks again for taking on this exciting new tech and combining it with the power of Trusts.

Are you also going to create investments that pair real estate with cryptocurrencies?

I ask for several reasons:

1) You know real estate quite well because you've bought and sold many real estate properties
and companies.

2) Lately, I've been researching REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts).
I'm not sure how good they are, but they're growing not only in popularity,
but also in value. They've been outperforming many other investments. To minimize
taxation, they pay regular dividends and a few pay monthly.

Many pay in perpetuity meaning for life. With a high enough principal, perpetual dividends
could cover your monthly personal expenses. Or could you defer payments and channel them
into your own version of a pension or IRA?

Does rolling REIT dividends into cryptocurrencies makes it possible / easier to avoid
minimal contacts with the "System"?


Maybe, I'm a bit off here, but I think you get the jist of my ideas. This way, as a conscious beings, we take our own financial independence and future into our own hands while we rebuild the planet.